Starts versus completions
If many people start a procedure and few finish, something in the middle is not working. Compare procedures with each other; a sudden fall after a change usually points to the change.
Where people stop
Drop-off by step is the single most useful signal. A step where people repeatedly stop is often missing information, asks a question people cannot answer, or leads to a dead end.
Restarts
A restart often means someone took the wrong branch. Look at the decision just before the restart: is the question ambiguous, or are the answer labels unclear?
Flags and feedback
A simple “flag this step” option gives people a way to report problems at the moment they notice them. Read flags weekly and reply by fixing the step.
Deciding what to fix first
- Steps with the most drop-offs in high-volume procedures.
- Decisions followed by frequent restarts.
- Steps with repeated flags.
- Procedures whose owner or source has not been reviewed recently.
In the Ask Compass demo, these counts are recorded in your browser as you use the sample procedures, so you can see the signals appear.