2. Discovery Maps According to Pega
• A Discovery Map is a flexible process mapping
tool that captures a project's high level
processing steps in business terms.
• Steps are color-coded to indicate a flow shape:
• Sub Process - Blue
• Human Based Step - Green
• Automated Step - Yellow
• Integration - Red
(Pega Developers Network article PRKB-26125)
21. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Let’s convert this sub-
process into a
Discovery Map.
22. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Any User/System
interactions are
represented by green
shapes.
23. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Any steps the System
carries out without
input from the User are
yellow.
24. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Except for steps where
the System integrates
with another
system, which are red.
25. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
An understanding of
any manual steps is key
to understanding the
business need.
26. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
But a Discovery Map
cannot show manual
steps.
27. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Nor can a Discovery
Map show end results.
28. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Or branch points and
their alternate paths.
29. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
A Discovery Map does
know the sequence of
steps in the “Happy”
path.
30. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
By virture of the
sequence in which you
place the steps on the
Discovery Map itself.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation
payment
31. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
But since a Discovery
Map does not know
about branch points or
alternate flows…
32. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
…it has no idea what
the correct sequence
of alternate steps is or
where they fit.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation
payment
Save payment Display error
details message
33. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
So alternate steps are
lumped together after
a red divider on the
Discovery Map.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
34. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Let’s remind ourselves
of the wealth of
information in the
visual process model.
35. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Versus what the
equivalent Discovery
Map can show us.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
36. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
“A Discovery Map is a flexible process
mapping tool that captures a project's high
level processing steps in business terms.”
(Pega Developers Network)
37. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
PRPC can automatically
generate a Flow Rule
from a Discovery Map.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
38. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start Our Discovery Map
would generate a Flow
Rule like this.
CapturePayment
Details
Display Error
Check for Message
Duplicate
Payment
Save
Submit Payment Payment
Request to Bank Details
Display
Confirmation
39. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start
Notice the absence of
branch points.
CapturePayment
Details
Display Error
Check for Message
Duplicate
Payment
Save
Submit Payment Payment
Request to Bank Details
Display
Confirmation
40. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start And how the alternate
flows are poorly
represented.
CapturePayment
Details
Display Error
Check for Message
Duplicate
Payment
Save
Submit Payment Payment
Request to Bank Details
Display
Confirmation
41. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start
The draft Flow Rule we
really need would be
CapturePayment
Details more like this.
Duplicate Duplicate
Payment
Not Duplicate
Immediate Immediate Submit Payment
Payment Request to Bank
Future
Submit Not Successful Display Error
Successful Message
Save
Payment Successful
Details
Display
Confirmation
42. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start
But the DM cannot
generate the actual
CapturePayment draft Flow Rule
Details
needed.
Duplicate Duplicate
Payment
Not Duplicate
Immediate Immediate Submit Payment
Payment Request to Bank
Future
Submit Not Successful Display Error
Successful Message
Save
Payment Successful
Details
Display
Confirmation
43. Recap
The Discovery Map is
supposed to model the
business process.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
44. Recap
But at best all it can
model is this.
Check whether
Input Payment Submit payment Display payment Save payment Display error
duplicate
Details request to Bank confirmation details message
payment
46. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start A Discovery Map is
supposed to generate a
Flow Rule.
CapturePayment
Details
Display Error
Check for Message
Duplicate
Payment
Save
Submit Payment Payment
Request to Bank Details
Display
Confirmation
47. The “Take Payment” Sub-process
Start
But the best it can do is
this.
CapturePayment
Details
Display Error
Check for Message
Duplicate
Payment
Save
Submit Payment Payment
Request to Bank Details
Display
Confirmation
48. Recap
Start
Instead of this.
CapturePayment
Details
Duplicate Duplicate
Payment
Not Duplicate
Immediate Immediate Submit Payment
Payment Request to Bank
Future
Submit Not Successful Display Error
Successful Message
Save
Payment Successful
Details
Display
Confirmation
49. Recap
When you go into your
DCO sessions armed
with this…
50. Recap
Start
…it takes only minutes
to produce this Flow
CapturePayment
Details Rule manually.
Duplicate Duplicate
Payment
Not Duplicate
Immediate Immediate Submit Payment
Payment Request to Bank
Future
Submit Not Successful Display Error
Successful Message
Save
Payment Successful
Details
Display
Confirmation
51. Discovery Maps in Reality
• A Discovery Map is NOT flexible because it
cannot model branch points or alternate
flows.
• Because DM shapes indicate Flow Rule
shapes, a DM does NOT model in business
terms, but in PRPC implementation terms.
• A DM can only model what is to be
implemented in PRPC, so does NOT model the
entire business process.
52. Recommendation
• If you want to document business process
within PRPC:
1. Model the process using BPMN before your Pega
project starts
2. Build your Flow Rules manually based on the
process models (it only takes minutes if your
models are robust)
3. Attach the process model to the relevant Flow
Rule (that is DCO too, you know)