Articles

Reflections on BrainStorm’s Business Architecture Conference

Author(s):

William Ulrich

President, TSG, Inc.

It’s always exciting to attend a large conference bustling with like-minded people, especially when the subject matter teeters on the cutting edge of a new market space, and BrainStorm’s Business Architecture Conference in New York City last November was no exception. It was my first Business Architecture conference and BrainStorm’s second, but no college curriculum could possibly rival the depth and scope of the information imparted to me during those two days. From the opening remarks through the final wrap-up, I was intrigued and completely captivated as speaker after speaker p

This and That 2.0: In Search of the Holy Grail of Innovation Through Collaboration

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

With all the hype around Web 2.0, it’s time to take a second look at how such technologies can be harnessed to help people work better together instead of hammering them with information overload. In this article we’ll explore the need for Human Interaction Management and Human Interaction Management Systems to capitalize on new technologies labeled “2.0” for innovation through collaboration. ______________________________________________________________________

Business Process Management – The Design Phase

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Recently somebody asked me what some of the key reasons of failure are for new teams adopting Business Process Management or SCOR. The number one risk is obvious: lack of sponsorship. A close second however is the inability to prove the value (of the team). One of the biggest start-up problems is the focus on getting a project started – get busy. That’s really when the clock starts ticking for proving your value (Now the company is actually spending money on your great idea). Many (start-up) teams have problems getting beyond the analysis phase of a project.

SOA Governance

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

SOA needs to be grounded in reality of making money, reducing costs and managing change. These are business imperatives. Left unchecked, SOA can become an exercise in doing very clever technical stuff for no business gain. SOA governance helps to guide IT resources to where they can be best applied. It can also help to identify areas of utility where costs can be minimised.

Ideally, it should be planned for and baked into SOA from the start.

A SOA-based Business Rules Approach: Decision Services

Author(s):

Larry Goldberg

Managing Partner, Knowledge Partners International LLP

We have spoken often of the necessity of separating business rules from business process. For those new to business rules, consider two points:

Aligning Organizational Performance

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Alan Ramias is a Partner of the Performance Design Lab (PDL). He has had 25 years of experience in performance improvement and organization effectiveness.

Alan Ramias is a Partner of the Performance Design Lab (PDL). He has had 25 years of experience in performance improvement and organization effectiveness. Alan joined The Rummler-Brache Group in 1991 and led major successful performance improvement engagements within Fortune 500 companies. Upon leaving RBG, Alan founded his own consulting company, where he continues to practice in the field of performance consulting. He is also involved in several organizational restructuring initiatives in the U.S. and Asia.

Ramias maintains that achieving organizational results depends on two things: measuring the right processes for performance feedback, and managers knowing what to do with the feedback they receive.

BPMS Watch: Learning to “Do” BPM

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Recent research by Professor Yvonne Antonucci of Widener University turned up an amazing finding. Her survey of 146 companies involved in BPM attempted to answer the question, “Is there a gap between current and needed process skills in organizations today?” What she found was a whopping 54% of companies said they wanted to send employees to external BPM training but were “unable to find appropriate training mainly because they did not know what training was needed.”

BPA Can Reduce Cost and Complexity

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Though related, business process automation is not business process management, which is designed to coordinate workflow among IT systems and humans.

Business-Driven SOA

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

We hear about “Business Driven SOA” so much that it’s almost a cliché. And, like most clichés, we don’t really know what it means. If SOA is not that well understood, making it business driven is even more elusive. In this article, I’ll describe what business driven SOA is, and illustrate this with an example.

First, let’s start with what it’s not. It’s not web services. From the business perspective, we don’t care what technology is used to implement SOA. We can expand on this principle and say it’s not an SOA platform or product suite (sorry vendors).

Best Practices in Business Process Management

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Watson says the most important thing in running a BPM pilot is to find and develop measurable results and benefits you can use. The pilot needs to directly address cycle times, unit costs, or some other meaningful information that justifies running the pilot program.

There are a number of elements to the application strategy for BPM projects. The most critical element is the current state assessment. This should not include staff functions, which have little customer impact. Large impact opportunities should be targeted, along with opportunities that are easy to prove.