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Sample. Fictional data.Every name, thread, date and number below is invented.

Sample Workflow Leak Diagnostic

Where a client launch approval gets stuck

Report
SAMPLE-001. Version 1.
Workflow
Client launch approval. Intake to launch.
Prepared for
A small agency. Invented.
Download the sample report (PDF) Read the report

Section 1 of 7

Executive summary

The workflow
A client launch approval at a small agency. A request comes in. The team gathers assets and builds a draft. An internal review comes next. The client approves. The work goes live.
The biggest concern
A client approval can wait on nobody. In the three threads 5 of 7 approval requests had no named owner. 3 of 7 waited 4 working days or more. 1 of those 3 got a reminder.
Do this first
Name one owner for every approval and start a clock. Send a reminder after 2 working days. Flag the account lead after 4 working days.
How sure this is
Findings 1 and 2 rest on 7 requests in 3 threads. Finding 3 rests on one screenshot and the agency’s own estimate. Three threads show a pattern but cannot say how often it happens.

Section 2 of 7

Workflow map

Six steps. Five handoffs. Five decisions. The agency described this flow and the three threads follow it.

  1. IntakeOwnerAccount managerToolsEmail and project boardDecisionIs the brief complete?Handoff H1Account manager asks the client for assets
  2. Asset requestOwnerAccount managerToolsEmail and shared driveDecisionAre all assets in?Handoff H2Client sends assets and the producer starts
  3. DraftOwnerProducerToolsProject board and shared driveHandoff H3Producer hands the draft to the creative lead
  4. Internal reviewOwnerCreative leadToolsProject board and chatDecisionReady to show the client?Handoff H4Account manager sends the draft to the client
  5. Client approvalOwnerNo named ownerToolsEmail and project boardDecisionApproved or changes?F1F2Handoff H5Client answers and the account manager tells the producer
  6. LaunchOwnerProducerToolsProject board and calendarDecisionGo or hold?

F3Across all six steps the account lead reads three boards and one inbox every Monday. Then the lead types a status sheet.

  • Handoff. Work moves to another person.
  • Decision. Someone says yes or no.
  • FF1 to F3. Where a finding sits.
Findings 1 and 2 sit at step 5. Finding 3 runs across all six steps.

Section 3 of 7

Findings

Three findings. Each one shows its evidence. A finding appears only when the evidence supports it.

F1

Nobody owns the client approval

High severityStrong evidence

The request goes out but no one person has to get the answer.

  • Count

    5 of 7 approval requests had no named owner. The card said “Account team”.

  • Board

    The Harbor banner v2 card lists two people as assigned. Its approval owner field is empty.

  • Thread line

    On working day 4 of the wait the team asked each other.

    Did Tom ever approve the v2 banner?Priya, producer
    I thought you were chasing that.Maya, account manager
F2

A late approval triggers nothing

High severityStrong evidence

No rule says when a waiting approval needs a reminder or a second person.

  • Count

    3 of 7 requests waited 4 working days or more (4, 4 and 6). 1 of those 3 got a reminder.

  • Dates

    Harbor banner v2. Sent Monday of week 1. Reminder Friday of week 1. Approved Tuesday of week 2. Launch Wednesday of week 2.

  • Dates

    Ternwell homepage. Sent Tuesday of week 1. No reminder in the thread. Approved Monday of week 2 at 6 PM. Launch Tuesday of week 2.

  • Agency description

    The agency’s own words about follow-up.

    We chase when we remember.From the description
F3

The account lead builds status by hand

Medium severityModerate evidence

Every Monday one person copies status from three boards and an inbox into one sheet.

  • Agency estimate

    The agency says the sheet takes about 1 hour each Monday.

  • Status sheet

    2 of 9 rows did not match the board. The Ternwell homepage row said “Approved”. Its board card said “Waiting on client”.

  • Thread line

    The client had written this the Friday before. The formal approval came Monday at 6 PM.

    Looks good overall. One small tweak on the footer.Client contact

The evidence behind findings 1 and 2

The 7 client approval requests in the 3 threads. Days are working days from send to answer.

RequestOwner namedDays waitedReminder
Harbor hero copyMaya1No
Harbor banner v2None6Yes
Harbor final pageNone1No
Ternwell homepageNone4No
Ternwell checkout flowPriya2No
Mossmere ad setNone4No
Mossmere landing pageNone2No

Section 4 of 7

Impact and severity

Severity comes first. A number appears only where the agency supplied the input. Every number here is a sample input.

FindingWho feels itWhat can happenSeverity
F1Account manager and producerA launch waits on an answer that no one is chasing.High
F2Producer and clientThe launch date moves or the work ships on an approval that came in the night before.High
F3Account leadAn hour a week goes to copying status. One wrong row sends a client a wrong update.Medium

High means a client launch can be delayed or broken. Medium means lost team time or a wrong update. Low means friction that leaves a launch alone.

Sample inputs

  • Launches a month10Sample input.
  • Approval requests per launch2 to 3Counted in the threads. 7 requests across 3 launches.
  • Requests that waited 4 working days or more3 of 7Counted in the threads.
  • Time on the Monday status sheetAbout 1 hour a weekThe agency’s estimate.

What the inputs add up to

  • At 10 launches a month the agency handles about 23 approval requests.
  • If the 3 of 7 pattern holds about 10 of them wait 4 working days or more.
  • The Monday sheet takes about 4 hours a month.

Three threads are a small sample. Read these numbers as a rough size and nothing more. The report puts no dollar figure on a late approval because the agency supplied none.

Section 5 of 7

Recommended fix

Priority fixOne owner and a clock for every client approval

Findings 1 and 2 share one cause. The approval step has no owner and no clock. Fixing both covers the biggest concern.

The exception list in part 3 of the fix answers finding 3.

Four parts

  1. One owner per approvalEvery request names one person at the agency and one approver at the client. A backup covers leave. The names sit on the card.Answers F1
  2. Escalation triggersNo reply after 2 working days: the owner sends a reminder. No reply after 4 working days or 3 working days before launch: the account lead contacts the client.Answers F2
  3. An exception listOne list of every approval past a trigger. It is sorted by launch date. The account lead reads it in place of three boards.Answers F3
  4. Follow-ups a person reviewsThe reminder arrives pre-written. The owner edits it and sends it. Nothing reaches a client without that person.Supports F2

On the sample threads all three long waits would have drawn a reminder on working day 2. Each would have reached the account lead by working day 4.

Steps to put it in place

  1. Add two fields to every launch card: approval owner and client approver.
  2. Write the two triggers on one page. Pin it where the team works.
  3. Build the exception list. It is a view of every approval that has waited more than 2 working days.
  4. Write the reminder text once. Owners adjust it for each client.
  5. Run it on the next three launches. Check the list each Monday and Thursday. Review the rules after the third launch.

Section 6 of 7

What you can do without 3Fold

These changes need no new software. Most project boards support them. The agency can start this week.

  • Make the owner a required fieldAdd “Approval owner” to every launch card. Set it when the request goes out.
  • Date every approvalPut a due date on each approval request. The launch date alone is too late.
  • Save one viewName it “Waiting on client”. Sort it by launch date and share it with the account team.
  • Check it twice a weekRead the view on Monday and Thursday. Retire the Monday sheet once the view matches it.
  • Ask for a dateEnd every request to a client with “Please reply by DATE so we can launch on DATE.”
  • Record the yes in one placeWrite “Approved by NAME on DATE” as a comment on the card.

If these changes solve the problem the agency needs no build. A diagnostic says so when it is true.

Section 7 of 7

Optional build scope

This section stands apart from the findings. The plan above works without it.

A standard first build for this workflow would include

  • Mapping and redesign of the launch approval workflow
  • Connections to up to three of the agency’s systems: the project board, email and the calendar
  • The owner rule and the two triggers
  • A scheduled check that measures how long each approval has waited
  • One exception view sorted by launch date
  • Reminder drafts that the owner reviews before sending
  • Testing, deployment, documentation and a handoff to a named owner

These need extra scoping

  • A second workflow such as asset requests or invoicing
  • More than three systems
  • A page where clients approve work themselves
  • Systems that do not allow outside access
  • Rules that differ for each client

$5,000Standard build

One time. $2,500 to start. $2,500 at acceptance.

For your first standard 3Fold build. Larger or additional builds are scoped separately.

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