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Buffer information

Buffer external information and subscribe to updates

Instead of requesting information from an external source, buffer it and subscribe to updates

Reijers, H., & Liman Mansar, S. (2005). Best practices in business process redesign: an overview and qualitative evaluation of successful redesign heuristics. Omega, 33(4)

Description

Obtaining information from other parties is a major, time consuming part in many workflows. By having information directly available when it is required, throughput times may be substantially reduced. Note that this buffering is a weak form of the integration pattern. Instead of direct access to the original source of information in the integration alternative a copy is maintained.

Performance considerations

This pattern can be compared to the caching principle microprocessors apply. Of course, the subscription fee for information updates may be rather costly. This is especially so when we consider the situation that an information source may contain far more information than is ever used. Substantial cost may also be involved with storing all the information.

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Foundational free Patterns

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Isolate exceptions

Design business processes for typical cases and isolate exceptional cases from the normal flow

Fail Early

Order knock-outs by least effort and highest termination probability first.

Green Compensation

Start implementing actions that can offset or counterbalance the environmental effects generated by business processes that cannot be changed.

Offer location flexibility

Let customers interact with the company wherever they want to

Generalize your process

Explore whether a process can easily be used for additional products or services

Preference-based task assignment

Let people do what they love to do

Cost-based task assignment

Delegate tasks according to resource cost

Teamwork-based assignment

Allocate task based on collaborative experience: handover time, interactions, diversity

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Consolidate Work

Collect similar work items and work in batches

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