The New BPM: Integrated, Transparent, Collaborative and Apparent

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1 The New BPM: Integrated, Transparent, Collaborative and Apparent By Jorge García TEC Senior BI and Data Management Analyst THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

2 The New BPM: Integrated, Transparent, Collaborative and Apparent Apparent: Readily understood; clear or obvious Now more than ever, organizations seeking to not only optimize performance and efficiency, but also gain regulatory response agility will remain in a continuous cycle of business process change. Both the private and public sector face new business mandates and processes, organizational flux, and regulatory compliance pressures from internal and external sources. Asset-intensive industries, such as finance and health care, are constantly tested to balance the need to comply legally, while maintaining optimal financial performance. Effective and efficient business process management (BPM) practices and solutions are a critical business requirement today a quintessential element for achieving operational efficiency and business performance excellence. BPM is no longer the optional add-on component of a go-to-market strategy it is as important as the core financial and transactional systems. As organizations evolve, so must the technologies that support them. Several factors are now occurring simultaneously that inhibit the ability of the prior class of BPM solutions to support new requirements: Increasing Business Complexity. Organizational layers, products, and services grow and change in scope and complexity. Increasing Number of Regulations and Compliance Requirements. New compliance issues emerge in response to internal and external business standards and regulations. Increasing IT Complexity. Layers of disparate (and often siloed) information technology (IT) systems inhibit broad-spectrum performance visibility and overall productivity. Increasing Data Complexity. Changing data and workflow inputs and the use of mobile devices and other social technologies in the workplace increase the strain on IT departments ability to support organizations. Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) data shows some specific areas where business process tools are inadequate in meeting evolving business demands (figure 1). Traditional tools may therefore require modifications that are complex and costly. 2

Both the private and public sector face new business mandates and processes, organizational flux, and regulatory compliance pressures from internal and external sources.

3 Figure 1. Delivery Model, Access, Standards, and Customization Needs for BPM (based on TEC users BPM software evaluations and comparisons using TEC s online software comparison tool in 2012) These new demands make the case for BPM offerings to evolve as well to be more integrated, transparent, collaborative, and portable in order to comply with new and existing demands for delivering lean and efficient process execution, monitoring, and management. The New BPM From a technological viewpoint, four major advances are completely remaking the IT industry and particularly the BPM space. Cloud computing, big data, mobility, and social media certainly are forcing organizations to adjust their business processes accordingly to accommodate the ensuing technological requirements. The vast adoption and complete assimilation of these and other technological phenomena within the business realm have become prerequisites to improving an organization s interoperability, alignment, collaboration, compliance, innovation, and, thus, operational efficiency and high business performance. When evaluating business software, organizations look to assess how well the BPM software will deliver typical functional features required by the business: control of business rules and processes, workflow design and optimal execution, and monitoring and management, among others. An increasing number of organizations are also looking for other key differentiators for delivering the necessary added value and thus closing some of their business gaps. Playing a paramount role in this process is excellence in collaboration, compliance, and regulatory standards, as well as extensive access to and integration with existing front- and back-end IT infrastructures (figure 2). 3

make the case for BPM offerings to evolve as well to be more integrated, transparent, collaborative, and portable in order to comply with new and existing demands for delivering lean and efficient

4 Figure 2. TOP 20 Functional Requirements for BPM Software (based on TEC users BPM software evaluations and comparisons using TEC s online software comparison tool in 2012) Today, BPM involves more than the ability to design, model, and execute business processes effectively. BPM platforms need to serve as pillars for collaboration and as an organic component of an organization s business infrastructure, both technically and business-wise. They also must be immersed within the current flow of data and information exchange, and they must guarantee 365-degree access to and visualization by all members of the organization. All this needs to be apparent. The increased assimilation of BPM systems within the organization necessitates increased apparency the BPM software becomes an intrinsic part of the software ecosystem. Providing wide-access availability to the BPM system enables information workers to make use of the business processes with the tools they already know, use, or have, thereby delivering extensive business visibility and promoting extensive collaboration. The apparency concept for BPM consists of four basic elements: 1. Integration: The BPM system is embedded within the existing IT infrastructure with less friction. BPM takes a process-centric approach, working seamlessly with current front-end/back-end tools to support end-to-end business purposes. 4

ability to design, model, and execute business processes effectively.

5 2. Transparency: The BPM system clearly and smoothly complies with both internal and external regulations, providing the proper degree of information detail to the appropriate user. BPM is auditable, compliant, and visible to all parties within the organization. 3. Collaboration: The BPM system communicates and shares information, freeing it from controls that are too stringent and objectives that are too narrow. BPM can easily dock within corporate collaboration strategies to enable collaborative expansion. 4. Portability: BPM is available anywhere, anytime (cloud, mobile, etc.). Access and operation are guaranteed. The new BPM a unification of these elements must also include business performance management. The aggregation and consolidation of data into process-driven solutions for repeatable, recurring processes can produce tremendous savings of time and money. The effective incorporation of performance data into a business s processes can help streamline the operations of an organization, eliminating errors and redundancies. Conclusion According to Gartner, one of five pitfalls to avoid is deploying a BPM system without understanding BPM as a discipline. This can be ring true particularly when organizations are not able to achieve the levels of adoption, business integration, ease of use, and compliance needed to realize the full business potential of their BPM system. BPM offerings must be by nature business compliant, embedded within the corporate software infrastructure, and technologically transparent to be available anytime and anywhere. The new BPM therefore needs to be collaborative, efficient, and apparent. 5

Collaboration: The BPM system communicates and shares information, freeing it from controls that are too stringent and objectives that are too narrow.

6 About Technology Evaluation Centers Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) provides insight and expertise in offering impartial resources and services to minimize the costs, risks, and time associated with software selection. Over 3.5 million technology decision makers visit TEC s Web sites each month, to find information on hundreds of solutions, and to access articles, white papers, and podcasts. TEC s decision support system (DSS) and analyst data assist with the evaluation, comparison, and selection of enterprise solutions and services. TEC s offerings include in-depth research, detailed product information, and software selection services for any industry or company size. Technology Evaluation Centers Inc. 740 St. Maurice, 4th Floor Montreal, Quebec Canada, H3C 1L5 Phone: Toll-free: Fax: asktheexperts@technologyevaluation.com Web site: TEC, TEC Advisor, and ERGO are trademarks of Technology Evaluation Centers Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Technology Evaluation Centers Inc. All rights reserved. APP

TEC s decision support system (DSS) and analyst data assist with the evaluation, comparison, and selection of enterprise solutions and services.

Moving Beyond the Basics: Key Considerations for Successful Adoption of a Mobile Platform

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