Back in December 2013, I started a series of posts that describe processes and how to manage them. You can read them here, here, here, here, and here. Go ahead, we’ll wait.
OK, you’re back!
I have had some time to ruminate and use this processing model. It seems to breed some confusion in my business partners when I discuss it with them. The problem is my use of “Factory” to describe a core process. It is so much simpler to just call it a “Core” process. The definition, the right thing to be doing, still holds but the association is much easier to grasp.
However, we still need the Factory. The new definition of the Factory is the process flow that emerges as a transaction moves through the core processes. This is what we in systems analysis call “the happy path”. Transactions that stay in the Factory make us happy because they process in an efficient and effective manner where variability and risk are controlled.
Experience is a great teacher. I hope I never grow too old or set in my ways to change.