PCF Levels Explained
Hierarchy Structure
| Level | Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | CATEGORY | Represents the highest level of process in the enterprise in general groupings such as manage customer service, supply chain, finance, and human capital. | 11.0 Manage Enterprise Risk, Compliance, Remediation and Resiliency (16437) |
| Level 2 | PROCESS GROUP | Groups of processes that are part of executing a category. Examples include perform after sales repairs, procurement, accounts payable, recruit/source, and develop sales strategy. | 11.1 Manage Enterprise Risk (17060) |
| Level 3 | PROCESS | A single process that may include elements related to variants and rework in addition to the core elements needed to accomplish the process. Examples include invoice customer and develop and manage IT security, privacy, and data protection. | 11.1.3 Manage Business Unit and Function Risk (17462) |
| Level 4 | ACTIVITY | A key step performed to execute a process. Examples include maintain chart of accounts and develop salary/compensation structure and plan. | 11.1.3.3 Develop Mitigation Plans for Risks (16458) |
| Level 5 | TASK | An element of work that goes into executing an activity. They are generally much more fine-grained and may vary widely across industries. Examples include create a business case and obtain funding, and design recognition and reward approaches. | 11.1.3.3.1 Assess Adequacy of Insurance Coverage (18129) |
Process Element Numbering Scheme
The PCF identifies each process element using a unique 5-digit reference number following the name of the process element [i.e., (16437), (17060), (17462), (16458), (18129), shown in the above graphic]. This number will always refer to the conceptual definition of the process element. The actual process elements and actual definition may change, but conceptually the decomposition will remain consistent considering the entire scope of the PCF. A new 5-digit number will be assigned to a process element if its definition substantially changes.
Key Points
- Unique IDs: Each process element has a unique 5-digit PCF ID
- Conceptual Consistency: IDs refer to conceptual definitions that remain stable
- Version Tracking: New IDs assigned when definitions substantially change
- Cross-Reference: IDs enable tracking across PCF versions
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