Design the Handoffs

Specify every boundary, including the one between this workflow and another that holds the same person.

See the situation

Start with the situation below. Next, we will work through an example together before you try the activity.

Samir · Workflow operator

The case

One person, two workflows, both correct

A handoff needs an acceptance condition, release rule, and stated latency so two workflows do not act at once.

Workflow A: Cold outreach, still running, still sending
Workflow B: Callback commitment, just started
Priority field: Set to high
Systems that read the priority field: None
What the person receives: Both, saying different things

Your task

Advance the timeline. Hold the new enrollment until the previous workflow confirms release.

Need a little guidance?

You’re done when: Both technical receipt and business acceptance are represented.

An API response is not automatically an accepted handoff.

Need a reminder? Reopen the worked example

Watch one example first

Before workflow B enrolls a person, workflow A must acknowledge release. A release request alone is not acknowledgment; B stays waiting while the handoff owner resolves the delay.

Why this follows from the evidence

The acceptance condition prevents overlapping work. Make ownership and expected delay explicit so a wait is distinguishable from a lost request.

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Case evidence

One person, two workflows, both correct

Workflow A: Cold outreach, still running, still sending
Workflow B: Callback commitment, just started
Priority field: Set to high
Systems that read the priority field: None
What the person receives: Both, saying different things

Two workflows hold the same person. Both are behaving exactly as designed. Write the rule that decides what happens where they meet.

Workflow workbench

Advance a delayed release and acceptance

Move through the finite sync timeline. Keep the new enrollment held until the old workflow acknowledges release; priority alone is not that acknowledgement.

The request is recorded at 09:00. In this system, reconciliation occurs on a later sync cycle; the person should not be actively contacted by both workflows during that gap.

Move one case through the release and acceptance gates

Use the buttons to step the case forward. A field change is not an acknowledgement from the source system.

Cold outreach to callback · event 1 of 4Follow the example events in time order. No live integration runs here.

09:00
A scoped callback request is recorded
The person asked for a call next week about the proposal.
Supported

A callback request is recorded. The person is still active in cold outreach.

The old workflow has not acknowledged removal. What does the new workflow do?

What event releases the next workflow to accept this request?

Fresh transfer: the acknowledgement never arrives

A separate callback request reaches its stated sync limit, but cold outreach still has no release receipt. The callback request itself is still recorded.

What should the receiving workflow do now?

Two workflows, one personCompare the original state with the proposed change. This preview does not change live records.

Two workflows, one person
Item	Before	Proposed	Why
Cold outreach	Still active; removal pending	Hold until acknowledgement arrives	The release needs to be visible to the workflow that is ending.
Callback follow-through	Request recorded, not accepted	Still held	Exactly one active workflow holds contact authority during transition.

Cold outreach: BeforeStill active; removal pending; ProposedHold until acknowledgement arrives; WhyThe release needs to be visible to the workflow that is ending.
Callback follow-through: BeforeRequest recorded, not accepted; ProposedStill held; WhyExactly one active workflow holds contact authority during transition.

Changes save in this browser as you work.

Inspect the example policy saved by this activity

These are the supplied example-plan entries, not another test. Complete the workbench above to save its result.

A person triggers the callback workflow while still enrolled in cold outreach. What happens?: This example uses exclusivity through movement: the source releases the person before the callback workflow accepts the request.
Most handoffs run on a clock rather than on the event, so the change is not instant.: The source processes the release on its next sync cycle. State that limit in the handoff so owners know why callback activation waits for acknowledgement.

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