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Define orphaned work detection — unassigned & unclaimed issues #6

@koad

Description

@koad

Track issues that have no owner, assignee, or clear resolution path.

Pattern: Issue exists but:

  • No assignee (status unclear: someone will do it, or nobody will?)
  • No linked PR or progress (no movement toward resolution)
  • No clear next step (design needed, blocked, deprioritized)

What to monitor:

  • Issues open > 30 days without assignee
  • Issues without linked PR or project milestone (orphaned)
  • Issues with help-wanted or good-first-issue sitting > 7 days (unclear if entity is seeking external help or internal work)
  • Issues with status label triage or backlog sitting > 14 days (should be routed)

Tier: WARNING (30+ days unassigned), INFO (routine observation)

Action: File issue on entity repo asking to clarify status or close

Related: alert-routing.md, fourty4-watch-setup.md

Prevents work from getting lost in backlog; ensures visibility into deprioritized items.

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