An issue is a problem, a blocker, or anything else in a team’s way. Each team keeps one list of issues, ranks the top three, and solves them from the top. When an issue is solved, what the team agreed can be kept as a decision.
- 111 daysTwo Leeds cafés want deliveries before 7amJBJoe
- 29 daysTrade price list is out of dateMOMayaClimb Build the trade price list
- 36 daysNew cafés are waiting a week for grindersRPRaviDue 20 Nov
- 2 daysDirect debit forms come back unsignedRPRavi
- 18 daysHarrogate is short of weekend baristasDWDan
- 25 daysSheffield’s card machine drops out at lunchARAishaOverdue, due 13 Nov
- 34 daysOat milk supplier is putting prices upARAisha
- 16 daysGrinder in the Leeds café keeps jammingDWDan
- 2 daysYork café signage is waiting on planning permissionDWDanClimb Fit out the York caféDue 27 Nov
- 19 daysCourier keeps missing Friday pickupsPSPriya
- 26 daysBag sealer jams on the 1kg bagsRPRavi
- 33 daysNext green coffee shipment is two weeks lateRPRaviDue 20 Nov
- 12 daysRoaster install date is slippingPSPriyaClimb Install and test the new roaster
- 16 daysDecaf launch email isn’t signed offTRTomClimb Launch the decaf subscriptionDue 20 Nov
- 210 daysPaused subscriptions restart a week earlyLMLeahClimb Cut subscription churn to 4%
- 5 daysSubscribers are asking for compostable bagsECEllie
- 3 daysSubscription cancellations up in AugustLMLeah
- 15 daysHead of coffee shortlist has only two namesSHSamClimb Hire a head of coffee
- 28 daysCash is tight until the new roaster is paid forSHSam
Each team has one list of issues. The team ranks its top three as Priority 1, 2, and 3, and works down the list from the top. A rank belongs to one issue at a time, so giving an issue a rank that another issue holds swaps the two.
Every issue shows how long it has been open, in amber after seven days and in red after 14. An issue can also have a due date, which turns red once it has passed.
Click an issue’s mark to rank it, or point at the issue and press 1, 2, 3, or 0 for no priority.
- 8 daysHarrogate is short of weekend baristasDWDan
- 5 daysSheffield’s card machine drops out at lunchARAishaOverdue, due 13 Nov
- 4 daysOat milk supplier is putting prices upARAisha
- 16 daysGrinder in the Leeds café keeps jammingDWDan
- 2 daysYork café signage is waiting on planning permissionDWDanClimb Fit out the York caféDue 27 Nov
Short-term issues are the ones the team is working on now. Long-term issues are parked for the next quarterly planning session, where each one is parked again, dropped, or turned into a climb. They turn amber after three months and red after six.
Choose Long term from an issue’s mark, or point at it and press L. For two seconds the row says where it’s moving, with Undo in case it was a mistake, and then it closes and opens in the other list. Giving a long-term issue a priority brings it back.
- 6 daysDecaf launch email isn’t signed offTRTomClimb Launch the decaf subscriptionDue 20 Nov
- 10 daysPaused subscriptions restart a week earlyLMLeahClimb Cut subscription churn to 4%
- 5 daysSubscribers are asking for compostable bagsECEllie
- 3 daysSubscription cancellations up in AugustLMLeah
- 212 daysSubscribers can’t choose a delivery dayLMLeah
- 131 daysGift subscriptions can’t be pausedTRTom
- 40 daysCheckout is slow on mobileECEllie
Mark an issue solved with its tick, or point at it and press S. Headwater asks for the outcome, which is what the team agreed. Type it and press Enter, or leave it blank.
Tick Record as a decision to keep the outcome with the reason for it. A one-off decision covers this case only. A standing rule applies from now on, and goes in the rulebook under the area you give it.
A solved issue stays in its row, struck through, until you leave the page, so the list doesn’t jump while the team is talking. The ranks below it move up one place.
- 19 daysCourier keeps missing Friday pickupsPSPriya
- 26 daysBag sealer jams on the 1kg bagsRPRavi
- 33 daysNext green coffee shipment is two weeks lateRPRaviDue 20 Nov
- 12 daysRoaster install date is slippingPSPriyaClimb Install and test the new roaster
The rulebook shows every standing rule in force, grouped by area. Search it, or show only the rules made by the company or by one team.
A newer rule can replace an earlier one. The rules it replaced are folded under it, so you can see how a rule has changed. A rule can also have a review date, which turns red once it’s due.
All decisions lists every decision, one-off or standing, by month. Each decision links to the issue, climb, or initiative it’s about, and that item’s card lists all of its decisions. Click one to open its card.
Cafés
2- Every café keeps a spare set of grinder burrs
A worn burr closed Durham’s espresso bar for a Saturday.
29 OctHuddleCafésDan, Aisha - New cafés open with two trained baristas on every shift
Harrogate’s first month showed one isn’t enough at weekends.
1 OctPlanningCompanyReview by 1 Apr 2027
Deliveries
1- Wholesale orders placed by 2pm go out the same day
Cafés order after the lunch rush.
19 OctHuddleWholesaleMaya, Ravi
Pricing
2- Trade prices change on the first of a month, with 30 days’ notice
Cafés print their menus a month ahead.
12 OctHuddleWholesaleMaya, RaviReview by 1 Nov - Subscribers keep their price for 12 months after joining7 OctHuddleSubscriptionsTom, LeahReview by 31 Mar 2027
Roastery
2- Green coffee is ordered eight weeks ahead
Two shipments this year arrived late.
4 NovHuddleRoasteryPriya, Ravi - Test batches from the new roaster are never sold21 OctHuddleRoasteryPriya
Subscriptions
1- Every cancellation gets a call within two days28 OctHuddleSubscriptionsLeah
Wholesale
1- Trade samples go out within two working days of a request2 NovHuddleWholesaleJoe
Anyone can raise an issue on a team’s list. Most come from the weekly check-in, where anything in the way can be raised as you go, and from the huddle, where the team adds issues as they come up. When a climb is off track, its owner can raise an issue from the climb, and the issue shows the climb on its row.
Your Claudebot can raise issues too, from a chat in Claude. There is no separate to-do list in Headwater. Work agreed while solving an issue becomes a milestone on a climb, or a new issue.
- 111 daysTwo Leeds cafés want deliveries before 7amJBJoe
- 29 daysTrade price list is out of dateMOMayaClimb Build the trade price list
- 36 daysNew cafés are waiting a week for grindersRPRaviDue 20 Nov
- 2 daysDirect debit forms come back unsignedRPRavi
Book a demo and we’ll show you how Headwater would run your week, from the vision down to Monday morning.