OW-06

Assignee Ping-Pong Within Short Window

Ownership

Default severity: medium
ProcessOutputQualityRisk

What it detects

assignee alternates between same two actors ≥N times in window; tests; catalogue.

Detection formula

No published identification formula is available yet for this rule.

Examples in practice

  • A team shows assignee alternates between same two actors ≥n times in window; tests; catalogue during analysis.
  • Example signal: assignee alternates between same two actors ≥N times in window; tests; catalogue.

Suggested response

Clarify ownership at handoffs and ensure active and done items have an accountable assignee.

Coaching playbook

Symptom

The "Assignee Ping-Pong Within Short Window" signal shows a repeatable delivery anti-pattern on the cited issues.

Why it matters

When "Assignee Ping-Pong Within Short Window" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.

What you can achieve

Clarify ownership at handoffs and ensure active and done items have an accountable assignee.

Facilitation questions

  • What system change would stop "Assignee Ping-Pong Within Short Window" from firing again?
  • What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
  • Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?

Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.

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OW-06: Assignee Ping-Pong Within Short Window — FlowAnalyzer