Principle 21:
FLOW as a Lens

Summary

All Units of Effort, regardless of scale, function, or domain, can be understood, managed, and optimized through the FLOW lens. This framework is not just a tool for classification – it is a system for seeing, thinking, and acting with clarity in complexity.

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Examples

Unit of Effort: Hospital patient discharges

• FLOW A: Routine discharge for a post-op patient with no complications, following checklist

• FLOW B: Coordinating the same-day discharge of multiple patients with no complications, following checklist

• FLOW C: Discharging a patient whose stability is uncertain, requiring collaborative medical judgement

• FLOW D: Discharging dozens of patients simultaneously due to a system-wide evacuation requiring ad-hoc protocols

• FLOW S: Discharging a rare case (e.g., high profile political figure) requiring extensive coordination and confidentiality

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Unit of Effort: Running a university course

• FLOW A: Uploading content and opening LMS for a typical 20 student section, following a fixed agenda

• FLOW B: Managing a high enrollment honors section with rotating lecturers and additional discussion sessions

• FLOW C: Managing a capstone course which covers a lot of highly complex materiel

• FLOW D: Managing a course that has been moved to fully remote status, requiring redesign of content delivery, grading, etc.

• FLOW S: Managing a course that is being delivered in partnership with a Government agency, requiring special tech

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Unit of Effort: Wildfire response

• FLOW A: Extinguishing a small fire at the edge of a rural zone

• FLOW B: Coordinating simultaneous suppression of five fires in a single region

• FLOW C: Suppressing a small fire that is emitting toxic smoke and has created a hazmat situation

• FLOW D: Responding to a massive fire outbreak that threatens multi-county critical infrastructure 

• FLOW S: Responding to a fire that is dangerously close to a nuclear power station, triggering multi-agency protocols

 

Quick Case Study

A defense logistics team reclassifies every project, task, and dataset using FLOW. Meetings shift from abstract status updates to actionable FLOW level conversations – “This is FLOW C work, let’s isolate the complexity” or “We’ve overloaded a FLOW A pipeline with FLOW C tasks.” Clarity emerges. Priorities align. Performance improves.

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Common Mistakes

• Treating FLOW as a static label instead of a dynamic diagnostic lens

• Using FLOW only for operations, rather than applying to communications, learning, design, etc.

• Forgetting that all FLOW levels interact – effective work requires layered coordination

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Red Flags

• You’re overwhelmed by complexity but can’t pinpoint the cause

• Your organization repeatedly applies the same solution to problems of different FLOW levels

• Tasks are misrouted or mis-prioritized, leading to delays or burnout

 

Key Diagnostic Questions

• What FLOW level best describes this Unit of Effort right now – and why?

• Are we mixing FLOW levels in ways that are causing dysfunction?

• What is the dominant FLOW level in this process, and is it being treated appropriately?

 

Local Application Prompts

• Take any initiative you’re leading today. Classify each component by FLOW level. What patterns emerge?

• In your next team discussion, ask: “What FLOW level are we operating in right now?” and adjust your strategy accordingly.

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Alignment Risks

• Applying a FLOW A mindset (procedural) to FLOW D work (System Design)

• Designing systems without FLOW D awareness, making future FLOW B and C work harder

• Under-resourcing FLOW S cases due to their unique, hidden nature

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Systems Design Anchors

• Build dashboards, workflows, and org charts that visually reflect FLOW levels

• Use FLOW labels in SOPs, role definitions, and project briefs

• Anchor planning and feedback loops around FLOW dynamics, not just timelines or budgets

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Role Implications

Leaders: Must learn to see FLOW at every level and create environments that manage it deliberately

Analysts: Become FLOW stewards – improving clarity, routing, and alignment

Educators, Designers, and Strategists: Apply FLOW not just to what they do, but how they teach and evolve systems

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