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How Distil Works

This guide explains Distil's core workflow and how feedback moves through the system.

The Distil Workflow​

Every piece of feedback in Distil is called a "card." Cards move through stages that represent your evaluation process:

Needs Signal → Accepted → Ready → Pushed

Each stage has a specific purpose. Let's walk through them.

Stage 1: Needs Signal​

When feedback first arrives, it lands in Needs Signal. This is your inbox.

What happens here: You evaluate whether this feedback represents a real pattern or is just noise.

Questions to ask:

  • Have we heard this before?
  • Does this align with our strategy?
  • Is this a real problem or a feature request disguised as a problem?

Actions you can take:

  • Accept the card (moves to Accepted)
  • Add signal notes to capture context
  • Tag cards to track themes
  • Merge duplicate feedback

Stage 2: Accepted​

Cards in Accepted represent your roadmap - things you've decided to build.

What happens here: You scope and prioritize accepted work.

Key insight: Accepting a card doesn't mean you'll build it tomorrow. It means you've validated this is worth doing eventually.

Actions you can take:

  • Add acceptance rationale (especially important with Governance Pack)
  • Write implementation notes
  • Push to Jira or Linear when ready to build

Stage 3: Ready​

Cards become Ready when you've pushed them to your development tool (Jira or Linear).

What happens here: Engineering picks up the work. The card stays in Distil as a record of what shipped and why.

Link back: Each Jira/Linear ticket includes a link back to the Distil card, so engineers can see the original feedback.

Stage 4: Pushed​

Pushed is the final state. The card has been sent to your development tool and is out of your hands.

These cards serve as an archive of decisions made and work shipped.

Supporting Features​

Tags​

Use tags to track themes across feedback (e.g., "mobile," "performance," "billing"). Tags help you spot patterns.

Signal Notes​

Add context to cards that helps future-you remember why something matters. Signal notes are your breadcrumbs.

Governance Pack Features​

If you have the Governance Pack enabled:

  • Cards can be locked to prevent changes
  • Acceptance requires documented rationale
  • Full audit trail of who accepted what and when

Bulk Operations​

Process multiple cards at once - bulk accept, bulk tag, bulk push to Jira.

The Key Insight​

Distil's power comes from having a separate place to evaluate feedback before it becomes engineering work.

This separation lets you:

  • Say "yes, we should build this" without immediately committing resources
  • See patterns across feedback before deciding what to build
  • Show stakeholders a transparent roadmap based on real data

Next Steps​