Exceptions or edge cases add additional states.

To fight the explosion of state count (and the intermediate states those generate), you have a couple powerful tools:

1. Identifying and routing out divergent items (aka ensuring items get more similar as they progress through automation)
2. Reunifying divergent paths, instead of building branches

Well-designed automation should look like a funnel, rather than a subway map.

If you want to go back and automate a class of work that’s being routed out, write a new automation flow explicitly targeting it. Don’t try and kludge into into some giant spaghetti monolith that can handle everything.

PS: This also has the side effect of simplifying and concluding discussions about “What should we do in this circumstance?” with other stakeholders. Which for more complex multi-type cases can be never-ending.

FROM:

ycombinator.com

As Someone Who Spent Most of a Career in Process Automation, I've Decided Doing It Well Is Mostly About State Limitation.

Source

Still not sure if I’m 100% on board with this guidance, but I think I like it.