In 30 seconds

Exceptions are part of the workflow, not deviations from it. On your map, give each one a real path: what triggers it, who owns it, what they need, and how it ends. Do not fold them back into the happy path.

Why this comes up

It is tempting to draw the normal path and label everything else "manual review." That box hides the hardest and riskiest part of the work. The exception path is where automation usually breaks, so it deserves the most attention, not the least.

Map each exception explicitly

For every exception you found during discovery, draw:

  • The trigger: what makes this case an exception? Missing data, a mismatch, an unusual customer, a system failure.
  • The owner: who is responsible for it? Name a role, not "someone."
  • The information needed: what does the owner have to see to resolve it?
  • The outcomes: what are the possible endings? Resolved and returned to the normal path, rejected, escalated, or held.

Turn "manual review" into a real process

Replace the vague box with specifics:

<PURCHASE ORDER FOUND?>
   ├─ Yes → continue normal path
   └─ No  → EXCEPTION: no matching PO
             owner: procurement clerk
             needs: invoice, supplier, recent orders
             outcomes: match found → continue
                       no match → return to supplier

Now the exception is designed, not deferred.

Note how common each one is

Frequency changes the design. A rare exception can safely go to a person every time. A common one may deserve its own rule or sub-workflow. Gather rough frequencies from real cases so you design the common ones properly.

Why this matters for AI

When you later add an AI step, it will meet these same exceptions. A well-mapped exception path gives the AI somewhere safe to send the cases it should not handle alone. Without it, the AI has to either guess or stop, and guessing on an exception is where the worst mistakes happen.

What this does not solve

Mapping exceptions does not decide which become rules and which stay human. That is a design decision. Mapping only makes sure none of them are invisible.

Good enough to move on when

  • Every common exception has its own path on the map.
  • Each has a named owner and possible outcomes.
  • You know roughly how often each occurs.
  • No exception is hidden inside a vague "manual review" box.