The symptom is specific: a funnel shows impossible jumps between stages. Start with the affected item and identify the decision or input that could produce this behavior.
Find the likely cause
Events have inconsistent ordering or inclusion rules.
Treat this as an explanation to verify against the actual work. Look at the input, the relevant decision, and the final result together. If the evidence does not support this diagnosis, investigate the mismatch before applying a convenient but unrelated fix.
Make the targeted correction
Review stage definitions and actual user paths.
A funnel is useful when its stages reflect real progress and each drop-off can be investigated in context.
Check that the repair worked
Reconstruct a few sessions to check whether the funnel matches reality.
Repeat the check on the final version that the reader or customer will encounter. An approved draft, a preview, and a published result can differ; the acceptance decision should concern the version people actually use.
Prevent the next related failure
A separate issue to watch for is this: the team fixes the largest percentage drop without considering volume. Compare the number of affected users and the value of the stage.
Monitor the useful outcome
Track stage completion counts and rates with consistent definitions and relevant audience segments.
Keep a short record of the original symptom, the evidence behind the diagnosis, and the result of the acceptance check. That record makes the solution reusable when the same condition appears again, without assuming that every superficially similar problem has the same cause.