This article is part of the WorkflowMaps Certified Strategist course.
WorkflowMaps and FixFlow are built around five recurring patterns that cause inefficiency in most business workflows. Learning to recognise these patterns quickly during a discovery session means you can ask the right follow-up questions, map the problem accurately, and present findings with authority.
PATTERN 1: APPROVAL DELAYS
What it is
Work stops and waits for a specific person to say yes before anything can continue. This is one of the most common and costly bottlenecks in small and mid-size businesses.
Two types:
Single-person approval: Only one person can approve. If they are on holiday, in back-to-back meetings, or simply slow to respond, everything stops.
Serial chain approval: Multiple approvals happen in sequence. Owner approves, then finance approves, then legal approves. The total delay is the sum of all three waits.
Discovery questions to ask:
"Who specifically approves this?"
"How long does approval typically take?"
"What happens if they are unavailable?"
"Is there a backup approver?"
The last two questions usually reveal a single point of failure. There is typically no plan for when the approver is unavailable.
Solutions:
Add a backup approver who can step in automatically after a set number of hours.
Pre-approve routine items under a defined threshold (e.g. purchases under £500 do not need sign-off).
Automate reminder notifications after 24 hours and escalation notifications after 48.
PATTERN 2: HANDOFF BLACK HOLES
What it is
Work disappears when responsibility transfers between people or systems. There is no clear owner, no notification that work is ready, and no way to track whether it has been picked up.
Three types:
Unclear ownership: Nobody is specifically assigned to the next step. "The team handles it."
Silent handoffs: The next person does not know the work is ready and waiting. Nobody told them.
Multi-system gaps: Information is meant to move from one tool to another but does not make it there reliably.
Discovery questions to ask:
"Who specifically picks this up after this step?"
"How does that person know the work is ready?"
"What happens if they are busy or miss it?"
"Has work ever fallen through the cracks at this point?"
The answer to the last question is always yes. Every handoff black hole has caused a real problem at some point. Ask for the story. It makes the finding concrete and compelling.
Solutions:
Replace "the team" with a named person responsible for each step.
Add active notifications so the next person is alerted, rather than expecting them to check.
Build confirmation loops so handoff is not complete until the recipient has acknowledged it.
PATTERN 3: MANUAL DATA SHUFFLING
What it is
A human acts as a data courier, moving information from one place to another by hand. This is repetitive, error-prone, and almost always automatable.
Three types:
Copy-paste: Information copied manually from one tool into another.
Manual entry: Typing information from one source into a system (e.g. from a PDF into a spreadsheet, from an email into a CRM).
Spreadsheet gymnastics: Exporting from one system, reformatting, and uploading to another on a regular cycle.
Listen for these phrases during a discovery session:
"I copy it across"
"I type in the details"
"I download it and clean it up"
"I paste it into the spreadsheet"
These almost always signal a data shuffling bottleneck that an Automation report will flag.
Discovery questions:
"Where does this data come from originally?"
"How does it get into this system?"
"How many places does this information need to live?"
"How often do you have to do this?"
Solutions:
Direct integrations using Zapier, Make, or native tool integrations.
A single source of truth so information only ever lives in one place.
Structured capture forms with dropdowns that reduce the need for retyping and reformatting.
PATTERN 4: KNOWLEDGE SILOS
What it is
Critical information or process knowledge exists in only one person's head. When that person is unavailable, sick, or leaves, work stops or breaks.
Three types:
Undocumented process: The process only exists in someone's memory. Nobody has ever written it down.
Tribal knowledge: Passed between team members verbally over time. No consistent version exists.
Single expert: One specific person handles a particular area. Everyone else is dependent on them.
Discovery questions:
"Who else knows how to do this?"
"What would happen if that person were unavailable for a week?"
"Is this documented anywhere?"
"How long would it take to train a new person on this?"
If the answer to the first question is "just them" and the answer to the last is "months", that is a high-risk knowledge silo.
Solutions:
Create step-by-step documentation, video walkthroughs, or checklists for critical processes.
Cross-train at least one other person on every critical task.
Build a central, searchable knowledge base so information is accessible to the whole team.
This is an area where WorkflowMaps itself becomes part of the solution. A well-built workflow map, complete with external resource links on each step, is a form of knowledge documentation. Present it this way to clients.
PATTERN 5: WAITING AND IDLE TIME
What it is
Work spends most of its time in the workflow waiting to be worked on rather than actively being processed. The visible time is the 20 minutes someone spends doing a task. The invisible time is the 3 days it sat waiting before they started.
Three types:
Batching delays: Work is held until enough has accumulated to process in a batch. "We run those on Fridays." The work could be processed immediately but is held unnecessarily.
Resource constraints: A bottleneck at a specific person or system creates a queue. One person handles all incoming requests and cannot keep up.
Dependency waits: The next step cannot begin until something external arrives. Waiting on a client, a supplier, or another department.
Discovery questions:
"How long does work typically sit between this step and the next one?"
"What triggers the next step to actually begin?"
"Are there any tasks you process in batches rather than as they come in?"
"What are you waiting for before you can move forward?"
Solutions:
Reduce batch sizes and process more frequently. Often batching is a habit, not a necessity.
Add capacity through cross-training, additional resource, or outsourcing overflow.
Run tasks in parallel where possible, rather than in strict sequence.
USING THE PATTERNS IN SESSIONS AND PROPOSALS
During a discovery session, you do not need to name these patterns to the client. Just ask the questions and map what you find. FixFlow will identify them in the report.
In your video proposal, naming the pattern adds clarity. "What we found here is a classic approval delay. Here is what it is costing you and here is how we fix it." Clear, confident, specific.
Each pattern has a different solution profile, which means different potential services to offer. Approval delays often lead to process redesign work. Data shuffling leads to automation builds. Knowledge silos lead to documentation projects. Understanding all five means you can speak credibly to whatever you find.