In one embodiment, a method for upfront specification of lot process parameters to enable automated processing is disclosed. The method comprises building a hierarchical representation of a process plan for a manufacturing object using data structures to represent operational flows of the manufacturing object, performing a query execution on the hierarchical representation to determine one or more of the data structures affected by a global flow change (GFC), and implementing a locking protocol to preserve data integrity in the one or more data structures affected by the GFC. Other embodiments are also described.