Stop Starting Unfinished Work: The Power of Readiness Signals

The Hidden Flow Killer in Your Business

Here's what's happening in most growing businesses right now. Someone on your team is staring at their screen thinking: "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this."

It might be:

• A salesperson looking at a lead with missing information

• A course creator reviewing an incomplete content brief

• A consultant examining a vague project scope

• An agency designer trying to decipher an ambiguous creative request

So what happens next? They either:

1. Start working anyway (and inevitably do the wrong thing)

2. Send it back for clarification (creating a rework loop)

3. Set it aside for "when they have time" (creating a hidden queue)

   
   

Meanwhile, everyone wonders why work takes so long to complete and clients are growing frustrated.

The problem isn't your team's skills or effort. It's that no one has defined what "ready to start" actually means for each type of work.

Why "Just Start Working" Is Killing Your Efficiency

The traditional approach to workflow goes something like this:

1. Create a task, lead, or project

2. Assign it to someone

3. Expect them to figure out what's missing

4. Get frustrated when they ask questions or deliver something different than expected

   
   

This approach creates three massive problems:

First, it generates constant rework. Work bounces back and forth between teams as they try to gather missing information.

Second, it creates hidden queues. Items sit in "pending" states while people wait for clarification.

Third, it makes delivery times unpredictable. Without knowing if something is truly ready to start, you can't predict when it will finish.

The cost? Missed deadlines, frustrated clients, and burned-out teams.

The Two-Part Solution That Transforms Workflow

The solution to this chaos is surprisingly simple but incredibly powerful. It involves defining two critical elements:

1. The Unit of Work

A Unit of Work is the standardized "thing" that moves through a specific workflow in your business. It has:

• A clear name and identification system

• A specific owner

• Defined start and end boundaries

• A consistent structure

2. Readiness Signals

Readiness Signals are the specific conditions that must be met before work can begin. Think of them as a "Definition of Ready" - a checklist that answers:

• Is all required information present?

• Are the success criteria clear?

• Is it appropriately sized to complete within expected timeframes?

• Are all necessary approvals or permissions in place?

When you combine these two elements, something remarkable happens: work flows smoothly, predictably, and with dramatically less rework.

The Universal Units of Work in Every Business

Let's look at common Units of Work across different business types and what makes them "ready":

For Education Businesses:

Unit of Work: Course Module

• Identification: MODULE-123

• Owner: Content Lead

• Start Boundary: Brief approved

• End Boundary: Ready for publication

Readiness Signals:

• Learning outcomes clearly defined

• Required topics listed with priority order

• Example exercises or assessments included

• Compliance requirements noted

• Expected length/duration specified

• SME availability confirmed for review

For Consultants:

Unit of Work: Client Engagement Phase

• Identification: PROJECT-456-PHASE1

• Owner: Lead Consultant

• Start Boundary: Phase kickoff

• End Boundary: Deliverables accepted

Readiness Signals:

• Specific objectives documented and agreed upon

• Stakeholder access confirmed with contact details

• Data/information requirements identified with sources

• Decision-making process defined with responsible parties

• Acceptance criteria explicitly stated

• Timeline expectations set with contingencies

For Agencies:

Unit of Work: Creative Deliverable

• Identification: CLIENT-789-CREATIVE

• Owner: Creative Director

• Start Boundary: Brief approved

• End Boundary: Client approval

Readiness Signals:

• Brand guidelines attached or referenced

• Target audience clearly defined

• Key messaging points prioritized

• Technical specifications detailed (sizes, formats)

• Review process outlined with decision makers

• Reference examples provided (like/dislike)

The Practical Implementation: 60-Minute Workshop

Here's how to implement this approach in just 60 minutes:

Step 1: Pick One Flow (5 minutes)

Choose one critical workflow in your business that's causing pain:

• Lead handling

• Project onboarding

• Content creation

• Client deliverables

Step 2: Define Your Unit of Work (15 minutes)

On a whiteboard or document, define:

• What do we call this type of work? (Name)

• How do we identify individual instances? (ID system)

• Who is responsible for it? (Owner)

• Where exactly does it start and end? (Boundaries)

Step 3: Create Readiness Signals (20 minutes)

Create a checklist of 5-7 conditions that must be true before work starts:

• What information must be complete?

• How do we know the requirements are clear?

• What indicates it's properly sized?

• What permissions or approvals are required?

Step 4: Set Service Level Expectations (10 minutes)

Define how long this work should take once it's truly ready:

• "85% of properly ready items will be completed within X days"

• This creates accountability in both directions

Step 5: Implement Measurement (10 minutes)

Decide how you'll track improvement:

• Percent Complete & Accurate (% of items that pass handoffs without being returned)

• Time-to-Next-Action (how quickly work moves after handoff)

• Rework/Bounce Rate (how often items get sent back)

The Real-World Impact

When businesses implement clear Units of Work and Readiness Signals, they consistently see:

• Reduction in rework loops between departments

• Shorter overall completion times for client deliverables

• More accurate time estimates and improved client expectations

• Lower team frustration and higher quality output

These improvements happen not because people work harder, but because they stop starting work that isn't ready to be started.

The Questions That Transform Your Workflow

Next time you're looking at workflow issues, ask these questions:

• "What is the single Unit of Work for this flow, and what exactly marks its start and end?"

• "Which Readiness Signals would prevent 80% of our bounce-backs?"

• "Is this item small enough to meet our service level expectation with high probability?"

• "What percentage of our work is Complete & Accurate at the first handoff?"

These questions shift focus from "working harder" to "working on the right things at the right time."

Your Next Steps: Pick One Flow and Start Today

Here's your immediate action plan:

1. Select one workflow that's causing the most pain in your business

2. Define its Unit of Work with clear boundaries

3. Create a simple Readiness Signals checklist (no more than 7 items)

4. Test for two weeks, measuring bounce rates and completion times

5. Refine based on what you learn, then expand to other workflows

   
   

Remember: You don't need fancy software or complex processes. You just need clarity about what "ready" means for each type of work.

In our next lesson, we'll build on this foundation by adding constraints and KPIs to your workflow map – showing exactly where work piles up and how to measure improvements.

For now, focus on defining one Unit of Work and its Readiness Signals. The clarity this provides will transform how your teams work together – and dramatically reduce the time wasted on starting work that isn't ready to be started.

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