Unit 06.00: Placing the gate where it still prevents something

A review that happens after the email has gone out is a notification.

The last moment where stopping still helps

Find the first irreversible step and put the gate immediately before it.

The example below walks a six-step sequence and marks the irreversible ones.

0. read invoice     
1. read contract    
2. decide           
3. draft notice     
4. send notice      <- GATE goes immediately before this
5. post credit      <- GATE goes immediately before this

earliest irreversible step is at position 4
a gate after position 4 approves nothing that matters

The earliest irreversible step is at position four. A gate anywhere after that approves something that has already happened - and it will still feel like a control, because a person is still clicking a button.

Where there are two irreversible steps close together, one gate covering both is usually better than two. The next unit but one explains why adding gates makes review worse rather than better.

The mistake this prevents

The mistake is putting the gate at the end of the run because that is where the summary is. The summary is convenient to review and reviews nothing - by then the notice has been sent and the credit posted.

Takeaway

Place the gate immediately before the first irreversible step. Anywhere later is a notification wearing a control's interface.

Mark complete