This case is entirely constructed. Every fact and number below is fictional. The sequence illustrates a piece of judgement and its limits, not proof that the method works.
Awa works in operations at a small organisation. She already prepares refund files carefully before Malik checks them. She wants to improve the quality of the handovers, without taking over the payment decision or building a new tool.
Starting from what works
Across the last six approved files they look at together, four were passed on with no request for anything further. Two came back because a document was reported as present but was not easy to find. No wrong payment is identified in that review.
Awa chooses to deepen a strength: making her checks easier for someone else to pick up. Malik shows her a well-prepared file. They notice that the link to each document is explicit; they do not conclude that the final check should go.
Before and after
| Step | Before the attempt | Version proposed |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | The documents are gathered; a message says they are there. | Each required document has a link in the approved file’s sheet. |
| Checking | Malik hunts for the documents and asks what is missing. | Malik still checks; anything absent is flagged explicitly. |
| Handover | “It’s ready” does not separate sending from picking up. | Malik confirms he has picked it up, or says what is blocking. |
The sheet stays in the space already used for these files. The attempt does not widen anyone’s access and removes no approval.
The decision note, filled in
Decision to make: try a handover sheet on the next ordinary files, for two weeks.
Options examined: keep the current message; add a short sheet; ask for an integration between tools.
Choice: the short sheet. It lets us check our assumption without committing to an integration whose cost we do not know.
Assumption: making the presence and the location of documents explicit will cut avoidable back-and-forth.
What is still unknown: the preparation cost, and whether it helps on unusual files.
Mandate and means: their manager approves the attempt. Awa gets an hour of preparation in place of some non-urgent formatting. Malik sets aside twenty minutes for the final review.
Protections: keep the existing controls and rights. An exceptional file follows the usual route. Stop the attempt if the sheet creates any ambiguity about authorisation to pay, or any inappropriate access.
Review: at the end of the two weeks, or earlier if a protection stops holding.
The result, including its cost
In this example, five ordinary files go through the sheet. One comes back for a missing document, which had been flagged as missing. No feedback is about a document reported present but unfindable. Awa estimates she added about four minutes of preparation per file; that estimate is not timed.
So the account does not say “we saved time”. It says:
The handover is more legible across these five cases. The net time gain is unknown. The sheet has a preparation cost and we have not checked the exceptions. We keep this version for one more cycle, then compare the total effort of preparing and picking up.
The review also gives Awa feedback on her learning: her checking was already careful; she now knows better how to make her result inspectable.
The handover, accepted
Before a planned absence, Awa passes the tracking to Sana, inside the frame their manager approved. They go through one case together.
Handed over: the sheet template, where the accessible files live, the criteria of the attempt, and the account of the five cases.
Sana accepts: preparing ordinary files during the absence and noting difficulties in the existing tracker.
Malik keeps: the checking and the decision that belong to his role.
Out of scope: changing an authorisation or handling an exception alone. Sana contacts Malik in that case; if the handover gets stuck, the manager rules on the load.
Next review: Sana and Malik look at the total effort after the extra cycle. Awa is not contacted during her absence.
Sana confirms: “I have the access, I’ve tried one case, and I accept this remit.” The handover can be closed for Awa. The sheet has not made the work disappear or made everyone interchangeable; it has made one precise step easier.
To adapt this case, use the decision, comparison and handover templates. The cards A review that only says yes teaches nothing and Done on your side does not mean solved complete the example.