Re: Flow Charts

[SOPKrules@aol.com]

Robert:

I have had similar experiences with flow charts or process maps whatever they are called.  There is a common thread that runs throughout, though.  Nearly all of the flow charts or process maps focus on 2 domains of process:  1.  Materiel (the flow of things) 2.  Information (the flow of data).  Most of the observers we have focus on process as being one of those two domains or a combination of those domains.  There is a third domain that focuses on the flow of Commitments.  The maps look a little different than the traditional boxes and lines, but they are more representative of how people get work done.  People don't get work done by simply completing task A then task B then task c and work is not characterized by the flow of the forms or the pieces nor the flow of the data.  None of the "stuff" that flows around our organizations moves anywhere unless some person makes a request or an offer and someone else accepts the request or the offer and makes a promise then there are !
declarations that the thing agre
ed to has been done and then the person who initiated the whole thing declares that they are satisfied.  This domain of process gives us insight into how people make action happen with their words and how the things and the data follow the speech acts that drive action.

Not to say that the materiel and information domains are not important, they are very important, but people are the drivers of action in our world and we drive action by being in conversation about our commitments.

Bob