So much discussion recently about Case Management, but do we really know what we mean? Let me collect here some definitions, and then offer my own. (You will find many of these ideas expanded in full in “When Thinking Matters in the Workplace“)
The Case Management Society of America, a health care oriented professional group, defines case management as: Continue reading
A presentation that I gave at the Stevens BPM day covered the subject of Large Scale Federated Processes. What is a federated process?
It is a distributed process that spans many servers. Distributed process support might be designed and implemented in a very centralized way: for example a single process application with parts of the application deployed to different machines. This allows the process to be much larger that it might be if limited to a single server, but that really is not the point of federation.
A federated process is a distributed process where the different parts of the process are controlled by different people. Continue reading
In a panel session this week at the eBizQ virtual conference (see here and here) I was asked “What common mistake do people make that causes unnecessary delay in BPM projects?” The answer: Many projects have a goal to implement too much at once. Some projects attempt to turn a manual process into a completely automated “straight-through” processes where there is no human interaction at all. Continue reading
When designing a business process, you need to design for change, because business is always changing and agility depends upon the ability to change. Once you understand that change is a constant part of business, you know that the business process you design today is not going to remain static.
If you are going to design for change, it is important to pick the right language. If you pick the wrong language, then change will be very difficult. We say that a language is a good language Continue reading
Three upcoming events might be worth looking into:
This is a free webinar by Robert Shapiro the brain behind XPDL. Few have his insight and experience into the process space. Now a consultant at Process Analytica he brings a vendor independent view to the future of BPM and workflow standards. This will not be a presentation for the timid — expect considerable depth and details. If you are a software vendor thinking about implementing BPMN 2.0 or if you are a consultant that needs to keep up on BPM trends this briefing will be an easy way to get tips to help you plot your way forward.
There has been a big focus on BPM in the government this year, with the DoD sponsored SOA Symposium in DC in April, and now the Process.gov event in June, also in Washington DC. No coincidence that the 2009 BPM & Workflow Handbook has the theme Spotlight on BPM in Government. Most important:
The only event of its kind, Process.gov is strictly non-commercial and no paid-for sessions or sponsored content will be presented. All sessions and presenters are peer-reviewed and subject to a rigorous jury process.
I will be presenting a session on “Model Preserving Strategy” which is also the subject of my chapter in the 2009 Handbook. It is a great opportunity to have face-to-face meetings with many process thought leaders. Price is a very modest $100, but note: if you are not a government employee sign up early: there are a limited number of non-government admissions. As of this moment, there are a few open speaking slots as well (six I believe).
This is the third year for this vendor-independent executive seminar (pdf brochure) located conveniently just across the Hudson River from New York City hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ. I will be there with a few other though leaders presenting the acclaimed “BPM in Practice” full day tutorial on currently evolving BPM technology and standards. Stevens adds an additional twist with a breakout track focusing on BPMN modeling. Robert Shapiro will surely have lots of interesting details on the BPMN 2.0 standard. Early registration is $495 but you save $100 if you are a WfMC member.
With all the work I do in getting BPM system to interoperate with each other, I have come to recognize a set of potential problem areas. Naturally, vendors are not always forthcoming with these little glitches. So I have put together a list of questions that someone who is currently evaluating product might want to ask the vendor, and gauge the response. Pick and choose, but I hope this list is helpful in getting some probing questions:
Most BPM systems offer some form of simulation capability. Simulation capabilities range from the very simple ability to walk through a process, to very sophisticated case-arrival/activity performance models, and even to goal-seeking optimization capabilities. In this post I explore the relationship between simulation and Model PReserving/Transforming Strategy. Continue reading
In an earlier post, I introduced the concept of a “Model Preserving Strategy” versus a “Model Transforming Strategy” and defined them as two approaches that a BPMS can take in the lifecycle of a business process. I then posted a couple of situations where the Model Preserving Strategy is a better choice, but it is not always a better choice. This post is dedicated to those situations where the Model Transforming Strategy shines.
The main reason for transforming a model into another form, is to realize performance improvements. Continue reading
We often talk about the process “round trip”. The process lifecycle is explicitly about moving the process through different people with different specializations. The business analyst draws a high-level model and the systems integrator includes details for connecting the systems. Another dynamic is the continual process improvement that occurs when you assess how effective the current process is, make a change at the high level, and take that change through the lifecycle again. Continue reading
A by-product of automating work is the records is made that indicate precisely when each task is started and completed. Analytic information about how your organization is working can actually be far more valuable than the cost savings derived from the automation. A lot can be learned from this analysis that can help you improve your organization. Some claim that this is the principle benefit of BPM.
In an earlier post, I introduced the concept of a “Model Preserving Strategy” versus a “Model Transforming Strategy” and defined them as two approaches that a BPMS can take in the lifecycle of a business process. This post delves into how process analytics are effected by model strategy. Continue reading
Thinking Matters 