Hey @Håkon L, it's great that you're looking for some best practices in Process Flow! I hope some of my insights will be helpful to you (and anyone else who reads this post).
Process Flow (PF) is a powerful tool that can be used to build entire models - you don't need a 3D view if you don't want one. It adds a lot of customization that you might not find easily in 3D objects. However, I believe the best models are built using both 3D and PF logic; there are many things that the 3D objects inherently do to make your life easier, and it helps you visualize your processes.
There are four types of PF: General, Object, Sub-Flow, and Person.
- If you want to build a model from the ground up, I would start with a General PF - this is a blank slate for you to add "activities" that build your logic.
- If you have multiple machines/objects that need to perform identical tasks, then an Object PF is what you're looking for. You can build the logic you want your machines to have and then "attach" those 3D objects to the Object PF. Each attached object will then use that Object PF as its own brain.
- If you have some functionality that you don't want to repeatedly build but you want to reuse, a Sub-Flow is what you want. If you're familiar with programming terms, Sub-Flows are like functions or subroutines - they're an isolated piece of logic that can be called upon to execute a specific task. One example might be a Sub-Flow with logic to have an Operator load boxes from a given queue.
- A Person PF is a type of General PF that is specifically built for the logic of people in the model. It's generally used for Health Care logic where you have patients and staff navigating in a clinic/hospital.
To build PF logic, you drag and connect "activities". Activities are literally the building blocks of PF. Each activity executes a unique piece of logic, so choosing the right activities to connect is important. PF uses things called "tokens" which are represented by green circles (you can change the visuals of these as well). Tokens are what "drive" your logic - they navigate through each activity and execute the logic there, moving onto the next activity when they're done.
With that in mind, you should organize your activities in a way that makes sense to you. If it makes sense for your tokens to represent boxes moving through a Conveyor System, then build your activities around that. If it makes sense for tokens to represent your machines as they execute their logic, build around that. If your PF begins to be confusing to you, then change it. If you're confused on how to build PF logic, checkout the different activities available to you and experiment with them in a smaller model. I even recommend building your logic out in pen and paper first and then "translating" it to PF.
I hope these help tips helped you. Let me know if you have more questions.
