Companies, government, non-profit organizations, or even small small teams, no matter how big or small dem be, dey always do organizational activities.
Organizational activities na wetin plenty business processes make up.
You fit break business processes into tasks. When different departments and pipo for inside one organization dey do di tasks wey dem assign to dem, na so di business process go work.
For dis way, as each business process dey work, di whole organizational activity go work well.
Object-Oriented Software
For software development, dem don develop one way of thinking called object-oriented software, plus how to design am and di programming languages wey dem dey use for it.
Before dis one, dem dey design software with data and processing separately, and for inside programs, how dem define data and processing dey independent.
Dis one make am possible to put definitions of data and processing wey dey related either close to each other or for different different places inside de program.
No matter where dem put am, e no make any difference to how de computer go process de program.
But, when you wan change or add new things to programs wey dem don develop, how well dem arrange am go really affect how fast work go go and how many bugs go fit show face.
If definitions of data and processing wey dey related dey scattered for tens or hundreds of thousands of lines of code, e go be very very hard to make changes.
Object-oriented software dey provide one fundamental way to solve such problems.
Dat is, e dey embrace de idea of clearly separating data and processing wey dey related inside de program and keeping dem for de same section, to make am easy to understand when dem dey modify de program later.
Dis section wey dey hold data and processing na wetin dem call an object.
E also important to design software from de beginning, with de object as de main unit.
Aside dat, we normaly dey used to seeing different things as objects.
For example, when we set an alarm clock for a wake-up time, de alarm go ring at dat time. We dey understand say one alarm clock, as an object, get de data of de wake-up time and de process of ringing de alarm.
To design and implement software for a way wey dey align with how human beings dey normally perceive things make sense. Dis na why object-oriented software become so popular.
Business Process-Oriented Software
I don give una overview of how organizations dey operate and wetin object-oriented software be.
Now, I wan propose business process-oriented software as a new way to develop software.
As I explain for di object-oriented software discussion, if you design software in a way wey fit human understanding, e go give you big advantages when you wan modify or add new features to di software.
When you dey use software for organizational activities, if you put related information and functions inside di conceptual compartment of a business process, wey be its fundamental unit, e suppose make modifications and adding new features easier.
Dis na de basic idea of business process-oriented software.
Manuals and Input Information
For big-big companies, de normal business processes dey usually get manuals. Business processes wey dem define clearly enough to get manual, dem dey also call dem workflows.
Business systems wey dem build with normal software na how dem arrange these workflows into a system. As each person or department in charge dey enter information into de business system following di workflow, na so di business process dey happen.
Here, business manuals, business systems, and input information dey very close to each other.
But, for di way wey dem describe here, these three things wey dey closely related dey scattered.
Di idea of business process-oriented software believe say these things suppose be one single whole.
Imagine one document for one single file wey get business manual inside and also spaces for each person or department in charge to enter information.
Plus, make we say dem also write down de contact information for de next person in charge of each task specifically.
Then, you go see say all de parts of de business process dey inside dis input information entry file wey get business manual.
If dem create dis file and give am to de person in charge of de first task, de business process go follow de manual wey dem provide. Finally, when dem don enter all de necessary information, one business process go finish.
Dis file na de business process-oriented software itself, e dey apply de idea of business process-oriented software.
And as different different business process-oriented software dey work, de whole organizational activity go work.
De Software Itself
Before, I talk say di file wey dem dey use to enter information, wey get business manual, na de business process-oriented software itself.
Some pipo fit don think say dis one go lead to talk about developin' programs or systems.
But, e no be so.
Whether programs or systems dey involved or not, dis file itself dey work as business process-oriented software.
As I explain before, if dem create dis file and send am to de first person in charge, e go then dey passed on to de person in charge of each next task, and de business process wey dem describe inside am go be carried out.
Of course, e possible to develop programs and systems based on dis file to do de workflow wey dem write inside am.
But, how much difference dey between usin' such a system and just passin' de file itself between di pipo in charge?
Here, wetin you suppose note be say, developin' a program or system dey separate de manual from de processing.
Dis separation dey against de business process-oriented approach. In other words, e dey make am hard to improve business processes and add new features.
Dis one go show face sharp-sharp if you imagine say you wan change a business manual.
Every time dem change one business process procedure, dem must change de program or system to fit am.
Because of dis, business manuals need to be very well refined from de beginning, and makin' manuals dey take time. Also, even if dem change a manual, e no dey show for de program or system sharp-sharp.
Aside from di time problem, e also get cost for modification.
Dis mean say business processes and manuals no fit easily change.
On de other hand, if dem no develop programs or systems, and instead, dem just dey exchange input information entry files with business manuals between di pipo in charge, then de development period and maintenance costs for programs and systems go vanish.
Executable Software
Some pipo fit dey wonder, why dem dey call dis file "software."
De reason na say dis file na executable file. But, e no be software wey computer dey run as a program, instead, na software wey humans dey run.
A business manual be like a program for humans. And de input information fields be like where dem dey store data for memory or for a database.
If you see am dis way, e no dey wrong to call dis file software wey humans dey run.
Executor
Works wey dey written inside business process-oriented software, humans or artificial intelligence fit do am.
Even for one single work, e fit be say artificial intelligence and humans go work together to do am, or sometimes only humans go do am, or only artificial intelligence go do am.
Artificial intelligence fit also read de business manual inside dis file and do de correct processing.
Dis mean say dis file na software wey both humans and artificial intelligence fit run.
AI Assistance
First, artificial intelligence go run de file. As e dey do am, e go read de business manual wey dem write inside de file and understand wetin e suppose process.
Some parts of de process, artificial intelligence fit run am direct, or e fit enter information into de input fields.
On de other hand, some parts also go need human processing or information input.
For these parts, de artificial intelligence go tell de human and ask dem to process or input information.
For dis situation, de artificial intelligence fit change how e dey present information to de human, depending on wetin de human process and de information wey dem input.
Simple ways to present to humans fit include tellin' dem de necessary tasks through text or voice chat, or askin' for de required information.
Dem also get option to open de file itself direct. If de file be text, for example, a text editor go open.
One way wey be small advanced involve comot de necessary tasks and input information, and then, based on wetin dey inside dem, create a temporary file for an application wey easy for humans to work with, and then run dat file.
For example, if dem need to input information for table format, a spreadsheet file go be created for humans to enter information inside. De information wey dem enter into de temporary file go then be copied by de artificial intelligence into de input fields of de original file.
One even more advanced method involve on-demand programming of an application with a user interface wey fit de file and de tasks or input wey dem need from de human.
For dis way, when artificial intelligence either process automatically or assist human work and input to finish one task, e go transfer de file to de contact person for de next task as dem write for de business manual.
By makin' artificial intelligence assist humans dis way, dem fit create a system where humans only need to efficiently do de minimum necessary tasks through an interface wey easy to use.
AI-Friendly File
Basically, business process-oriented software fit be for any file format.
But, if you look at how artificial intelligence go help, a basic file format wey easy for AI to handle go good. A clear example na Markdown-formatted text file.
E go also good to define simple rules for how to describe content. Since artificial intelligence dey provide help, these simple description rules fit be changed or extended anyhow.
Knowledge Accumulation and Business Process Improvement
Business process-oriented software dey allow organizations to add new business processes or change old ones just by creating or changing de file itself, wey dey combine manuals and input fields, without needing to develop programs or systems.
Also, e important to put contact information for one communication channel inside de business manual for any questions or requests to improve dat business process.
Dis one go greatly reduce de time and effort wey artificial intelligence and humans dey spend to struggle with confusion or to do research. Apart from dat, since questions, answers, and improvement requests dey all gather for one single contact point, business process knowledge go naturally accumulate, and dem fit improve business processes often-often.
Work like systematizing and organizing accumulated knowledge, or changing business process-oriented software because of improvement requests, artificial intelligence fit also do am automatically or assist humans to do am.
Also, if dem need am, dem fit create new business process-oriented software to add new business processes to de organization.
Fast Learning Organization
For dis way, through de idea of business process-oriented software and how artificial intelligence dey automate and assist, one organization as a whole fit naturally gather knowledge and dey always improve itself.
Dem fit describe dis one as a fast learning organization.
Dis one dey make organizational activities far more efficient pass how old organizations dey do am.
Meanwhile, with AI help for individual tasks, humans only need to do small work through interfaces wey easy to use.
Because of dat, humans no need to learn too much information or understand every business process wey dey change often.
Unlike humans, artificial intelligence fit reread all new business manuals instantly without stress. Apart from dat, e no need time to get used to new business processes and e no dey hold on to old ones.
For dis reason, AI go handle de parts wey humans find hard, like learning plenty manuals and adjusting to changes for business processes.
Na so a fast learning organization fit happen.