The Better Way Forward: How Activity Based Management Grounds the Three Doors Framework

Throughout the Three Doors Framework series, we explored a simple but powerful idea: Meaningful transformation does not begin with technology as an end in itself; it begins with clarity. Leaders who Avoid unnecessary work, Automate the right processes, and Optimize what remains create the conditions for peak workforce performance and the delivery of real value through the disciplined implementation of technology like AI.

This fifth and final article in the series addresses perhaps the most important question of all: If the Three Doors Framework helps chart a course for transformation in a specific area of workflow, how can leaders discover where and how to apply that framework across their business or organization as a whole? Instead of merely taking a wild guess on an isolated operation or applying the framework indiscriminately at every turn, a better way forward begins with structure.

At Voyage Advisory, we have found that leaders achieve the strongest outcomes when they ground transformation efforts in a methodology known as Activity Based Management. Adapted for today’s environment, this approach provides a systematic way to evaluate work, quantify effort, and identify where tactical intervention guided by the Three Doors Framework will have the greatest impact.

The Activity Based Management process begins with visibility. In a typical engagement, Voyage team members begin by helping leaders map the end-to-end workflow, documenting how work moves through the business or organization today. This step is often overlooked, yet it is essential. Without a clear understanding of the current state, decisions about improvement are often predicated on ungrounded assumptions rather than solid evidence.

From there, attention shifts to activities. What work is being performed, and how is it defined? By breaking processes into discrete activities, organizations create a structured inventory of work, often referred to as an activity summary. This becomes the foundation for deeper analysis.

Next comes the application of scale. Through volume analysis, leaders can assess how frequently each activity occurs. Some tasks may happen thousands of times per week, while others occur only occasionally. Understanding volume reveals where effort is concentrated and where inefficiencies are most likely to significantly erode productivity.

Time adds another critical dimension. By evaluating how long each activity takes, organizations can begin to quantify total effort across each operation. Activities multiplied by volume and task times create a clear picture of workload that is far more accurate and revealing than high-level assumptions or departmental estimates.

To ensure that Activity Based Management analysis becomes fully actionable, adjustments are made for real-world factors such as meetings, training, vacation, absences, and productivity variation. The result is a realistic and comprehensive model of the total workforce required to support current operations. For many leaders, this is the first time they see a fully quantified view of how work translates into staffing demand and operational cost.

Only after establishing this baseline does it make sense to evaluate technology, and this is where the Three Doors Framework shines. Too many organizations begin with a tool and then search for a problem to solve; Activity Based Management reverses that mistaken dynamic. By comprehensively understanding the work first, leaders can determine whether a given activity should be Avoided, Automated, Optimized, or left unchanged from the perspective of the broader organizational context as a whole. In this way, technological use cases become testable, and potential savings, productivity gains, and service improvements can be quantified before significant investments are made.

Additional considerations follow. Requirements, goals, and constraints must be incorporated to reflect both current needs and future expectations. Regulatory obligations, customer expectations, growth targets, and service-level commitments all influence what success looks like realistically, over the long term. When these factors are understood through the Activity Based Management process, leaders are better positioned to apply the Three Doors Framework to identify what to Avoid, what to Automate, and what to Optimize across each area of their organization under consideration for transformation.

The end result is more than a set of disconnected recommendations. Activity Based Management creates a structured view of how work, talent, and technology interact across the business or organization, making visible current operations and how they would change under different scenarios. This enables better decisions on workflow design, staffing, investment, and whether tools like AI can create meaningful impact. The Three Doors Framework creates a path for transformation while Activity Based Management provides a comprehensive process, together turning strategy into execution anchored in measurable outcomes.

Although this article concludes the Three Doors Framework series, the work of applying these principles is ongoing. Click here for an overview of the framework as a whole and here for an even more detailed talk on the subject by Voyage Advisory founder, Andrew Studee. For a deeper conversation on how to bring this approach to life in your own organization, connect with the Voyage Advisory team or revisit earlier entries in the series with a colleague who would benefit from a structured approach to transformation.