Telesis "...an ancient Greek word signifying the achievement of a steady progress towards an objective through careful planning & the intelligent use of resources"
Demo of interface automation (bar codes) using a Navatec Bar-Mouse.
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Process automation
Process automation is the transposition of logical actions exercised by humans applying their intellect and physical capabilities to an inegrated information process capable of emulating the human process to the extent of achieving the same or a better outcome. Usually a "better outcome" relates to a consistency of quality of output achieved within a shorter space of time and at a lower unit cost. Output can be a product or a service.
Some simple steps in a process
A representation of a simple three stage process is shown below. An inspection and packaging operation can be divided into processes, events and time lapses. The processes might be inspection and packaging. The event might be placing the product on a moving conveyor belt (A), completion of inspection (B) and completion of packaing (C).
Most processes are linear in the sense that a product or service consists of a sequence of events which when all have been completed in the correct order result in the completed product or service. On the other hand other more complex processes also advance through time but involve several parallel processes. So in the simple diagram on the left there can be "fan ins" and "fan outs" at the end of processes leading to multiple events and not just one. Thus quality control results in two events, or a "fan out" consisting of two classes of output and therefore two events, "rejects" and "passes". Loading a range of products into a production line which need to be mounted is a "fan in".
Interface automation
Many process control systems are not totally automatic but involve human intervention. On the other hand it is wise to automate those aspects of human intervention which are repetitive and could lead to monotony and in the end mistakes being made. One of the simplest examples of this type of interface automation is the use of bar codes for identifying objects to which any particular event refers. Thus bar codes are very useful in document flow, supply chain, consignment and inventory management. A live demo is provided on the right using the Navatec.Com Bar-mouse (bar code reading mouse). As a document moves through an administrative process its status can be recorded at each key location by simply scanning a bar code label on the document with a bar-mouse. A time-stamped confirmation is sent to a remote server.
A status report on the progress of any specific document through a process can be viewed at any time online by scanning in the bar code ID from a card or dialogue drop down list. This is useful for constituents (e-Government and commercial applications) to check the status of their concern. Managers can access a complete dossier related to a document by scanning the ID with the bar-mouse. All label printing drivers can be provided online and use can be made of standard printers.
