Abstract Workflow - an Idea for Process (2)

Abstract Workflow - an Idea for Process (2)

We had a looked at "Workflow - an Idea for Process" < http://www.gotoknow.org/blogs/posts/487439 > and saw the pictures. We understood that this is a "process" with input (kaffir limes - gathered in another process); the limes got evaluated and some limes got rejected and thrown out (into the white bucket) and the good limes got into the clean-and-cut process (where they got a bath and got cut into pieces); then the pieces were put into a bag in a bin to go through the fermenting process with some other input (sugar, ammonium sulphate and clean water) later.

Output of fermentation would be bio-juice (a solution of low-molecular-weight organic acids and alcohols) and 'dregs' (the mass left over). Because, it is a "dark fermentation" (occuring in closed bin - without light) Hydrogen is also produced but lost.

Abstraction of the 'kaffir lime bio-juice' production.

We can now see how subprocesses are performed in chain.
We will now go through a learning process of abstraction  and rewrite:


gatherKaffirLimes() /* and put them in a pile */

makeBioJuice(KaffirLimes,...) {
  do until (no-more-KaffirLimes or fermenting bin is full) do {
      
    selectSomeGoodKaffirLimes() /* and put them in bath bucket */
    for each clean-goodKaffirLime {
        clean-and-cut(with: a knife, a cutting board)
        put-cut-pieces-into-fermenting-bin()
        }
    /* when we run out of clean good limes in the bath bucket, get some from the pile */
   }
add-fermenting-aids()
close-fermenting-bin()
leave-to-ferment(how-long)
strain-Juice-from-dregs()
}

We can see that our rewrite is nothing more than a cryptic short-hand way of saying what 'action' is to perform on what. With some practice, we can rewrite "abstraction" of any process in simple words that anyone can understand with little effort.

What is the secret of abstraction process? I don't have any. It is tedious process to see 'a system' in a particular way with such and such components. We do know the story of "blind men" telling what an elephant is like, don't we? All blind men were "right" and yet they were all "wrong". We may have to take time...

I will take a rest here. Next time we will add to our abstraction: "who", "when" and "where" we perform "what actions" on "what things". And hopefully, going into "why" we do what we do. too.

Cheerio ;-)

[คนถางทาง]

การใช้แผนภูิมิ แทนคำอธิบาย หรือเสริมการอธิบาย เป็นสิ่งที่ดีมากๆ สมองคนละส่วน เสริมกัน รร. ไทยควรส่งเสริมให้เด็กๆ เขียนแผนภูมิให้มากๆ ตั้งแต่เยาว์วัย น่าจะเิริ่มที่ ป 4 นะผมว่า

[sr]

I agree with you คนถางทาง

There is no magic "high-tech" about abstracting, modelling and design. Anyone can do this. Young children, once they start reading "children books" can understand the concepts of abstraction by looking at cartoons and drawings in the books. The children learn from abstracts (in picture forms) quite quickly. It is when they (we) learn letter and grammar that our abstraction skill is "capped" (due very much to "technology" (type-writer, digital representation,...) limitation. Our (their) ability to read diagrams, pictures, gestures,... real world is also capped.

Why am I writing this? ;-)