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Concept
Workflows Make it Difficult to Respond to Contingencies
- The structure of workflows is meant to minimize the margin of error, but it is impossible to anticipate every possible outcome. So, when unexpected challenges occur, it is difficult to adapt the workflow to the situation.
- Given the sequential interdependence structure of the workflow, decisions made upstream have a direct effect on those downstream. For example, if someone upstream drops out, then everything after has to be put on hold until they are replaced.
- Also, the relative lack of concurrent communication in workflows makes it more likely that someone upstream would make a design decision incompatible with the process downstream, disrupting the operation.
- In contrast, the concurrent work structure in role-based teams made it easier to respond to mistakes and emergencies as they occurred.
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Updated 2021-08-24
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Psychology
Social Science
Empirical Science
Science