A client came to us with a common operational challenge: programs were sitting in key stages for too long without progressing.
Events would remain in statuses like approval, speaker confirmation, contracting, or post-event completion, waiting for the next step to be taken. Over time, this created delays, inconsistencies, and a growing backlog of programs that weren’t moving forward as expected.
The issue wasn’t that the workflow was unclear.
It was that there was no visibility into where things were getting stuck—and no trigger to prompt action when they did.
Different stages of the process relied on different stakeholders, and without clear accountability or reminders, it was easy for programs to sit in a status longer than intended.
The challenge wasn’t just identifying stalled programs—it was creating a system that would both surface them and prompt the right people to act.
To address this, we implemented time-based workflow triggers that monitor how long an event remains in a given status. When a defined threshold is exceeded, automated notifications are sent to the appropriate stakeholder, prompting them to take the next step.
But notifications alone weren’t enough.
We also introduced calculated fields that evaluate how long an event has remained in a given stage and flag when it exceeds defined thresholds. These fields power reports and dashboard views that allow teams to quickly identify all stalled programs in one place.
Rather than relying on individuals to manually track timelines, the system now highlights where attention is needed and provides a clear path to take action.
The result is a more proactive process where programs continue to move forward, accountability is clear, and delays are significantly reduced.
The takeaway? Workflows don’t break because they’re poorly defined—they break when there’s no visibility into when action is required. The key is not just defining the process, but ensuring it keeps moving.
