Resolution path maps often show solid boxes for intake, assessment, and decision. The thin lines between them are where applicants experience the work. If no letter, portal note, or call is recorded for twelve days, the path still exists — it is simply invisible to the applicant and weak in the file.
In interviews, staff sometimes say they “kept the applicant informed.” The sample may show otherwise. We treat that gap as a finding, not a moral judgement. People under volume protect time by skipping notes. The organisation then loses the ability to explain delay when a complaint arrives.
A useful fix is small: require one logged contact when an idle interval hits a threshold you choose, even if the message is only “we still hold your file and expect a decision by…”. That single line changes both the applicant’s experience and the evidence trail for later review.