Principles & Anti-Patterns

Segflow is built on a simple idea: good systems make good decisions visible. These principles and anti-patterns define how teams use Segflow to reason, prioritise, and act — ensuring that strategy remains coherent, measurable, and adaptive.

They apply across every Flow Board, Bet, Metric, and Decision Loop.

Why It Matters

Without shared principles, strategy quickly becomes fragmented. Teams optimise locally, data is interpreted differently, and decisions lose their connection to outcomes.

Segflow’s principles create a common reasoning framework — a way to think, not just a set of tools. They help everyone recognise when the system is working as intended and when it’s drifting.

Core Principles

1. Start From the Graph, Not the Board

Every decision should trace back to a goal, metric, or relationship in the strategy graph. If a bet or loop isn’t connected to that network, it’s outside the strategy.

If it’s not in the graph, it’s not strategic.

2. Metrics Are Signals, Not Targets

Metrics exist to trigger learning, not to be gamed. A change in performance starts a conversation, not a celebration or panic.

When a metric moves, ask “what does this teach us?” before “how do we fix it?”

3. Bets Are Hypotheses, Not Commitments

A bet is a structured belief about leverage. It should be written, tested, and revised as new evidence appears — not defended.

• Define the expected impact and timeframe.
• Capture the confidence level and underlying assumptions.
• Review when evidence changes, not when it’s convenient.

4. Decision Loops Close the Gap

Every Flow Board produces signals; Decision Loops ensure those signals turn into deliberate action. A board without loops is reporting, not learning.

Observation without decision is noise. Decision without observation is blind.

5. Transparency Compounds Trust

All reasoning, decisions, and insights should be visible. Document decisions directly in Segflow — even “no change” is a decision. Shared context prevents duplication and misalignment.

6. Optimise for Learning, Not Certainty

Segflow treats every loop as an experiment. The goal isn’t to be right — it’s to reduce uncertainty. Capture what changed, what was expected, and what was discovered.

The only failed loop is one that teaches nothing.

Common Anti-Patterns

❌ Orphan Bets

A bet exists on a board but isn’t linked to any metric or goal.

Problem: Effort without measurable context. Fix: Connect it to at least one metric in the Flow Board or retire it.

❌ Metric Chasing

Teams optimise for numeric targets instead of system health.

Problem: Short-term improvements that degrade long-term outcomes. Fix: Revisit the relationships — are you still measuring what matters?

❌ Silent Drift

Boards diverge from the strategy graph without updating links or goals.

Problem: Misalignment across teams and plans. Fix: Run a Cycle Loop or graph review to reconnect structure and intent.

❌ Reporting Without Decisions

Metrics are updated, but no loops or actions follow.

Problem: Information flow without change. Fix: Open a Signal Loop to investigate variance or schedule a review cycle.

❌ Hidden Context

Decisions are made in private threads or meetings without record.

Problem: The system loses memory; strategy becomes opaque. Fix: Record every decision or rationale in the related loop or note.

❌ Over-Systemising

Following process for its own sake — every metric, every bet, every minor change spawns a loop.

Problem: Administrative drag replaces insight. Fix: Use judgment. Only open loops where the signal matters.

When in Doubt

Ask three questions before acting:

1. Where does this live in the strategy graph?
2. What is this teaching us?
3. Who needs to know?

If all three are clear, you’re operating within the principles of Segflow.

Summary

Segflow’s principles keep strategy alive, coherent, and honest:

• Trace everything back to the graph.
• Treat metrics as signals and bets as hypotheses.
• Use loops to turn data into action.
• Make reasoning visible.
• Optimise for learning, not certainty.