To grow, formalize the know-how in an Operation Model

1. Formalize know-how into a Model to grow

   When the workings of the Enterprise become complex, its Operations must be Modeled, without which the Human-Actors will work in a muddle. Those who know how to do something must take the time to properly describe how it is done for the benefit of the others. Another consequence is that Modeling also enables us to improve our way of doing things as it highlights any complexity or inconsistencies.
   

   A Model is a simplified representation of a real system to better apprehend it: the "system" can be a Product or the Enterprise Operations. We can thus define a Model for a Good (e.g., car Model), an Information Model, a Service Model, an Offer Model or an Operation Model (e.g., "How to Produce" or "How to Distribute"). The Model enables us to understand, memorize, communicate and train those who will execute it. To take an example, we can more easily execute a recipe (Action Model) if the quantities of the ingredients (Information Model) and the cooking time are accurate.
   

   Thanks to this Model, we will be able to train and guide the other Actors to increase know-how. One of the difficulties is that those who know how to do something, do not always know how to Model this knowledge properly: we have to help them by making Modeling specialists available.
   

2. Model Actors, Actions and Information

   
   For the Operations, as Actors execute Actions with Information, we therefore have to formalize:
   
   • the Human-Actor Model formalizes the Role (Seller, Producer, Administrator): what are their rights and responsibilities?
   • the Action Model, what we often call
     
   • • Process Model (like "Sell", "Produce", "Manage")
     • Function Model that makes up the Processes (like "Fix Price", "Print").
       
   • the Information Model which formalizes the Objects (Customer, Product, Contract, Account)..., their identification, their relations, their attributes and their types
     
   Thanks to these 3 levels of Modeling, we are able to describe, very precisely, the right way in which the Actors should act.
   

3. Global Modeling and detailed Modeling

   Modeling can be global via Maps (business Object maps, Process maps, Function maps,...) or detailed.
   Global Modeling is essential when the Enterprise has become too complex: We must create a framework in which the various detailed Models will take place if we wish to avoid a patchwork of heterogeneous Solutions, which have difficulties in communicating between each other (see 4.1).

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