At a glance
- Start with how value reaches a customer.
- Make decisions and handovers explicit.
- Test the model with the people doing the work.
Follow the work
Choose a customer journey or recurring business process that matters. Trace it from the initial request to the point where the customer receives value. Capture the work as it happens, including informal workarounds, waiting time and questions that move between teams.
The purpose is to create a shared picture before designing a new structure. An organisation chart may describe reporting relationships, but it rarely explains everything people need to coordinate a delivery.
Name the decisions
At each handover, ask what must be decided, who has the information and who can make the commitment. Separate responsibility for doing work from responsibility for approving it. Look for decisions that repeatedly return to the same few people.
Use those observations to shape roles and escalation paths. A useful model makes a difficult situation easier to navigate; it does not simply add another layer of meetings.
Try a bounded change
Choose one workstream in which to test the proposed responsibilities. Agree what the team will observe, such as the clarity of an approval or the time spent resolving an exception. Record the starting point before changing the process.
Review the trial with the people involved. Keep what improves the work, adjust what creates confusion and document the decisions that still need leadership input. Treat adoption as part of the model, not a later communication exercise.
