Definition: Processes cannot complete without passing through your system. You become a mandatory checkpoint.
The Mechanism:
Business workflows have gates — approval points, validation steps, compliance checks. Embedded systems position themselves as these gates. Nothing moves without their blessing. Over time, the workflow logic itself assumes the system’s existence.
Example — Workday:
Try to hire someone without a Workday requisition?
The background check vendor can’t start
Payroll can’t provision
IT can’t create accounts
The new hire doesn’t exist until Workday says they do
The Paradox: The workflow doesn’t just use Workday — the workflow IS Workday.
Key Characteristics:
Business processes assume your existence
Approval chains = operational paralysis without you
Migration = re-engineering every process
Switching Cost Profile: 18-36 months with significant organizational change management.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
