THE SIGNAL METHOD
A practical framework for understanding the system, connecting its parts, and learning from what happens in use.
The method keeps the work connected to a real operating problem. The stages guide questions and decisions; the scope determines which parts need the most attention.
01Make the current way of working visible. Follow the information, decisions, and workarounds.
Follow a recent piece of work from its trigger to its outcome. Capture the actual route, including the informal steps people use to keep it moving.
02Connect the people, processes, tools, and information that need to work together.
Identify the points where context or responsibility changes hands. Agree on what the next person needs, where it belongs, and how the connection will be maintained.
03Clarify ownership, decision rights, standards, and the source of truth.
Name who maintains the process, who can make which decisions, and how exceptions are handled. Put those agreements where the people doing the work can find them.
04Get relevant information to the right person at the point it becomes useful.
Define which change deserves attention, who needs to know, and what context makes the notification useful. Consider the action it should support before adding another alert.
05Connect information to a decision, a next action, and someone accountable.
Record what happens next, the owner, and the review point. Make unresolved work visible so that follow-through can be reviewed without reconstructing the conversation.
06Measure what changes. Refine the system around what the team learns.
Choose an observable sign of improvement, such as less waiting or fewer requests returned for clarification. Review real use and adjust the operating agreement as needs change.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A team prepares an operations report, discusses the exceptions, and then follows up through separate messages. The same issues return because the report and the response have no shared owner or review point.
Using SIGNAL, the team follows one exception through the existing process, connects it to an action register, clarifies who can decide the response, and agrees when an update is useful. The next action and review point become part of the operating routine. The team then checks whether unresolved actions are easier to see and maintain.
This is an example of how to apply the method. The actual workflow and measures are designed around the team.
Explore the Reporting-to-Action Pilot