The One-Page Context Map
A practical tool for understanding how work really gets done (before adding more tools, AI, or process)
Most organizational problems look complicated because the context is invisible.
Work is shaped by:
relationships
triggers
dependencies
unspoken expectations
informal workflows
decision boundaries
priorities
constraints
and the meaning behind the work
But none of that lives in systems.
It lives in people’s heads.
The easiest way to surface it?
A one-page Context Map.
You can build one in 20 minutes with nothing more than a blank sheet of paper or a simple text editor.
Here’s how.
Step 1 — Start With the Work, Not the Org Chart
Forget roles, departments, or titles.
Begin with a real piece of work:
onboarding a client
resolving a customer issue
completing a project milestone
conducting a monthly financial close
handling a sales opportunity
preparing a proposal
Pick something real, not theoretical.
Write that at the top of the page.
Step 2 — Identify the “Why”
Every piece of work has a purpose that often gets lost.
Write down:
What outcome matters here?
Who cares?
What changes when this is done well?
What pain happens when it isn’t?
This gives the work meaning.
Step 3 — Map the Key People Involved
Not titles.
Not departments.
People.
List their names or initials.
Then answer:
Who needs to know what, when?
Who gets stuck waiting?
Who actually makes the call when things are unclear?
This exposes the real coordination network.
Step 4 — Map the Triggers
Every workflow is driven by events.
List:
What starts the work?
What delays the work?
What causes rework?
What forces decisions?
What signals that the work is complete?
You’ll immediately see where bottlenecks hide.
Step 5 — Map the Dependencies
These are the things that kill flow.
For each person or action, write:
What do they need before they can act?
What information is missing most often?
What is ambiguous?
Where does judgment trump process?
Most of the “process problems” are actually dependency problems.
Step 6 — Highlight the Decisions
This is where the real intelligence lives.
For every decision point, ask:
What information is required?
What context matters?
Who actually makes this decision (vs. who is supposed to)?
What makes it hard?
What makes it slow?
This becomes the blueprint for exactly what AI needs to know — and what tools fail to capture.
Step 7 — Capture the Friction
Write down:
Where work gets stuck
Where people duplicate effort
Where misunderstandings happen
Where information has to be “interpreted”
Where meetings are used to compensate for unclear context
These friction points are the most important part of the map.
Step 8 — Summarize the Reality in One Sentence
At the bottom of the page, synthesize what’s actually going on:
“This work succeeds when ____
and fails when ____
because the key context is ____.”
This single sentence often reveals:
root causes
structural gaps
missing context
contradictions
and opportunities for dramatic improvement
How to Use This Map (Practically and Immediately)
1. Improve a workflow without adding tools
You now know where the real friction is — and it’s rarely where the software thinks it is.
2. Train AI in a way that actually works
Feed the context map (yes, literally) to any copilot or LLM:
who’s involved
what they need
the triggers
the dependencies
the decisions
the meaning
This instantly improves AI relevance.
3. Reduce cognitive overload
Most of the stress of work comes from navigating invisible context.
Now it’s visible.
4. Fix cross-functional misalignment
Departments stop fighting when they finally see:
shared dependencies
hidden blockers
conflicting assumptions
5. Build better roles and job profiles
A context map exposes what a role really requires — not what HR thinks it requires.
6. Feed the Context Map to AI
See how to Feed the Context Map to AI.