a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

Not all delays are the same

TL;DR; Not all delays are equal; waiting for approval is different from being blocked by missing dependencies. Treating all delays as blocks hides real workflow issues and reduces accountability. Make delay sources explicit, track idle time, and highlight true blockers to identify and fix underlying problems.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/pgCUc2qV2_q
Subscribe

Not all delays are the same.

A task waiting on legal approval isn’t blocked—it’s in a waiting state. A task that needs a missing dependency to proceed is actually blocked. These distinctions matter.

Why? Because treating “waiting” as “blocked” distorts your workflow. It hides the real problem areas and makes it harder to optimise the system. It also encourages teams to wash their hands of responsibility—“It’s in blocked, so it’s not on me.”

A better approach? Make the source of delay explicit. Use tags, highlight blockers visually, and—most importantly—track how long work sits idle. The goal isn’t just to know something is blocked; it’s to fix the systemic issue behind it.

How does your team make these distinctions visible?

Also published on: LinkedIn
Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Subscribe

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Qualco Logo

Qualco

Jack Links Logo

Jack Links

Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company) Logo

Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company)

Boeing Logo

Boeing

Lockheed Martin Logo

Lockheed Martin

Higher Education Statistics Agency Logo

Higher Education Statistics Agency

Boxit Document Solutions Logo

Boxit Document Solutions

ProgramUtvikling Logo

ProgramUtvikling

Hubtel Ghana Logo

Hubtel Ghana

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation Logo

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation

Alignment Healthcare Logo

Alignment Healthcare

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG) Logo

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd. Logo

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.

Big Data for Humans Logo

Big Data for Humans

Lean SA Logo

Lean SA

Healthgrades Logo

Healthgrades

Milliman Logo

Milliman

Washington Department of Enterprise Services Logo

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

Washington Department of Transport Logo

Washington Department of Transport

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

Ghana Police Service Logo

Ghana Police Service

Ericson Logo

Ericson

Bistech Logo

Bistech

Illumina Logo

Illumina

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft

Graham & Brown Logo

Graham & Brown

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation Logo

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation