Updated
On this page
Levels: one or two
Why the process catalog is one flat list rather than a nested tree, when that would change, and the rule for adding a process.
Work is already organised in two levels: phase (six) contains work type (nine). The question is whether processes need a further grouping level inside each phase.
The three shapes considered
| Shape | What it means | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flat catalog (chosen) | One list of processes; each names a home work type; the phase is derived | Lowest: one list, one field |
| Subfamily level | A new group between phase and process | A new term, field and lookup to keep in step |
| Third tier under work type | You navigate phase, then work type, then process | A three-question funnel; processes that cross phases get duplicated |
Why flat
The smallest phase holds two processes, so the system always has something to choose between.
The largest holds three. A grouping level pays off at around seven children. None is near it.
A group inside Design and creation would hold one process each. The work type already carries exactly that split.
About a third of the catalog hands off to or draws from another phase. A nested tree forces each process under one parent and needs a second structure for the cross-links. A flat list with a successor link needs one mechanism.
The catalog is a proposal and not yet proven. If it grows large the answer changes. Move to a grouping level only if one work type holds more than six processes, or the catalog passes about twenty-five in total. Then group by work type, because it already exists and is stored.
The rule for adding a process
A process is added only if all four hold.
- It has appeared at least once as a request the system had to improvise.
- It differs from an existing process in the extra intake questions, the first-result kind or the gate placement. A difference only in subject matter means it is a use of an existing process.
- It has one home work type. If it seems to need two, it is two processes with a handoff.
- It is written in the same table shape as the catalog, with documents from the kind catalog.
A process is retired when nothing has used it for a long period and no open activity carries it. Its name stays in closed records.
Fields that record the process
The shell carries work_type and process. Each document carries work_type, a derived phase, process, optionally process_step and gate, plus the stage and iteration from the common core. A process value must come from the catalog (checked for new files only). A gate marks where a document was submitted; approval itself is the document's state.