Enabling Operational Excellence
Enabling Operational Excellence
Enabling Operational Excellence
Enabling Operational Excellence

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MetaProcess vs. Universal Process Pattern (UPP)

Brian Leapman, U.K. logistics and supply chain expert, commented[1]: Meta is essentially when you cannot abstract further or divide further. It should be the atomic particle level of abstraction. A metaprocess – the Universal Process Pattern (UPP) – has four potential meta value outputs (whether or not they are modeled):  
    • Accept
    • Reject
    • Counterproposal
    • Ignore
For each of these four meta values, there can be a set/range of values where the outcomes are valid for a specific type of instance. My reply: UPP can be quite useful I think. However, we started from different semantics. You said: “Meta is essentially when you cannot abstract further or divide further. It should be the atomic particle level of abstraction.” I’m using Merriam-Webster Unabridged definition [meta- 3b]:

of a higher logical type — in nouns formed from names of disciplines and designating new but related disciplines such as can deal critically with the nature, structure, or behavior of the original ones *metalanguage* *metatheory* *metasystem*

So by metaprocess I mean process that transforms other processes. Both metaprocess and ‘regular’ processes could be UPP-compliant. I believe the notions are orthogonal. P.S. I have no idea what a meta-value might be. http://www.brsolutions.com/


[1] This series of point/counterpoint replies is a follow-up to my post “Meta Here. Meta There. Meta Everywhere?” (March 31, 2014), which generated a surprising amount of great discussion. (Thanks all!) Refer to: http://www.brsolutions.com/2014/03/31/meta-here-meta-there-meta-everywhere/

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Ronald G. Ross

Ron Ross, Principal and Co-Founder of Business Rules Solutions, LLC, is internationally acknowledged as the “father of business rules.” Recognizing early on the importance of independently managed business rules for business operations and architecture, he has pioneered innovative techniques and standards since the mid-1980s. He wrote the industry’s first book on business rules in 1994.