Workflow

A workflow is a predefined chain of steps triggered by an event: the missed call triggers the text-back, the client's reply triggers qualification, qualification triggers the slot proposal, the booking triggers the confirmation then the reminder the day before. Each link is simple; it's their chaining — designed once, then executed a thousand times — that produces the result. A workflow answers one precise question: "when this happens, what happens next — and who does it?"

Two design principles separate a good workflow from a Rube Goldberg machine. The first: map the happy path before the exceptions — the nominal case (client replies, books, shows up) should cover most of the traffic before you handle the corner cases. The second: design the human escape hatch up front, not after the first incident — a workflow without an exit turns every surprise into a dead end. Automating a badly designed process only speeds up the mess; rationalize first, automate second.