Definition
A flagged item — a flag — is a noticed uncertainty, raised so the team can see it. Something feels off — drift in a routine, a role gone unclear, a moment someone is not sure about — and it enters the system with a name, a description, and a place in the team’s flag record.
Anyone on the team can flag, and certainty is not required. The member’s part is noticing and saying; the team’s part is working out what it means. A flag that turns out to be nothing still proved the channel works — in Jigsaw, “I’m not sure” is a contribution, every time.
What Happens at the Flag
- The flag lands in the record as New, visible to the whole team.
- The clock starts: the organization’s responsiveness window begins at the flag, and the GMR watches flags reach resolution inside it.
- The Emergence signal records that the team is still noticing — flags are evidence of a living system, and the grade treats them that way.
Why This Matters
Flags are the system’s intake. The uncertainties, concerns, and small misfits they carry are the raw material that becomes clarified uncertainties, candidate controls, and reviews. A noticed uncertainty with no voice protects no one — the flag is where noticing becomes something the organization can act on.