Skip to main content

New FlowOps Foundations Outline

Purpose: Teach teams how to design, build, scale, and govern processes without over-engineering.

This is Book 1 — intentionally high-level, practical, and immediately usable.

Unit 0: FlowOps Orientation (Optional but Recommended)

Purpose: Establish shared language and expectations.

Focus

  • What FlowOps is / is not
  • Why most “process work” fails
  • The FlowOps maturity ladder (ad-hoc → repeatable → scalable → automated)

Outputs

  • FlowOps glossary
  • Process maturity reference
  • Program roadmap

Unit 1: Diagnostic — Where Are You Really?

Purpose: Determine current process maturity and identify the right starting point.

Focus

  • Symptoms vs root causes
  • Process maturity scoring
  • Selecting a first “high-leverage” process

Outputs

  • FlowOps Diagnostic Score
  • Top 3 process constraints
  • First target process selected

Unit 2: Building from Nothing — The Single-Owner Micro-Process

Purpose: Learn how to build one small process that actually works.

Constraints

  • One person
  • No handoffs
  • No automation
  • No dependencies

Focus

  • Trigger → steps → definition of done
  • Checklists vs judgment
  • Failure points inside a single role

Outputs

  • Micro-process map
  • SOP-Lite (1 page)
  • Quality check definition

Unit 3: Introducing Handoffs — Adding a Second Person Safely

Purpose: Prevent breakdowns when responsibility moves between people.

Focus

  • Handoff contracts (inputs / outputs / acceptance criteria)
  • Ownership vs responsibility
  • Reject-and-return rules

Outputs

  • Handoff specification
  • RACI-Lite definition
  • SLA expectations

Unit 4: Chaining Processes — Creating a Simple Workflow

Purpose: Turn isolated processes into a repeatable flow.

Focus

  • Stage boundaries
  • Start / end conditions
  • Queues and basic flow control
  • Identifying early bottlenecks

Outputs

  • End-to-end workflow map (3–7 steps)
  • Stage definitions
  • Status tracking structure

Unit 5: Exceptions & Edge Cases (FULL UNIT)

Purpose: Define what happens when reality doesn’t follow the happy path.

Most workflows fail not because the main path is wrong — but because exceptions are undefined.

Focus

  • What qualifies as an exception
  • Categorizing exceptions (data, timing, scope, quality)
  • Decision authority and escalation paths
  • Preventing exception creep

Outputs

  • Exception taxonomy
  • Escalation matrix
  • Exception handling rules
  • “When to stop the line” criteria

Unit 6: Data by Design — What Data the Process Needs

Purpose: Intentionally define minimum viable data for flow clarity.

Focus

  • Required vs optional data
  • Structured vs unstructured inputs
  • Data that triggers next steps
  • Preventing garbage-in / garbage-out

Outputs

  • Required field list
  • Data dictionary
  • Validation rules
  • Rejection criteria

Unit 7: Interdependent & Cross-Functional Flows

Purpose: Manage workflows that rely on other teams without chaos.

Focus

  • Upstream / downstream dependencies
  • Cross-team agreements
  • Visibility vs control
  • Exception amplification across teams

Outputs

  • Dependency map
  • Cross-functional SLAs
  • Escalation & coordination model

Unit 8: Roles & Responsibilities — Linking People to Flow

Purpose: Make ownership explicit so work doesn’t stall or duplicate.

Focus

  • Process ownership vs task execution
  • Role charters
  • Coverage, backups, and authority
  • Single point of accountability

Outputs

  • Role-to-process matrix
  • Ownership assignments
  • Delegation & escalation paths

Unit 9: Capacity & Bottlenecks (FULL UNIT)

Purpose: Prevent overload and burnout by understanding flow limits.

You don’t have a process problem — you have a capacity visibility problem.

Focus

  • Bottleneck identification
  • Work-in-progress (WIP) limits
  • Simple load indicators
  • Throughput vs utilization traps

Outputs

  • Bottleneck role identified
  • Max WIP per stage
  • Simple capacity indicator
  • Early warning overload signals

Unit 10: Metrics & Operating Rhythm

Purpose: Turn workflows into managed systems.

Focus

  • Leading vs lagging metrics
  • Cycle time, aging, rework
  • SLA adherence
  • Review cadence design

Outputs

  • Process scorecard
  • Weekly review agenda
  • Improvement backlog

Unit 11: Process Building Blocks — Improve, Don’t Rebuild

Purpose: Stop recreating processes and start refining them.

Focus

  • Modular SOPs
  • Templates and checklists
  • Versioning rules
  • Change control discipline

Outputs

  • SOP skeletons
  • Template library
  • Version control rules
  • Continuous improvement loop

Unit 12: Automation Readiness & Scale

Purpose: Automate only what is stable and understood.

Focus

  • Automation readiness checklist
  • Triggers and inputs
  • Human-in-the-loop controls
  • Failure handling

Outputs

  • Automation candidate list (ranked)
  • Automation specs
  • Control and audit requirements
Back to top