Colabmo development course A-P02

Learning objective: Separate necessary functions from the roles, tools and sequence used today.

A current-state map helps locate evidence and pain points. It is not the foundation of the future design. If the team starts by redrawing its swimlanes, it can preserve the same handoffs with new names. First list what must be accomplished, without assigning those functions to departments.

For a request-to-decision process, functions might include identifying the requester, understanding the need, determining eligibility, establishing authority, deciding, communicating the outcome and retaining the required evidence. “Finance signs the spreadsheet” combines a function, an actor and a tool. The underlying function may be establishing spending authority, confirming a budget, or something else. Ask the owner which risk the signature controls.

Decompose until each function has an identifiable input, transformation or decision, and output. A function is too broad if no one can explain what evidence would show it happened. It is too detailed for the current exercise if further decomposition cannot change the design choice or the test.

Distinguish logical dependency from historical sequence. A final eligibility decision depends on sufficient eligibility evidence. Identity and service-capacity checks might run independently. That possibility remains a hypothesis until information dependencies and exception behavior are understood. Parallel work is not automatically better if it creates excessive rework.

Use three questions at each step: What outcome becomes impossible without this function? Which other function needs its output? Could a different actor, time, channel or mechanism deliver that output? Retain a function whose necessity is supported. Put an uncertain function in the evidence ledger instead of deleting it by enthusiasm.

Include the failure path. A sound design knows what happens when information is missing, authority is disputed or a request is rejected. Exception handling is part of the service, not a footnote added after the attractive flow is drawn.

Practice

Use W3 to decompose customer onboarding into six to nine functions. Ban department and software names for the first ten minutes. Draw only dependencies you can explain. Mark one dependency as uncertain and name the evidence needed to resolve it.

Check your reasoning

The team says three departments must approve in order because the current form has three boxes. What should you ask next?