In Pega Platform, you resolve your business processes through case management. You apply this method when you can clearly define the goal that you want to achieve, but the course of your business process is unclear or changeable. In Pega Platform you can use tools that help you achieve your business objectives in a flexible way, so that you can respond to dynamic and unique circumstances.

A case type is a visual representation of your business process; a template for work that you can reuse for processing multiple instances of the same business case, such as reviewing applications from job candidates. By creating a case type, you define the path that your work follows, the people who are involved in processing a case, and the data that the case requires. As a result, you save time and ensure that your business processes can reach a successful resolution.

Pega Platform offers multiple tools and possibilities so that you can design your case types to meet your unique business needs. Before you start using Pega Platform to process your work, think about the following factors:

The outcome that you want to achieve

Think about the result that you want to achieve with your work. Consider whether there might be more than one outcome to a business process. For example, if your objective is to review job candidates, think about the possible resolutions: you might accept or reject the candidate, or you might want to redo or redirect the process before reaching a conclusion.

The following figure shows a sample business process that might result in three different outcomes:

The paths that lead to the outcome

While planning your business process, think about all the possible paths that the process might take before reaching the outcome. One of the possibilities is a default path without any exceptions or errors. However, consider any points in the process that might cause delays or alternations from this default path, and then think about solutions that can bring your work to resolution under new circumstances. Design alternate paths that lead to a resolution when the default path is unable to do so, such as an alternative for when you reject a candidate during a job application review. By creating alternate paths, you respond to dynamic situations in an agile and flexible way. You can also add actions to the business process to increase the chances of reaching the expected outcome. For example, you can apply service-level agreements to actions that users perform, so that the work can advance in a timely manner.

The following figure shows a graph of a sample business process with a default path and two alternate paths. Additionally, one alternate path includes two optional actions:

The elements of your business process

To divide your business process into smaller elements, think about the milestones or turning points that your work involves. For a milestone, consider the transitions in a process from one person to another, or crucial events on the business process path. Consider the actions that people need to take at each milestone – whether you can logically group the actions or perform multiple sets of actions in parallel, who performs the actions, and whether you can automate any of the actions. For example, in a job application review, a milestone might be the transition of work from an HR worker to a hiring manager, after the HR worker completes the first set of actions that might be collecting an applicant's personal details, letters of recommendation, and proof of education. By using Pega Platform, you increase flexibility of your applications because you can seamlessly move between the actions in an order that works best for your current business needs.

The following figure shows a transition of work from an HR worker to a hiring manager:

The people involved in your business process

When defining your work, think about the people needed for your case to reach its outcome, and the channels that they might use while interacting with your business process. Consider the different means of communication that you can apply, such as email and push notifications, as well as the devices that case participants might work with, such as mobile phones and tablets. Define the elements that particular participants need to access so that you can avoid exposing users of your application to irrelevant content. Finally, decide whether your application users need both online and offline access to perform their work.

The following figure shows three users with different devices that they use to process work: a personal computer, a tablet with a screen reader, and a mobile phone:

The data that your business process requires

Define the data that your business process needs to reach a resolution, and think about the different ways of providing the information. Consider what information users provide, and the best way of collecting that data – a form with fields to complete, a survey, or a document attached to a business process. Also, think about the information that you need to fetch from external systems or databases, and the integrations that your application might require.

The following figure shows a business process that sources data from forms and questionnaires, attachments, and an external data base:

What to do next: After you identify and analyze the elements that you need to create a case type, think about interactions and dependencies between case types. See Understanding case hierarchy.