Process Nodes

A model becomes useful when its work is broken into nodes that another person can inspect. Each node belongs to a parent model and carries a sequence, description and source record ID. The Model Designer uses those details to show what happens before the next step. The Process Owner checks that the sequence reflects the real handoff instead of an idealized diagram.

A service process might begin with request intake, continue to triage and end with a specialist response. Record each as a node of the same model. The node’s source reference tells the reviewer which operational record informed the observation. A pending, accepted or rejected outcome then gives the team a clear place to inspect disagreement about the modeled step.

• Order. Sequence keeps the intended path readable within a parent model.
• Observation. Description, quantity, unit, amount and observed date can record the work seen at a node.
• Outcome. Pending, Accepted and Rejected separate unresolved observations from reviewed ones.

Set a consistent level of detail. One node should describe a meaningful handoff or unit of work, not a whole department’s procedure. Decide how source record IDs are assigned and how a source reference should point back to the underlying work. If quantities and amounts matter, agree on the unit used before comparing nodes across revisions.

Define who can change a node after its parent revision has been validated. A change to sequence or input assumptions can alter the simulation result, so the team should review it in a new revision. Also decide when an outcome is marked Accepted or Rejected and who explains the reason in the review record. The node outcome is part of the working model; the independent decision belongs with the exact model revision.

Take the intake example and enter its nodes in order. Give each node a source record ID. For the specialist handoff, add the observed work and source reference that support its position in the sequence. Ask another person to find the source and explain the transition without guidance from the original designer.

Mark one disputed observation Pending and let the Process Owner inspect it before validation. If it is Rejected, correct the model and validate the intended revision. After a simulation, compare the completed step trace with the modeled node order. A run result that cannot be traced to the intended revision should be investigated before any publication decision.

• Node outcome board — Review pending, accepted and rejected observations by parent model.
• Model revision workboard — Open the parent revision and check its current lifecycle.

See model preparation for the sequence handoff and validation and review for the decision on the revision.