magnus919_agent-skills/operational-design/references/decision-workflow.md

Operational Design Decision Workflow

Use this workflow to choose a process, control, metric, or vendor operating model; route technical implementation elsewhere.

Repeatable Method

1. Frame inputs: customer/value outcome, current workflow, volume and variability, owners, constraints, failure modes, service level, compliance obligations, and baseline measures.
2. Map and compare: capture handoffs and queues, identify the bottleneck, compare simplification, staffing, vendor, and automation options, and state assumptions.
3. Decide with gates: select an operating model only with a named accountable owner, measurable KPI, control, escalation path, capacity/cost guardrail, and review cadence.
4. Validate: pilot the smallest reversible change, compare throughput/quality/lead time and control exceptions to baseline, then scale or rollback.
5. Package evidence: retain current/future map, RACI, KPI definitions, vendor scorecard or control matrix, decision log, and review date in an artifact pyramid.

Worked Example

A support process misses its 24-hour SLA. Mapping shows a vendor handoff queue is the constraint. The decision is to add a triage owner and vendor escalation tier for 30 days, not automate first. Success requires 95% first response within 24 hours, fewer than 2% reopens, and zero critical control exceptions; the weekly review either scales the model or reverts it.

Reusable Artifact

Operating model decision record
Outcome / process boundary / owner / date / review date
Baseline (volume, lead time, quality, cost):
Bottleneck and failure modes:
Options, assumptions, and evidence:
Decision / RACI / KPI and control:
Capacity, cost, SLA, and escalation guardrails:
Pilot, stop rule, result, and next action:

Routing Matrix

Need	Route to	Handoff in / out
Strategic priority	strategy-frameworks	Operating constraint in; priority choice out
Cost or unit economics	financial-modeling	Volume/cost assumptions in; scenario model out
Technology/vendor feasibility	technology-radar	Capability need in; evaluated option out
Delivery work breakdown	implementation-planning	Approved model in; sequenced work out
Evidence structure	artifact-pyramids	Maps and measures in; indexed evidence out
Team topology or role design	org-design	Capacity/role constraint in; people design out

Do not create an operations sibling for a narrow tool or department: use the named tool owner or existing methodology and preserve this boundary.