Glossary
Exception loop
What is an exception loop?
An exception loop is when a case is sent back to an earlier step, because of missing data, a failed check or a new approval, creating rework and delay.
Why it matters
Exception loops are often where most of a process’s time and cost go, and they rarely appear in the official process document.
Example
In one company’s quoting process, 61% of requests looped from the fourth or fifth step back to the first, according to an FDE audit described on The Startup Ideas Podcast.
Learn more
Guide · DecideWhen to use an AI agent: sort every step into four bucketsDelete, plain code, agent or human: a decision tree for every step, with real data and a worked example.Guide · SeeWhat is a forward-deployed engineer?What FDEs do, the playbook they follow, and how to give every person the same capability.