> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://abundance.alloconomy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A Useful Map Does Not Need Every Pebble - URL: https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-10-keep-it-useful/ - Published: 2026-10-09T14:07:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T20:22:43.000Z - Description: Start with the work that matters. A simple map of delivery, streaming or software can teach more than a huge spreadsheet nobody can explain. - Author: Sathya Narayanan - Tags: Alloconomy, Foundations, Activity-Based Costing, #series-detail Foundations · Mental model 10 ## Follow the work: ten simple ideas 1. Start here[The ten-idea cheat sheet](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/activity-based-costing/)A simple map of the work behind a price. 2. Idea 1[Costs follow work](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-01-costs-follow-work/)Connect a customer promise to the tasks behind it. 3. Idea 2[Different levels of work](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-02-different-levels/)Find what makes an activity repeat. 4. Idea 3[Averages hide differences](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-03-averages-hide-differences/)Compare equal shares with actual use of shared work. 5. Idea 4[Choose a useful measure](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-04-count-the-work/)Match the measure to the activity it explains. 6. Idea 5[Available and used capacity](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-05-ready-and-used/)Separate available time from time used by customers. 7. Idea 6[Extra steps add up](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-06-extra-steps/)Build a job from its ordinary steps and additions. 8. Idea 7[Follow the customer journey](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-07-whole-customer-journey/)Look at the help before and after a sale. 9. Idea 8[Ask what actually changes](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-08-what-actually-changes/)Compare the money that changes under a decision. 10. Idea 9[Use the time you free](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-09-give-saved-time-a-job/)Turn faster work into a chosen benefit. 11. Idea 10**Keep the model useful**Current essayMeasure enough to support the decision, then improve it. ## A map helps you get somewhere Maya draws a map from home to the library. She includes the streets, a crossing and the library door. She does not draw every leaf on every tree. Her map leaves things out, yet it helps Mayan arrive. A useful cost model works the same way. It should include enough detail to explain the work and support the decision. Collecting information also takes time. If people spend all afternoon recording tiny differences, the model itself has become another job. [![1 · ASK: Choose a decision: What are we trying to improve?; 2 · MEASURE: Follow a few activities: Use clear, fitting measures; 3 · CHECK: Watch real work: Add detail when it matters](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/10-abc-10-keep-it-useful.png)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/10-abc-10-keep-it-useful.png?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com) Keep detail that changes understanding or action. Numerical examples are illustrative; actual business economics require case-by-case analysis. [Open full-size infographic](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/10-abc-10-keep-it-useful.png?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com). ## Start with one useful question Imagine a small subscription app whose support team is overloaded. The owner wants to know where the team's time goes. A first study might separate three activities: helping customers get started, answering everyday questions and fixing billing problems. For a short sample, the team records minutes spent in each group. Suppose the sample shows 60 minutes on setup, 30 on everyday questions and 10 on billing. Setup deserves a closer look. Perhaps one confusing step is causing repeated calls. The study does not need 200 categories to reveal that lead. Nor should the owner assume one small sample describes every future week. Watch more real work as needed and update the map when the process changes. ## Put the ten ideas together First, state the decision. Then name the customer promise and the activities it creates. Notice whether each activity happens per item, per group or for the service as a whole. Choose measures that fit the work. Use them to compare resource use instead of assuming equal shares. Show available and used capacity separately when that distinction matters. Include the extra steps and the whole customer journey relevant to the question. Before taking action, ask what money and work would actually change. If time is freed, choose what to do with it. Finally, keep only the detail that helps explain or improve the decision. ## Try the map in another business For a Prime example, begin with separate paths for delivery, video and music. One membership count is too broad for all three. For YouTube or Netflix, decide whether you are studying content work, delivery of viewing sessions or account support. For YouTube, also distinguish a creator's business from the platform. For Walmart fulfillment, separate storage, packing and returns. For DoorDash, separate the platform, merchant and Dasher. For hotel listings, separate listing checks, bookings and support. For SaaS, separate setup, running the app and helping customers. These are starting maps, not complete models of those companies. The real work should tell us what to add next. ## Try it A shop wants to reduce the time spent correcting wrong addresses. Which is more useful first: recording the colour of every package, or counting address corrections and the minutes they take? **Answer:** corrections and minutes. They connect directly to the decision. **Carry this idea:** a model earns its detail by helping someone understand the work or choose a better action. ## Source [IMA: Implementing Activity-Based Costing](https://www.imachina.org.cn/Uploads/File/2019/02/21/u5c6e7648ddde7.pdf?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com) provides a practical implementation framework. The simple starting maps and examples above are our teaching synthesis. --- [← Use the time you free](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-09-give-saved-time-a-job/)