{"id":29,"date":"2025-09-21T04:37:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T04:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/?p=29"},"modified":"2026-01-22T07:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T07:34:23","slug":"process-canvas-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/?p=29","title":{"rendered":"Process Canvas: Information"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">| Understanding the Information Section in Process Canvas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If <strong>States<\/strong> are the stations and <strong>Activities<\/strong> are the tracks in your process journey, then <strong>Information<\/strong> is the <strong>ticket<\/strong> that carries the details you need along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Information fields define <strong>what data is captured, referenced, and passed between steps<\/strong> in a process. Done right, they ensure clarity, consistency, and accuracy across your system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">| Why Information Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well-designed information fields are the foundation of a reliable process. They:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep data <strong>consistent<\/strong> across different modules<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prevent <strong>errors and duplication<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enable <strong>filtering, reporting, and automation<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preserve the <strong>integrity of historical records<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">| Best Practices for Defining Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Consistent Naming Conventions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use the same field names across all modules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 Example: If you use <strong>Contact No.<\/strong> in the Customer module, use the same name in Job Order or Contract modules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u274c Avoid: Mixing variations like <em>Telephone No., Telephone Number, Contact Number<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Capitalization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use capital letters for the first letter of each word in field names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recommended:<\/strong> <em>Customer Name, Approval Date, Unit Price<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flexible:<\/strong> Adjust to customer preferences, especially with abbreviations (e.g., GST, SST).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Avoid Abbreviations (Unless Common)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only use abbreviations that are widely recognized and unambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 Acceptable: <em>GST, SST<\/em><br>\u274c Avoid: <em>CN, U\/P<\/em> (unless requested, in which case use as a <strong>label<\/strong>, not the field name).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Avoid Symbols in Field Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Special characters can cause issues in reporting or automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u274c Don\u2019t use: <em>U\/P<\/em><br>\u2705 Use: <em>Unit Price<\/em> (you can display &#8220;U\/P&#8221; as the label if the customer insists).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Avoid Reserved or Generic System Field Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Never use system defaults like <em>date<\/em> as custom fields \u2014 this may cause conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">| Rule of Consistency for Historical Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a document is created, the data it contains is <strong>frozen in time<\/strong>. This is called <strong>non-destructive updates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: If an invoice is issued to <em>A Company<\/em> and later the company changes its name to <em>B Company<\/em>, the original invoice will still show <em>A Company<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This protects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Accuracy<\/strong> \u2013 invoices remain true to the original transaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compliance<\/strong> \u2013 no risk of altering past records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Audits<\/strong> \u2013 historical data is preserved exactly as it was<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Controlled Updates (Optional)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In some cases, customers may prefer updates to propagate. This can be configured with rules, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only records in the <strong>Open<\/strong> state can update automatically if source data changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">| Final Thought<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Information fields are more than just labels on a form \u2014 they are the <strong><mark style=\"background-color:#e06c0085;color:#191919\" class=\"has-inline-color\">building blocks of clarity and consistency<\/mark><\/strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-custom-heading-color\"> <\/mark>in your process canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By applying consistent naming, choosing the right data type, and respecting the rules of historical data, you ensure your system remains both <strong><mark style=\"background-color:#e06c0085\" class=\"has-inline-color\">user-friendly today and auditable years from now.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of information as the <strong><mark style=\"background-color:#e16d0185\" class=\"has-inline-color\">ticket that carries your process forward<\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 clear, consistent, and reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>| Understanding the Information Section in Process Canvas If States are the stations and Activities are the tracks in your process journey, then Information is the ticket that carries the details you need along the way. Information fields define what data is captured, referenced, and passed between steps in a process. Done right, they ensure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions\/102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/processcanvas.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}