Clients and stakeholders

Issue escalation

Escalate early without simply transferring the problem upward.

Escalating a problem to a manager or stakeholder.

Message · Application framework · No. 171

The shape

Issue
Impact
Actions taken
Options
Recommendation
Support or decision required

Why that order

It answers six things: here is the problem, here is the consequence, here is what I already did, here are the choices, here is what I recommend, here is what I need. The third and the fifth are what demonstrate ownership.

A worked example

Issue: The vendor has not delivered the API build.
Impact: This puts Friday's integration testing at risk.
Actions taken: The team has followed up twice and requested an interim build.
Options: Wait for the final build, or begin testing with a temporary mock.
Recommendation: I recommend the mock so testing can continue.
Support: I need approval to allocate one developer to that today.

Built from

An application framework is a package. These are the reusable shapes inside it.

Mostly serves Message, and reaches into Intent.

A framework tells you what shape the answer takes. It cannot tell you whether shape is what you are short of, and for most people it is not. Which one is yours, and whether a framework is the right instrument at all, is what a Discovery Call is for.

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