An enterprise or business can be represented by a number of processes. In order for the processes to function they are required to be resoursed and the necessary inputs provided. The processes can then produce outputs. This basic enterprise model is illustrated below.

The nature of these Processes, Resources, Inputs and Outputs will be provided in more detailed later.

If the processes are considered in more detail it is possible to divide them into two sets. These two sets are:

• Generic Business Processes
• Product Specific Processes

For the purpose of this model the Business Processes are defined as:

• Those processes that are generic to all enterprises.

The Product Specific Processes are defined as:

• Those processes that are specific to a particular enterprise due to the nature of the products or services that it provides.

The generic business processes are called the Generic Business Process Set or GBPS. An improved enterprise model, the GBPS Enterprise Model, is illustrated below.

Product Specific Processes constitute part of the enterprise's IPR. Because they are specific to a particular enterprise they are not discussed in detail in this model.

Simplistically the resources are the things required to enable the enterprise to function and, along with the inputs, the processes to operate.

The resources make up the work environment, and for the purpose of this model, are represented by:

• People,
• Culture and
• Infrastructure.

This representation of the work environment is illustrated below.

The nature of People, Culture and Infrastructure will be provided in more detailed later.

The last two illustrations, the GBPS Enterprise Model and the Work Environment, are combined to produce the Busyfish® Enterprise Model, which forms the framework for this work.

In the Busyfish® Enterprise Model, the work environment is represented by a vertical tube. Running through the tube are the business processes and product-specific processes. This verticle representation has been designed to illustrate that inputs to the enterprise should ideally pass through the enterprise as quickly as is possible.

In this illustration that passage is idealistically shown to be assisted by gravity. The equivalent to gravity in an enterprise is the momentum born out of a 'pulling together' culture within the enterprise. This unrestricted passage through the enterprise is important. To achieve this the enterprise's processes must be both effective and efficient and be understood by the people implementing them, and the necessary infrastructure must be in place to support those processes and people.