Every family and candidate card surfaces ONE primary action: the next thing you should do for that record, computed from current state. You do not have to scan a menu; the button tells you.
How it is computed
From stage: 'New' inquiries get 'Schedule discovery call'. 'Discovery Complete' gets 'Generate engagement letter'. 'Reference Check' candidates get 'Start background check'. And so on.
From days-since-last-action: if a discovery was scheduled and a day has passed, the NBA flips to 'Mark discovery complete'.
From stuck-state: any non-terminal card with no action in 5 or more days replaces the stage default with 'Send a warm nudge' (amber background).
What the variants mean
Sage (green) button: this is the standard next move; click with confidence.
Amber button with 'X days stuck' badge: this card has gone quiet; the suggested action is a warm nudge to recover.
Cream / muted: terminal status (Active, Lost, Placed, Rejected); no action needed.
More actions
Below every NBA there is a 'More actions' expander. The five non-NBA actions live there (schedule meeting, send invoice, send templated email, generate engagement letter, generate staff contract). Use them when you need a different action than the NBA suggests; they do not replace the NBA, they supplement it.