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Sequences: Cross-Company Workflows

Sequences are the repeatable, cross-functional workflows that run your company. They connect DNA (intent) → Strands (systems) → Genes (rules) so work moves predictably between teams and tools.
A sequence is not a document. It’s an executable flow: triggers, ordered steps, gates, owners, and signals. Well-designed sequences let you change behavior by changing a few genes and steps — not by endless meetings.

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Why sequences matter

  • They translate strategy into repeatable action.
  • They encode responsibility and handoffs between strands.
  • They make testing, automation, and AI safe by constraining operations to known steps and checks.

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Sequence anatomy

  • Trigger: What starts the flow (bug report, customer request, roadmap item).
  • Inputs: Required artifacts (ticket, spec, mock, contract).
  • Steps: Ordered actions mapped to strand owners; each step references one or more genes.
  • Gates: Tests, reviews, or approvals that must pass before proceeding.
  • Outputs: Deliverables and signals (release, invoice, updated docs).
  • Rollback: Clear undo steps and metrics that indicate rollback conditions.
  • Owner: Single sequence owner responsible for health and cadence.
  • Signals: 3–5 metrics that show flow health (lead time, cycle time, error rate, customer satisfaction).

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How strands and genes interact inside a sequence

  • Each step maps to a strand and applies the relevant genes (e.g., UI gene for component changes, Security gene for auth changes).
  • Gates enforce genes: CI contract tests (Tech gene), copy sign-off (Brand gene), accessibility checks (UX gene).
  • When a gene changes, update affected sequences and run a lightweight impact review across strand owners.

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Canonical example: Feature Development Sequence

Trigger: Product roadmap ticket approved Inputs: PRD, high-fidelity mocks, acceptance criteria, data schema Steps:
  1. Product: Confirm acceptance criteria (Gene: Ownership — Human)
  2. Design (UI/UX): Create accessible mocks (Gene: Accessibility) → deliver components
  3. Tech: Implement backend + API (Gene: API Response Format) → run contract tests
  4. Data: Add/evolve schema, update metrics (Gene: PII Access Control)
  5. QA: Run automated tests + exploratory checks (Gate: CI & QA signoff)
  6. Ops: Release with feature flags (Gate: Rollout plan & rollback ready)
  7. Conversation/Sales: Publish release notes and enable enablement content (Gene: Brand Voice) Gates:
  • CI green, contract tests pass
  • Security quick-scan for auth/data changes
  • Product sign-off on acceptance tests Outputs:
  • Release toggled to 100% or staged rollout
  • Changelog, ticket closed, metric dashboard updated Signals:
  • Lead time, customer-reported bugs, deployment success rate, activation metric
Map every sequence step to specific genes and a single executor (Human | AI | Hybrid). If AI executes a step, require tests, logging, and a human gate for irreversible outcomes.

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Governance: change flow for sequences

  • Propose sequence change as a PR linking affected strands and genes.
  • Run impact checklist: owners, gates, tests, rollback.
  • Add CI/agent policies where Executor=AI/Hybrid.
  • Run a 1–2 cycle post-rollout review and bake learnings into genes.

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Quickstart: your first sequence (10–30 minutes)

  1. Pick a high-friction workflow (e.g., “bug → fix → release”).
  2. Document trigger, 4–6 steps, owner, one gate, and 2 signals.
  3. Map each step to one gene.
  4. Run the flow once manually, note failures, then automate linting/tests.
  5. Iterate: tighten genes or adjust steps based on signals.

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Common anti-patterns

  • Monster sequences with too many owners (no single owner).
  • Gates that are just meetings (make gates testable).
  • Sequences that ignore rollback or observability.
  • Letting AI make irreversible decisions without human gates.

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Short checklist: healthy sequence

  • Clear trigger and owner
  • 4–8 discrete steps
  • Gates with automated checks where possible
  • Mapped genes on every step
  • 3 signals tracked and reviewed weekly
Sequences are the living glue of DNA: change the sequence or its genes, and you change behavior company-wide — predictably and safely.