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Reviewed in POC · content version 4

Review Exception

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Definition

In process work, an exception is a case that does not follow the normal workflow.
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Plain-Language Explanation

An exception is a situation the usual steps do not handle. The team needs a different path, an extra decision, or additional information to keep the work moving.
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Why It Matters

If a case is called an exception often enough, the documented process is not the real process. That matters most when you automate: a tool built to the happy path will hand back a large share of the work, or push it through wrongly. Counting how often each exception fires tells you what any new system will actually have to handle.
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Example

A customer submits a service request without an address, so the team must call the customer before scheduling.
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Common Misconception

An exception is not automatically an error. Some are legitimate cases that need a defined alternate path; the problem is leaving that path invisible or unsupported.
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Remember It This Way

An exception is where the normal path stops fitting the case.
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Related Terms

* [[rework-loop|Rework Loop]] * [[decision-point|Decision Point]] * [[friction|Friction]] * [[current-state|Current State]]
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Sources

No current wording.
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Learn More

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