Subject: Business Process Management News You Can Use

Subject: Business Process Management News You Can Use. June 2006

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June 2006

In this issue...

· <= span style=3D'color:white'>Quote of the month...

· = New - MUST read BPM text!

· = Sizing up the BPM "leaders" - take a closer look <= /a>

· = Global competition forces changes in business processes =

· = New process modeling tutorials

· = BPM & the Energizer Bunny - it keeps going & going & going.....=

· = Good Advice - Selling BPM to your CEO <= /p>

· = Quick personal note....

Dear Frank,<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>

I rec= ently took over the mid-Atlantic region at Savvion.= So if you're receiving this newsletter for the first time Welcome! (if you've been on my mailing list for a while, thank= s for not opting out!) I produce this for people that contacted Savvion looking for information about workflow automation or business process improvement. This is not an official Savvion newsletter, so please don't squeal on me.

If you know someone in your organization that's thinking about BPM - plea= se pass this on.

l try to keep you up-to-date on things going on at Savvion and other information about BPM I hope you'= ll find useful. Please let me know how we can help you make your BPM initiative flourish at your company.

Your comments, suggestions and stories are always welcome.

PS
If you've got a BPM story you'd like to share, please send me an email or give me a call. I can always use a story and I'm sure my readers will appreciate a fresh voice.

If you find that my efforts here aren't useful - please feel free to opt- out.

Quote of the month...

"= ;Buying a word processor won't make its owner a novelist."
by Howard Smith of CSC, From his "CIO to CPO with BPM" whitepap= er September 2005

I fou= nd this the other day, and thought I would share it with you. A lot of my prospects begin their journey into BPM by talking to BPM software vendors= . If you call me first, that's great, but there are some really great texts, articles and on-line webinars that you should probably check out before you start looking at software vendors. I HIGHLY recommend that you take a look at Jeston &= ; Helis' new book - Business Process Management-Pract= ical Guildlines to Successful Implementations that I rev= iewed below.

Anoth= er good source of information can be found at ABPMP member meetings. Lots of people who've been there and gone what you're about to start (check out http://www.abpmp.org for your nearest chapter)

I thi= nk that it's really important that a BPM software selection be put into the context of an entire BPM implementation initiative. The more you understa= nd about what's involved in getting your enterprise, division or department functioning as a process centric organization, the better we're going to = be able to talk about finding you the right BPM software solution.
In this issue of my newsletter we're going to focus on getting a better organizational overview of BPM. I hope you find it informative.

to read the entire white paper...

New - MUST= read BPM text!

<= o:p>

If you would really like to understand what's involved in starting and maintaining a BPM program - you need this book! Check out = John Jeston's & Johan N= elis' new book, Business Process Management, Practical Guide to Successful Implementations.

In = the forward to this book, Tom Davenport Professor and Director of Research = at Babson College, said, "This book shouldn't be unusual, but it is. It should have been written a long time ago, but it wasn't. All books on business process management should be similar to it, but they aren't. Books that purport to tell people in organizations how to do something should be this clear, but they seldom are. Process management should have already been demystified, but it ha= sn't been. What's exceptional about the book is its extraordinary common sense."
I couldn't agree more!

The authors cover all the things you're going to encounter during a BPM project, in the order you're going to experience them. This is a hands on, how to get started and make sure your BPM initiative gets done and optimized. The book is divided into 4 parts: <= o:p>

Frequently asked questions
The Framework - All= the phases you're going to go through to deploy a BPM platform
BPM and the Organiz= ation - What you're going to have to do (with people) to make sure your project is a success
Tools and Technique= s- LOTS of templates,checklists, etc. to = make your life a LOT easier during a deployment.

If = you're in the process of trying to select a BPM software platform, please read this book first. It will help you put the software purchase in proper perspective with the entire process development lifecycle. You'll be mu= ch better informed, you'll understand why I ask the kinds of questions I always ask during the sale process. If you want to understand the real = deal - this is a GREAT start.

To lean more about this book... &raq= uo;

Sizing up = the BPM "leaders" - take a closer look

<= o:p>

Bruce Silver recently reviewed an Ine= tlligent Enterprise magazine survey about who CIO's thought the BPM leaders were= . To cut to the chase, IBM, Oracle & Microsoft were the percieved leaders in the BPM space. Bruce took a look at their 'BPM' products and= arrived at some interesting conclusions.

Bru= ce starts with his definition of BPM in which "BPM starts with modeli= ng process steps, resources and overall performance metrics. The model is = then optimized through simulation analysis. From there, the model is convert= ed into an executable application that automates the process steps and generates KPI data to monitor process performance. This basic pattern of modeling, execution and performance monitoring separates BPM from its workflow and EAI ancestors."

Bru= ce then reviews Oracle's BPEL, Microsoft's Windows Workflow Foundation (WW= F) and IBM's WebSphere Process Server v6. His conclusion is that none of the perceived survey leaders provided the functionality necessary for a true BPM platform.

I b= elieve that the primary point of this story is that perception is not reality. Before you go shopping for a BPM software solution:

learn about the spa= ce
Identify your speci= fic requirements
Identify what you're trying to do
Identify your exist= ing enterprise applications
Take an inventory o= f your resources and skill sets
etc.

You'll be much better off in the long run if you do your homework. BPM = pure plays, while not yet perceived as 'leaders', are usually much better at providing the functionality you're going to REALLY, REALLY need to mana= ge your BPM intiative and be successfull.

to read this article... » <= /o:p>

Global competition forces changes in business processes<= /p>

<= o:p>

In a recent presentation, Simon Hayward, vice president Gartner Research discussed how global competition is forcing businesses= to rethink how they should be conducting their business.

&qu= ot;Most people are still working in a fragmented way," Hayward said. "But even if you= 're not a leader in your industry or a newcomer, it is still advantageous to look at your business processes and understand why you do them and how = you can do them better."

He continues, "The goal of process changes is to have more agility, <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Hayward said. Real-time decision support will be even more necessary as companies com= pete on a global stage."

&qu= ot;Meanwhile, firms that are experimenting with business process management projects = are reporting a process upheaval of sorts, Hayward said. IT processes are beco= ming a subset of business processes, and software is beginning to support the processes rather than processes being changed to support the software."

<= span class=3DGramE>to read the article... »

New process modeling tutorials

<= o:p>

If you're working with a version of our process modeler th= at you got before May of this year. You may want to go to our website and download our latest version.

Our latest modeling module includes a number of enhancements but the most significant is the new form builder. You can now right click on any performer activity and create the form that that person will use to complete their work.

In addition, we now have a new Quick Start guide. It's titled "Gear U= p! How to model in 20 minutes". It walks you through each step of the process - start to finish.

Thi= s is a supplement to the full process modeling tutorial designed to expose new process modelers to all of the capabilities of our modeler. This is a REALLY easy way to get started.

To download the new modeling module & quick= start guide... »

BPM & = the Energizer Bunny - it keeps going & going & going.....

<= o:p>

In another recent Intelligent Enterprise article, Andrew <= span class=3DSpellE>Spayni (author of many BPM texts) explains that w= hile "Many organizations have learned that BPM can compress cycle times, reduce cost and improve responsiveness, yet only about one-third of "process- oriented" companies go beyond the basics of the ini= tial project. If you keep moving by monitoring and continuously improving co= re processes, you're sure to double your performance improvements." <= o:p>

It = seems many BPM initiatives come to a screeching halt once the initial project= is completed. His article outlines why this is bad - Stopping severely lim= its the potential economic benefits.

In = his article he outlines:

Why managers cling = to functional view of their business
What's involved in aligning BPM with business objectives
Pitfalls to avoid <= o:p>
How and where to get started
Benefits on continu= ous process lifecycle management

Don't let your initial BPM project's success prevent you f= rom continuing & spreading the use of your BPM platform throughout your organization. You'll be an even bigger hero if you keep BPM initiative going & going & going....

to read this article.... » =

Good Advic= e - Selling BPM to your CEO

<= o:p>

Start small - "don't try to solve world hunger" = is how David Cappuccio, managing vice presiden= t at Gartner Inc. opened his presentation, at their recent BPM Summit, about= how to sell BPM to your CEO.

A B= PM project team must demonstrate small successes and build a case for furt= her implementation. He continues, "To get proof of success you start w= ith low risk," he said. "When you succeed at doing the quick proj= ect, then you get funding for the second one with more complexity. Some companies start with high complexity and high risk [processes] and they= end up in project hell."

Dav= id also emphasizes that the BPM project must be driven by business & n= ot the IT department. "CIOs must realize = that BPM is a business-driven project. It should serve a business's needs. If the project is driven by IT, the return on investment will suffer."= ;

Las= tly, "A BPM project must also be shepherded by an executive with "governance authority," Cappuccio= said. "The lack of an owner with governance authority will lead to some groups taking over and adding more complexity, which brings rising costs."

<= span style=3D'color:#669980'>To read this article..... »

Quick pers= onal note....

<= o:p>

My daughter became a DOCTOR two weeks ago after graudating from NC State, = College of Vete= rinary Medicine.

She= and her husband moved to Green= sboro last week and she starts her new job in July : )

One= down, one to go!