Your delivery procedure,
actually enforced.
Most contractors have a documented procedure that is followed inconsistently, and no way to prove afterwards that a control operated. XO Playbook binds a control to a real action, so the action cannot happen until the conditions are met, and every refusal is recorded with its reasons.
A procedure nobody can skip
A written procedure describes what should happen. A governed action decides what can happen.
The control runs before the action
Six apps call the governance engine before acting: XO Docs, XO Commercial, XO Estimating, XO Flow, XO Field and XO Bid. If the conditions are not met, the action does not proceed.
A quorum counts distinct people
All, any, or a quorum of named roles, with distinct-actor enforcement. Three approvals means three people, not one person three times.
The exception is defensible too
Overrides exist because reality intrudes. They are four-eyes, cannot be self-approved, can expire, and are recorded in full with their reasons.
What enforcement changes
A control bound to an action cannot be skipped, because the action itself is blocked until conditions are met.
Every refusal and every non-routine decision is recorded with reasons, and decision evidence has no deletion path.
Authoring a procedure and switching it on are separate authorities, held by different people.
Templates, controls and the record they leave
Templates that describe how work should proceed
A template sets out stages and controls. Authoring it and activating it on a project are deliberately different permissions, so writing a procedure is not the same act as imposing one.
- Stages and controlsThe procedure written down in a form the engine can act on
- Authoring and activation are separatePublishing a template and activating it are different authorities
- Adoption is per projectA project is governed only once a template is activated on it
Governed actions and RACI that is not decorative
Bind a control to a real action and it cannot happen until conditions are met. Accountable and Responsible are enforced requirements rather than a chart nobody reads.
- Approvals: all, any or a quorumNamed roles, with distinct-actor enforcement
- Accountable and Responsible enforcedRACI requirements the engine actually checks
- Explicit permissions to approveApprovals and overrides each need their own permission
Overrides you can defend, and a record that stays
When the procedure has to bend, the override is four-eyes, cannot be self-approved, and can be set to expire. Every refusal and every non-routine decision is recorded with its reasons.
- Four-eyes, never self-approvedThe person overriding cannot be the person approving it
- Overrides can expireAn exception does not quietly become the new rule
- Decision evidence has no deletion pathThere is no delete verb and no purge command, so the record is structural
Which apps call the engine
Six apps ask the governance engine before they act. Everything else is ungoverned by construction, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Blocked with an explanation
In XO Docs, XO Flow, XO Field and XO Commercial, a blocked action names the control that fired and the approvals still outstanding.
Also calling the engine
XO Estimating and XO Bid call the engine before acting, though they do not yet render the governance panel that explains a block on screen.
Recorded, permanently
Refusals and non-routine decisions are recorded with their reasons. There is no delete verb and no purge command, so the guarantee is structural rather than a setting.
Frequently asked questions
Does installing it govern our projects?
No. A template has to be authored, published and then activated on each project. A project is governed only once a template is active on it.
Which apps enforce controls?
Six call the governance engine before acting: XO Docs, XO Commercial, XO Estimating, XO Flow, XO Field and XO Bid. Anything outside those is ungoverned.
Will a blocked user see why?
In XO Docs, XO Flow, XO Field and XO Commercial the block names the control and the missing approvals. XO Estimating and XO Bid call the engine but do not yet show that panel.
Can someone approve their own override?
No. Overrides are four-eyes and cannot be self-approved. They can also be set to expire, so an exception does not quietly become the rule.
Can we add our own actions to govern?
Not today. The catalogue of governable actions is fixed by the release, with no admin screen, API or command for adding one.
How is it sold?
As a paid add-on on the business and enterprise tiers. The template builder requires PRO and the override panel requires ENTERPRISE.
Make the procedure the path of least resistance
XO Playbook is a paid add-on on the business and enterprise tiers. Talk to us about the controls you need to prove operated.