Decision Point

Use the execute operation when you need multiple routes to originate at an operation but no single step exists in the business process that requires the evaluation of multiple routes. The execute operation acts as a node in the process that serves as the origin of many routes, but has no executable function itself.

Several situations require the use of the execute operation:

• Several routes need to be evaluated to determine the first operation to execute in a process.

  This situation occurs when a process is initiated when a person submits a form, and form data determines the first action to execute in the process map. For example, a customer can fill an invoice dispute form through your corporate web site. The dollar amount of the invoice determines whether the form is routed to a first-level manager for approval or to a credit representative for processing.

• Several different routes in a process converge at a point where a set of rules are evaluated.

  This situation can occur when the process loops to a step where a set of rules are reevaluated. For example, in a quality assurance process, an issue may have to go through a retesting process until it is fixed and the process can proceed. This situation can also occur if several branches converge after running in parallel. For example, in a process for hiring new employees, when an applicant is hired, several subprocesses are initiated as part of the hiring process. When each of the subprocesses completes, multiple rules based on the data of each subprocess are evaluated to determine the next step.

For information about the General and Route Evaluation property groups, see Common operation properties.