Flowcharting is probably the equivalent in the programming world.
-Adam
Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:
Although I agree with your concept, I never once in my 20+ years of
being around software development efforts heard the word workflow in
connection with programming. There the term used was "logic".
Workflow describes a higher level process sequence than the logic of
a computer program, in my opinion. I started hearing the word in
recent years in connection with user interface design and the study
of human factors engineering, not programming. I think the following
sentence characterizes the difference:
"Computer programs follow logic, the causal sequence of their
instructions, while humans exploit workflow, the conceptual steps of
the endeavor to achieve a goal."
Logic operates at the "start, do this, do this, test: if this then do
that, end" level.
Workflow operates at the "transfer RAW files from camera storage to
computer storage, convert files to DNG format, open files with Bridge
and assign metadata template" or "remove film from camera and place
in processing tank, complete development process, dry film and view
on light table" level.
Godfrey
On Mar 28, 2006, at 1:53 PM, graywolf wrote:
Workflow is a term from programming. To write a program you have to
figure out the steps and their order involved in completing a
process. That is what workflow is. In fact any process that involves
more than a single step has a workflow. You can not even make a cup
of coffee without following a workflow. For instance you have a real
problem if you try to drink the cup of coffee before putting it in
the cup.
However the term is mostly used by computer folk (and those terrible
people, efficency experts) thus I can understand your not wanting to
deal with it, Frank.
