Building the Process. Example: Cooking and Serving Spaghetti Pomodoro

A business-neutral example of preparing spaghetti for a family dinner has been chosen here. We will demonstrate how to build a business process using the Workanizers process structure.

1. Choose a Scope

From: Ingredients in the pantry


To: Served spaghetti pomodoro

2. Collect Information

Initially, we often encounter unsystematized information such as:

“First, I cook the tomato sauce. I use canned tomatoes and add a lot of garlic. And yes, I sauté garlic in olive oil beforehand. Then I cook the spaghetti. Then I combine everything. Before that, I save a little water from the cooked spaghetti. So, if necessary, I sprinkle a little in the mixture to make it creamier. And voilà! Dinner's served!”


In many cases, this is enough for such a simple dish. From a business perspective, these activities need further elaboration and structuring to form a comprehensive process.


Collecting relevant information about a process involves a structured approach. Here are some effective methods to gather the necessary details about a process:

  • Interviews
  • Group Mapping Sessions
  • Questionnaires and Surveys
  • Observation
  • Document review
  • Software review

Once the data is collected, it should be organized into a coherent structure, typically starting from broad sequences and narrowing down to specific tasks. This involves translating the raw data into a format that aligns with the business goals and makes the process clear, repeatable, and scalable.

3. Organize Information

What is the final result?

Identify the final result of the scoped process: "Served Spaghetti Pomodoro."

Where do we start from?

We will determine from which received increment the process starts. We start with: "Ingredients in the pantry."

How did the ingredients get into pantry? We won't go into that now because it is outside the chosen scope.

3.1 Sequences

We will list the significant and recognizable results (phases) between the above two increments. It would look like this:

  • Ingredients prepared
  • Sauce cooked
  • Pasta cooked
  • Dish prepared
  • Spaghetti Pomodoro served

These results are milestones on the path from unprepared ingredients to the final result: served spaghetti pomodoro.


We will consider them as sequences.

“A sequence is a group of connected TaskPacks that collectively result in a significant phase of product or service creation. Sequences are used as milestones on the path to creating the final product or service.”


We will give them proper names:

Sequence 1: Ingredient Preparation

Result: Prepared and organized ingredients ready for cooking.


Sequence 2: Cooking the Sauce

Result: Prepared sauce.


Sequence 3: Cooking the Pasta

Result: Prepared pasta.


Sequence 4: Combining Pasta and Sauce

Result: Cooked dish.


Sequence 5: Serving the Dish

Result: Served Spaghetti Pomodoro.

3.2 TaskPacks

Now, we must break down the sequences to identify the activities producing their results.


These activities would represent TaskPacks.

“A TaskPack represents a collection of activities from multiple individual work tasks.

Unlike an individual task, a Task Pack results in a minimum recognizable change in the creation of a product or service.”


By adding TaskPacks, we create a draft version of the process:

Sequence 1: Ingredient Preparation

  1. TaskPack: Create a checklist based on the recipe
  2. TaskPack: Retrieve ingredients from the pantry
  3. TaskPack: Check the freshness and measure the ingredients
  4. TaskPack: Prepare and organize ingredients

Result: Prepared and organized ingredients ready for cooking.

Sequence 2: Cooking the Sauce

  1. TaskPack: Heat olive oil
  2. TaskPack: Sauté garlic
  3. TaskPack: Add tomatoes, season, and simmer the sauce
  4. TaskPack: Finish the sauce

Result: Prepared sauce.

Sequence 3: Cooking the Pasta

  1. TaskPack: Prepare to cook pasta
  2. TaskPack: Cook the pasta

Result: Prepared pasta.

Sequence 4: Combining Pasta and Sauce

  1. (ctrl) TaskPack: Combine pasta and sauce
  2. (CTRL) TaskPack: Final taste control

Result: Cooked dish.

Here, you will notice that (for the sake of presentation), we have added a TaskPack (ctrl) whose result must be controlled. After that, we added TaskPack (CTRL), which performs that control.

Sequence 5: Serving the Dish

  1. (appr) TaskPack: Set up the table
  2. (APPR) TaskPack: Approve serving
  3. TaskPack: Serve the Spaghetti Pomodoro

Result: Served Spaghetti Pomodoro.

Here (for presentation purposes), we have added a TaskPack (appr) whose result must be approved. After that, we added the TaskPack (APPR), which gave that approval.

3.3 Tasks

In the process structure, “process > sequences > TaskPacks > tasks”:

  • We broke the process down into sequences.
  • We broke the sequences down into TaskPacks.
  • Now, we need to fill the TaskPacks with individual tasks.

“Tasks are individual work activities within a TaskPack.”


Sequence 1: Ingredient Preparation

Result: Prepared and organized ingredients ready for cooking.


  1. TaskPack: Create a checklist based on the recipe

TASKS:

1. (input) Access the recipe "Spaghetti Pomodoro" from the digital recipe file on the computer.

2. Read the recipe thoroughly to understand the required ingredients, quantities, and cooking steps. Note any special equipment or techniques mentioned.

3. (ctrl) Re-read the recipe to ensure complete understanding and confirm that all parts are clear. This step might involve mentally walking through the recipe steps and visualizing the cooking process.

4. (result) Create a checklist of all ingredients and any special equipment needed per the recipe.


Tags

We should pay attention to the tagged tasks (input) and (result).

  • The first task. The purpose of the first task is always to take over the subject of work and import it into the TaskPack for processing. It is marked with the tag (input).

In this case, the subject of work is the "Spaghetti Pomodoro" recipe. The only thing we need to do now is to refer to the TaskPack that is responsible for creating the recipe for "Spaghetti Pomodoro.” However, it is outside the selected scope. In this way, this TaskPack is connected to the previous ones.

  • Then, follow the tasks that "process" the subject of the work.
  • The last task. In the end, there is a task that delivers the changed subject of work as an outcome of the entire TaskPack. This task is tagged with (result).

In this case, the result is a checklist of ingredients for preparing "Spaghetti Pomodoro." When we tag the task that delivers the result of the entire TaskPack with the (result) tag, a subsequent TaskPack will be able to take it over as its subject of the work and thus continue the process.


Now, we can shift our attention to the task with the tag (ctrl).

This is a form of self-control within TaskPack. Here, the employee is asked to check the previous task he performed himself.

Filling TaskPacks with tasks can be tedious and time-consuming. In our example, we have 72 of them.

Depending on the needs and circumstances, the process can be longer or shorter and have different sequences and Task Packs or levels of task detail.

You can see the complete example here >

You can preview what this demo process looks like when it's complete.

Using this business-neutral example, we demonstrated how to build a business process using the Workanizers process structure.

In reality, this procedure is often much more dynamic. During construction, it is decided and changed what a TaskPack is and what is going to be a sequence or vice versa. Or if a more complex task should be a TaskPack, and so on.