IoT & The Process of Everything Introduces More Complexity

We are fast heading to more inclusive processes that have to be more aware, make complex decisions and act both proactively and re-actively. This puts pressure on processes to handle new forms of signals, orchestrations and participation. While process can exist in forms of master task control, a part of an overall end to end process, or a actual task snippet of activity, this posting will come from the master task control and orchestration. In coming posts I will discuss other forms of control and communication. Processes and cases will have to manage across a number of different styles of process actions in the near future. I have identified seven, so far, enumerated below:

M2M :

Processes will need to interact with the fastest growing source of signals and actions. This will allow processes to interact closer with the growing pool machines, devices, controls, sensors and chips. The actual machines will contain a certain amount of intelligence and data that aggregated a process level that will allow for greater organizational & business leverage. In essence, there are sub processes and services in each of these machines and interactions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_to_machine

S2S: 

Processes have been heavily involved with system interactions both inside and surrounding various forms of application integration for decades now, but this is expanding to systems of systems and emergent behavior. Processes will have to deal with these morphing combinations and interactions. Again these systems interactions will provide data and aggregated intelligence for leverage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_of_systems


H2H:

Processes / Cases have been expanding their forms of human interactions around knowledge heavy tasks. As process technology tires to mimic and support the way humans interact to support organizational events, this will be a growing sector of process activity as seen by the interest in adaptive and emergent case management. Processes will take on better support for these human communications and problem solving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_communication


M/S:

Some would consider M2M and M/S interactions to be one in the same. Of course one could make the argument that a system is just another machine or that a machine is carrying out the work of a system. I think this set of interactions to be unique in that the language to interaction might be the same, the logic surrounding decisions and actions to be more brittle and fixed in machines so far. This may change with the advent of true machine learning over time, but for now these are different kind of interactions and separate entities. Processes will have to deal with managing these interactions to achieve goals.


H/M:

How humans interact with machines has been a challenge for over 100 years, but intelligence and process is now being added to the mix changing this relationship forever. Ergonomics, pre-built configurations,  sequences, and machine learning are all influencing these relationships. Processes will also have to deal with the outcomes of these interactions and become embedded in these interactions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93machine_system

H/S:

The study human and system interactions have become a great mix of art and science. Semiotics comes from art and actions and constraints come from the science of the systems. Process technology has usually done well to coordinate this area, but again this relationship is changing as role and skill based contexts are an expected factor to consider in these interactions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface


Complex Hybrids:

The obvious hand grenade, under the door, is the what the various combinations demand from process management and the technologies that support processes. This is a real complexity that organizations and process vendors will have to face and learn how to manage. We will see better practice patterns emerge and spread quickly to the advantage of process participants, process managers and stakeholders


Additional Reading:

http://jimsinur.blogspot.com/2014/07/internet-of-things-and-process-yields.html
http://jimsinur.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-time-for-intelligent-internet-of.html
http://jimsinur.blogspot.com/2014/08/iot-and-process-everywhere-helps-solve.html
http://jimsinur.blogspot.com/2014/08/competitive-battles-coming-choose-your.html
http://jimsinur.blogspot.com/2014/08/iot-and-process-process-must-step-up.html