Protocolization of an individual’s work, the weaving of individual protocols up to a team level, and the zoomed-out view of an organization as a system of protocols push at the basic premises that we have around what intellectual ownership and value capture means in knowledge work. This exploration and tool facilitates an “exit to protocol” ritual for a team or working group—a dissection of the day-to-day processes and rituals that make up a latent set of productivity protocols in order to surface and preserve the value a role or organization created throughout its existence, as it starts to sunset. 

Fans of David Graeber and Nathan Schneider will recognize themes from “Bullshit Jobs” and “Exit to Community” around realigning incentives in the future of work(ers). Where do invisible protocols account for creating value in the workplace? How do we welcome the finality of retirement with the potential of rebirth? Where does the value of a protocol go when it isn’t in use?