— 01 · Workflow Map

Map the work

Lay each recurring workflow out as ownership lanes, so everyone sees who owns every step.

  • Ownership lanes

    One lane per owner. Every step sits with a named person, not a team or a channel.

  • Guided workflow creation

    Describe the workflow in plain words. AI drafts the map; you assign, edit, and approve it.

  • Handoff points

    Mark exactly where work passes from one owner to the next, with the context that travels with it.

  • Definition of done

    Each step names what finished looks like, so the next owner knows when to pick it up.

NextWho Workflow Map: owner lanes with a handoff card moving to the next owner
Mapping where work changes hands
Workflow rail · Client onboarding
01

Intake form

Sales · Form

02

Kickoff call

Account · Calendar

03

Asset collection

Account · Drive

04

Internal kickoff

Delivery · Notion

05

Project setup

Delivery · Linear

— 02 · Living SOP

Keep the playbook alive

SOPs drafted from the real workflow and kept current by the people who own each step.

  • Drafted from the map

    AI drafts each SOP from the workflow map. The step owner reviews and approves before it goes live.

  • Named reviewer

    Every SOP has one owner and a review date. When a date passes, it shows up in the weekly review.

  • Role-aware checklists

    The person who owns a step sees that step's checklist — nothing more, nothing less.

  • Escalation rules

    When a step stalls, the SOP says who takes over and how to resolve it.

Scattered handwritten SOP notes being reorganized into an ordered stack
The playbook, kept current
Living SOP · Asset collection
Asset collection SOPv3 · review in 12d
Owner: Account team · Reviewed every 30 days
  • Send branded asset request 24h after kickoff
  • Confirm logo, fonts, and reference materials received
  • Flag missing items inside the workflow, not over email
  • Mark step complete only when all assets are tagged
— 03 · Handoff Tracker

Name the next owner

Every open handoff with its sender, receiver, next action, and the time it needs attention.

  • Accept and confirm

    The receiving owner confirms the handoff. Confirmed handoffs turn teal; unconfirmed ones stay visible.

  • Context attached

    Notes, files, and decisions pass with the handoff, so the next owner starts informed.

  • Due-time markers

    Each handoff shows when it needs attention, so nothing waits silently.

NextWho Handoff Tracker in use: a team confirming the next owner around a laptop
The next owner, confirmed
— 04 · Bottleneck Radar

Spot stuck handoffs

See which steps wait longest or bounce between owners — measured per workflow, never per person.

  • Wait-time hotspots

    Highlights the steps where work sits longest before the next owner picks it up.

  • Bounce detection

    Flags handoffs that pass back and forth, so you can clarify ownership once.

  • Ops Health / Calm Score

    One workflow-level score built from stuck handoffs, SOP coverage, and review cadence. No individual scores.

Support specialist passing an escalation note to a colleague
Where handoffs stall
Bottleneck pressure map

Intake

Kickoff

Assets

Setup

Launch

Assets step has stalled 5 weeks running. Cleanup recommended.
— 05 · Automation Radar

Find repeatable actions

Spot the steps your team repeats by hand and decide which ones a rule could own.

  • Repeated-step detection

    Finds steps done the same way, week after week, across a workflow.

  • Ranked suggestions

    AI suggests which actions to automate, ranked by time returned to the team.

  • Human approval

    Every suggestion is explained and reversible. A person approves it before anything changes.

Stack of invoices with handwritten follow-up notes beside a phone
Repeated steps worth a rule
Automation signal map

Send onboarding email after intake

Repeats 4×/week

Template

Tag asset folder by client

Repeats 3×/week

Rule

Create Linear epic per project

Repeats every project

Integration

Every suggestion requires a human approval before it's wired up.

— 06 · Weekly Ops Review

Review what needs an owner

A short weekly brief of handoffs that slipped, steps without an owner, and what to resolve next.

  • Weekly Ops Review

    AI drafts the summary; your team reviews it, assigns owners, and confirms next actions.

  • One owner per fix

    Each open issue leaves the review with a named owner and a due date.

  • Score movement

    Watch the workflow-level Calm Score move week over week as handoffs get resolved.

NextWho Weekly Ops Review: a manager reviewing owners and next actions for the week
What needs an owner this week
Weekly memo · Week 18

What slowed us down this week

Asset collection stalled on 3 of 5 active onboardings. The same step has been flagged 5 weeks in a row.

4
Repeated issues
2
Handoffs at risk
68 →72
Calm score
This week's cleanup: Add an automated asset reminder 24h after kickoff.
Where to start

Map one workflow. Name every next owner.

Start with one recurring workflow — client onboarding, an escalation, or a sales-to-delivery handoff. Assign each step, confirm each handoff, and review it next week.