See how the system actually works

An organization chart can show who reports to whom while leaving the real path of a decision unclear. Work may wait for an informal reviewer, depend on a spreadsheet nobody owns, or rely on one person's willingness to intervene.

Before changing the system, map one actual journey through it.

Follow the decision

Choose a recent, ordinary piece of work. Identify who proposed it, supplied information, decided, acted, checked the result, and could stop it. Mark the points where responsibility was assumed rather than explicit.

Keep the map descriptive first. A gap is not automatically an invitation to exploit an informal route. It may reveal missing authority or a safeguard that needs repair.

When software can act

With AI agents, include tools and delegated permissions in the map. A system that can recommend and one that can execute do not occupy the same position.

NIST's AI Risk Management Framework organizes risk work through Govern, Map, Measure, and Manage. It supplies governance context; the single-workflow exercise here is a proposed practice, not a NIST compliance assessment. Framework source.

Test one clarification

Ask the people involved to correct the map. Resolve one ambiguity, then observe the next comparable workflow. Did the clarification reduce delay, conflicting action, or an unowned decision?

If the map looks clearer but behavior is unchanged, inspect whether people have the information and authority needed to use it. A diagram alone does not change a system.

Source note

This work develops the concern in “Topological Awareness,” published on 2026-02-13.