Practitioner’s guide

WorldbyFlow in Practice

Ten practitioners, ten industries, ten working patterns — user stories that show what structured research looks like when it is somebody’s Tuesday.

Part I · Reading these stories
Part I

Reading these stories

What these stories are, what they cost, and how to steal from them.

01

How to use this guide

Each chapter that follows is one practitioner, one situation, and one working pattern — told start to finish, with the actual research named and priced.

The people are composites; the workflows are real
The practitioners in these stories are invented, drawn from the kinds of people the product serves every day. Everything they do, though, is real: every scan named exists in the catalog, every step is one you can take today, and every research bill at the end of a story is calculated from the live price list — not typed in and left to rot.
A note on names
The stories name each research format as the General area names it. The specialist areas — Finance, Policy, Health and the rest — sometimes carry their own names for the same formats, fitted to their field, so what a story calls one thing may greet you under a friendlier local name once you switch areas. The shape of the work is identical.
Steal the shape, not the subject
You are unlikely to be a grocer facing a merger or a clinic manager vetting a device. That is fine — read for the shape. Almost every story reduces to one of a few patterns: react to a shock with a read before you react with a decision; baseline once, then watch cheaply; check the claim before you sign; and turn the research you already did into the document someone is waiting for. Find the pattern that matches your week and borrow it whole.
Part II

Business and markets

Four practitioners with money on the line: a shop owner, a product manager, an analyst, and a contract hunter.

Retail · Independent business
02

The grocer and the merger

Priya owns two neighborhood grocery stores. On a Tuesday morning, the news says the national chain is buying the regional one — the anchor of every strip mall within ten miles of her.

The situation
Everyone has an opinion about what the merger means; nobody has read anything. Priya’s suppliers are nervous, her produce manager wants to cut prices preemptively, and her banker has questions about next year. She needs a real read before she makes a single move.
How she works it
1
A read before a reaction
An Event Scan on the merger, focused on "independent grocers in the affected region". The section on affected parties gives her what the coverage never does: the ripple map, with her own position on it.
2
Follow the money
A Follow the Money scan on the deal shows who actually profits and through what channels — including the finding that the acquirer’s playbook in past markets was to consolidate distribution first. That is a supplier problem before it is a price problem.
3
Turn the read into choices
An Options scan — "what can a two-store independent do about chain consolidation" — comes back with moves she had not considered, including locking longer supplier terms now, while the distributors still want her business.
4
Then watch, cheaply
She pins the reports’ signals — the deal’s closing conditions, the distributor announcements — to her Watchboard and checks the board monthly. No morning news habit required.
What she walked away with
A decision to hold prices, a renegotiated supplier agreement signed before the merger closed, and a one-page brief for her banker exported straight from the research. The produce manager’s price cut never happened.
The research bill
Event Scan (2 cr) + Follow the Money (2 cr) + Options (2 cr) = 6 credits
Plus a monthly Watchboard check while the deal is live.
Tip
Priya’s pattern — a read before a reaction — is the most stealable one in this guide. The moment everyone around you is reacting to a headline is exactly the moment a few credits of actual reading is worth the most.
Software · Product management
03

The product manager and the crowded map

Tomás runs product at a forty-person software company. The board keeps asking the same question — "who else is doing this?" — and his answer keeps being a slide he made eight months ago.

The situation
The competitive landscape moved while nobody was looking: two rivals merged, a well-funded newcomer launched, and the incumbent quietly changed its pricing. Tomás needs a current map, a view of what is coming next, and an honest read on the one rival that scares him — by the board meeting.
How he works it
1
Redraw the map
A Landscape scan of the category, working in the Tech area, replaces the stale slide with a current, sourced map of who is actually in the arena and how they are positioned.
2
Look past the map’s edge
An Early Signals scan surfaces what is forming before it is mainstream — the open-source project gaining contributors, the adjacent tool drifting into his category. Boards love the map; they fund the edge.
3
Go head-to-head where it hurts
A Compare of his product against the scariest rival, focused on "what an evaluating buyer would weigh", followed by a Vulnerability Assessment of that rival — where they are genuinely exposed, evidenced rather than wished.
4
Keep the cast on file
Every competitor from the Landscape goes into a Portfolio, so next quarter’s refresh is one tap per name instead of a research project.
What he walked away with
A board deck built on four sourced reports instead of recollection, one roadmap bet cancelled because the Compare showed the fight was already lost there, and a standing Portfolio that makes the next "who else is doing this" a same-day answer.
The research bill
Landscape (2 cr) + Early Signals (3 cr) + Compare (2 cr) + Vulnerability Assessment (3 cr) = 10 credits
A quarterly refresh reruns the Landscape and updates the rest as needed.
Finance · Equity research
04

The analyst maintaining a thesis

Dana covers a dozen mid-cap companies for a small fund. Her problem is not finding information — it is that one of her positions just reported a number that broke her model, and she needs to know whether the world changed or the counting did.

The situation
The company’s reported margin jumped in a way nothing in her thesis predicts. Before she touches the position she needs the why, the surrounding numbers, and a read on whether management’s explanation deserves the benefit of the doubt.
How she works it
1
Interrogate the number itself
A Why It Changed scan on the margin figure, in the Finance area. Its discipline is exactly her question: it starts by checking whether the counting changed — a reclassification, a one-off — before crediting the world.
2
Rebuild the surrounding record
A By the Numbers scan pulls the key figures around the company, each sourced and dated, replacing the folder of screenshots she used to keep.
3
Grade the storyteller
A Track Record scan on management’s past guidance against what actually happened. The pattern — consistently conservative on revenue, consistently wrong on costs — tells her exactly which half of their explanation to trust.
4
Wire the tripwires
A Sentinel scan turns the thesis into watchable signals — the metrics and events that would mean she is wrong — pinned to her Watchboard with a standing weekly check.
What she walked away with
The margin jump was mostly a counting change — the Why It Changed read caught the reclassification the earnings call glossed over. She kept the position, trimmed the price target, and her thesis now watches itself between earnings.
The research bill
Why It Changed (3 cr) + By the Numbers (2 cr) + Track Record (2 cr) + Sentinel (2 cr) = 9 credits
Per position event; the Watchboard carries the load between them.
Government supply · Business development
05

The contract hunter

Marcus does business development for a family firm that sells equipment to public agencies. Every bid costs real hours to write, and last year half of them were doomed before the first page — he just could not tell which half.

The situation
Three open solicitations landed this month. The firm can write two bids well or three badly. Marcus needs to know, per solicitation, what the documented record actually says — who the buyer is, what they have bought before, and what winning would take.
How he works it
1
Brief before bid
An Opportunity Brief on each of the three solicitations, working in the Defense area — the documented file end to end: the requirement, the history, the incumbents, the dates.
2
Learn the room
For the most promising one, a Who's On It scan of the buying agency — who is actually on this, and who decides. Bids are written to requirements but won in rooms.
3
Gap-check the firm
A What You Need scan against the requirement: what the firm must show, have, or fix to be competitive. Two gaps are closable by the deadline; one is not — and that one belongs to the bid they now will not write.
What he walked away with
Two bids written well instead of three written thin, a no-bid decision he could defend to the owner with a page of sourced reasons, and a repeatable gate: no bid gets hours until its brief earns them.
The research bill
Opportunity Brief × 3 (9 cr) + Who's On It (3 cr) + What You Need (2 cr) = 14 credits
Per bid cycle. The no-bid it produced saved a week of writing.
Part III

Public life

Three practitioners working in the open: an advocate, a communications lead, and a sustainability officer.

Policy · Nonprofit advocacy
06

The advocate and the bill

Alena directs policy at a housing nonprofit. A bill her organization cares about just cleared committee, and her board wants to know two things every quarter: where does it stand, and where do we push?

The situation
Legislation moves slowly, then suddenly. Alena cannot read every hearing transcript, but showing up to a board meeting a month stale is not an option either. She needs a baseline she trusts and a cheap way to stay current between the moments that matter.
How she works it
1
Baseline the fight
An Event Scan on the bill’s advance, then a Positions scan — who supports, who opposes, and the stated reasons on each side, working in the Policy area. Together they are her map of the fight.
2
Get the calendar
A Catalyst Calendar scan surfaces the dated moments ahead — hearings, amendment deadlines, the session clock. Those dates go straight onto her Watchboard and her actual calendar.
3
Read the public, honestly
Before the big hearing, a Poll Check on public opinion — pollster named, spread kept, no cherry-picking. Her testimony quotes the numbers with their sources attached.
4
Brief the board in one run
Each quarter, a Briefing scan turns the current state into an executive summary, exported as a PDF for the board packet. The question she used to dread now costs her one credit and ten minutes of review.
What she walked away with
A board that gets a sourced quarterly brief instead of a verbal update, testimony that survived a hostile question because the poll numbers carried their sources, and a Watchboard that taps her on the shoulder when the bill moves.
The research bill
Event Scan (2 cr) + Positions (2 cr) + Catalyst Calendar (2 cr) + Poll Check (3 cr) + Briefing (1 cr) = 10 credits
Per session, plus the quarterly Briefing rerun.
Corporate communications
07

The communications lead, ahead of the story

Jordan runs communications at a midsize manufacturer. The job, reduced to one sentence: never let the executive team be surprised by a narrative they could have seen coming.

The situation
A criticism of the company’s flagship product is circulating in forums and group chats — below the news, above nothing. Jordan needs to know what is actually being said, whether the established view of the product is holding, and what the escalation paths look like if it breaks.
How they work it
1
Listen below the headlines
A Water Cooler scan on the product — the informal takes and counter-narratives, as they are actually being voiced. Marketing sees the praise; Jordan needs the grievance in its own words.
2
Test the consensus
A Consensus Check: what the established view of the product actually is, and where it is fragile. The fragile edges are where a circulating criticism can crack through.
3
Rehearse the branches
A Scenario scan — "this criticism reaches mainstream coverage" — maps how it would plausibly play out and what would accelerate or defuse it. The response plan gets written now, calmly, not at midnight.
4
Arm the executives
A Briefing scan condenses all of it for the leadership channel, with the sources attached for the inevitable "says who?".
What they walked away with
The criticism stayed niche — but the prepared statement, the fragile points list, and the leadership brief were sitting ready. The next one might not stay niche, and now there is a drill for it.
The research bill
Water Cooler (2 cr) + Consensus Check (2 cr) + Scenario (3 cr) + Briefing (1 cr) = 8 credits
Per emerging narrative; most weeks need none of it.
Sustainability · Climate
08

The sustainability officer under scrutiny

Ingrid is the sustainability lead at a consumer-goods company. Two claims cross her desk in one week: a vendor’s carbon-capture pitch that sounds too good, and a request to certify her own supply chain for a disclosure filing.

The situation
Her signature is about to go on statements that regulators, activists, and journalists all know how to check. The vendor’s glossy numbers and her own supplier spreadsheets share a problem: neither has been independently read.
How she works it
1
Separate demonstrated from claimed
An Innovation Check on the vendor’s technology, in the Climate area — its exact discipline is the line between what has been demonstrated and what is merely claimed. The pilot results are real; the scaling projections are marketing.
2
Map what actually feeds the product
A Supply Chain scan on her flagship product line — what feeds it, mapped and sourced, with visibility gaps tagged as gaps instead of papered over. The gaps become her work list, not her filing’s liability.
3
Know the rules she is filing under
A Regulatory Map of the disclosure requirements — every rule around the activity with its actual status, because half the requirements everyone cites are still proposals.
What she walked away with
A vendor negotiation reset around the demonstrated numbers only, a disclosure filing whose gaps are declared rather than discovered, and — before signing anything — a deep source check on the facts her name touches.
The research bill
Innovation Check (3 cr) + Supply Chain (3 cr) + Regulatory Map (3 cr) = 9 credits
Plus the Deep Source Check follow-up before the filing.
Part IV

Knowledge work

Three practitioners whose product is understanding — an instructor, a clinic manager, a travel writer — and how to find your own pattern.

Education · Teaching
09

The instructor and the living syllabus

Sam teaches an evening civics course at a community college. The textbook is four years old; the students’ questions are from this morning.

The situation
The course’s best sessions happen when Sam teaches the live controversy — but preparing one responsibly used to cost a weekend of reading, and the materials still leaned on whichever three articles came up first.
How they work it
1
Steelman both sides
For next week’s debate session, a The Arguments scan on the live controversy — the case for and against, each side given its strongest form. The class debates the steelman, not the strawman.
2
Clear the underbrush
A Myths & Misconceptions scan on the same topic arms Sam for the claims that will definitely come up — each common belief corrected with evidence, not with authority.
3
Give the story a spine
A Chronology scan turns a messy, decade-long dispute into a dated narrative the students can actually hold onto.
4
One tap to lesson plans
With Educator Mode on, each scan carries a Create Lesson Plan action — objectives, discussion questions, activities, built from the same sourced material. The weekend of preparation is now an evening.
What they walked away with
Three sessions of current, sourced teaching material, a Facts list that doubles as a media-literacy exercise — "which of these claims would you trust, and why?" — and a syllabus that finally moves at the speed of the course.
The research bill
The Arguments (2 cr) + Myths & Misconceptions (2 cr) + Chronology (3 cr) = 7 credits
Per unit, plus a lesson plan per scan when needed.
Healthcare · Operations
10

The clinic manager and the vendor’s promise

Rosa manages operations for a three-site physical-therapy group. A sales team wants forty minutes and a five-figure commitment for a recovery device with spectacular testimonials.

The situation
The brochure cites studies; the price assumes they are as good as they sound. Rosa is not a researcher, but she is the person who has to explain the purchase to the owners a year from now — or explain the refund.
How she works it
1
Ask what the research actually shows
A Research Pulse scan on the device’s therapy category, in the Health area — what the research layer has actually produced lately, as opposed to what the brochure’s two citations suggest.
2
Understand the mechanism
A How It Works scan on the underlying technique. If the mechanism is sound, the device is a pricing question; if it is hand-waving, no testimonial fixes that.
3
Vet the company behind the promise
An Entity scan on the vendor — history, backers, disputes, the record. A pattern of rebranding after complaints would end the meeting early.
4
Check the price against the world
A Pricing Read on comparable equipment — what things actually cost, posted and sourced — turns "list price" into a negotiation.
What she walked away with
The mechanism held up; the vendor’s record was clean; the price was eighteen percent above the posted market. Rosa bought the device — at the market price, with the research bill smaller than the discount it won.
The research bill
Research Pulse (2 cr) + How It Works (2 cr) + Entity (3 cr) + Pricing Read (3 cr) = 10 credits
Per major purchase decision.
Media · Travel writing
11

The travel writer with a deadline

Noor writes destination features on a freelancer’s schedule: the pitch is due Friday, the piece a week later, and the difference between her rate and everyone else’s is that her pieces contain things that are true and specific.

The situation
This week’s assignment is a city she has visited once. The internet offers her the same recycled listicle everyone else will file. Her editor pays for the piece that reads like she lives there.
How she works it
1
Find what is actually happening
A News Search on the city in latest mode, working in the Travel area — what changed this season, what opened, what closed, what locals are arguing about. The piece gets a present tense.
2
Get real voices
A Voices scan on the city’s current moment — real quotes, exactly sourced. Two of them become the feature’s opening and closing lines, each attributed properly.
3
Anchor it in numbers
A By the Numbers scan — visitor figures, prices, the new rail line’s ridership — each sourced and dated, so the fact-checker’s email is short.
4
File with receipts
The citation export goes to the fact-checker with the draft; the public link goes to the editor who always asks "where is this from?". Noor’s answer is a page, every time.
What she walked away with
A feature with a present tense, quotes that survived fact-checking untouched, and an editor who has started sending her the assignments that need to be right.
The research bill
News Search (1 cr) + Voices (3 cr) + By the Numbers (2 cr) = 6 credits
Per feature. Cheaper than one hour of the rate it protects.
12

Finding your own pattern

Ten stories, four shapes. Here is how to write the eleventh — yours.

The method
1
Name your recurring question
Every practitioner above has one question their work keeps asking: what does this mean for me, is this claim true, where does this stand, what changed. Write down yours — the one you answer badly every week by skimming.
2
Match it to a shape
Shock → read before reacting, like Priya. Ongoing story → baseline once, watch cheaply, like Dana and Alena. Claim on your desk → check before signing, like Ingrid and Rosa. Deliverable due → research straight into the document, like Marcus and Noor.
3
Run the pattern once, honestly
Pick the two or three scans the shape calls for and run them on this week’s version of your question. Judge the results the way the product invites you to: open the sources, read the grades, argue with a specific fact.
4
Make it a rhythm
If the pattern earned its credits, give it a home: a Project for the thread, a Watchboard for the signals, a standing order if it should run without you. The tenth week of a good pattern costs less thought than the first.
Tip
Every research bill in this guide was priced from the live catalog the moment this document was generated — the same place the app quotes your price before every run. What a pattern costs is never a surprise here, and that is the point.
More to read
The two-minute overview →What WorldbyFlow is and what it does, in plain words.Getting Started →Your first scan, reading your first result, and the habits that get better research.The User Guide →The complete tour — every screen, the full catalog with live prices, every format.The Handbook →The textbook: step-by-step procedures, worked examples, and the evidence grades one by one.For Educators →Today’s news as Monday’s lesson — classroom patterns, media literacy from the evidence grades, and course building.