Defined Process

Use a Defined Process to accomplish a job.

Problem How to do a job:

How do you know what needs to be done, and decide how to do it?

Agent

Context Forces Solution Rule Steps to define a process: Reason Benefits "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit." --- MrAristotle

Resulting Context The next time you need to do the same job, you will:

References Examples Related Patterns Author(s) Date(s)


I don't understand how the solution balances the forces. I can define a process that offers no insight as to whether I'm doing what needs to be done. That a process specifies that something be done doesn't mean it needs to be done.

Also, how is the pattern different from: "how do I solve all my problems" for which the proposed answer is: "use a process"?

Last, if Humphrey is the cited example of this pattern, isn't the context limited to academic simulations outside professional practice? -- JimCoplien

Cope, I'd be very interested in your comments on Humphrey's work and proposals, specifically your thoughts on the extent to which they apply in professional environments. Thanks - RonJeffries


I can see that this needs some work. Not only must the process be defined, but it must have a special quality that encourages people to apply it. I don't think I have communicated this yet. I'm more interested in process than in organization. I have little power to change the organization I work in, but I do have freedom to define and use my own personal software process. -- KentSchnaith


How can we keep this pattern from leading to an ever-growing number of unmaintained and ignored lists of how to do things, ala, for example, IsoNineThousand? --RonJeffries

Ron, you can't. The nature of such defined processes is that they cope with change by adding more process. There's usually not much meta-process there to eliminate wasteful process. --ChristianEdwardGruber


Also see:


CategoryPlanning


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