Recent posts about business process management (5)

How an organization operates can be captured through things like org charts and project timelines. In fact, there is no end to the kind of tools available to give all of us those important “business insights.” These tools, no matter how good or thorough they appear to be, do not, however, always capture the things that ultimately dictate business outcomes.

For businesses to perform optimally, organizations need both the tools and the resulting behaviors that encourage efficiency and optimize operations. That foundation is not something that is packaged and downloaded. Instead, it is created when there is a pairing of great tools and a willingness to adapt. At BP Logix, we recognize that dynamic can only happen when we understand what our customers actually do - and where they are trying to go.

Our first job, to borrow from Stephen Covey, is to “seek to understand.” Listening to our customers is, for us, the most critical part of working with them. Learning about their goals and how they operate provides the foundation for discovery and collaboration. From there we can recognize the “if and where” we can partner.

Our customers do not talk as much about projects and implementations as they do about organizational changes and behavioral shifts. They are not just responding to a new technology. Instead, they have made it their business to cultivate a new approach to their operations.

To put this into context, let us consider a customer that manufactures widgets. BP Logix does not have any particular expertise in the manufacture, shipment, use or maintenance of widgets. It IS, however, helpful for us to talk about how workflow management software can help streamline processes for manufacturing widgets and provide better ways of capturing and routing data captured in the forms that are the basis for moving the widgets across and within the company. Workflow software and eforms software are only solutions if they can be used in a relevant and useful way within the organization. Finding that spot is what we listen for – and, when we can help, it is where we thrive.

A widgets manufacturer thinks that the heart of their business is, well, widgets. That makes sense, and it is true. We think that the heart of the business is the underlying structure of how widgets (or jeans, coffee, medical equipment, or any product or service) are made and how that widgets company realizes a profit.

There comes a point where our message has to find harmony with customers’ goals. A PowerPoint that just says, “Workflow, workflow, workflow” does not provide any indication that we know how that workflow maps to customer needs. One might think that workflow for widgets is pretty straightforward, but that widget maker, just like any company, is complex and requires solutions that meet its unique requirements.

We hear stories of warehouses filled with paper files and approval queues that are backlogged; this used to be the stuff of "BPM solutions". Today we look to at where, within the organization, there are bottlenecks that impact decision-making. These are problems that workflow, smart forms and document management systems can (and do) address. When the customer, provider, and users are in synch with the issue, a more efficient way of doing things can, and will, unfold.

Will an organization become more efficient as a result of implementing BP Logix smart forms and workflow solutions? Ask our customers and there will be a resounding "yes". With Process Director, is it possible to recognize, fix and adapt to business issues? Certainly. The stories our customers tell us are about embracing change and pushing through the discomfort that comes from disruption. That is an enlightened approach; in fact we find that thinking that way helps promote more and better change over time.

Multi-Chem, for instance, rolled out a document tracking, electronic notification, and electronic signature solution with Process Director. The company is now looking to use the same business process mindset to provide better processes in other parts of the organization. Members of the Data Analytics and Software Integration team at Memphis Light, Gas and Water told us about issues related to approvals and signatures. Process Director was put to the task, and because of its success, will be used for other issues.

These companies, like so many others that we work with; have come to realize the need to continuously innovate, and to use the resources at their disposal to be able to do this. They are using the intelligence and skills of their employees, and are deploying resources and data appropriately and intelligently.

The outcome of applying smart, long-term vision to business process improvement is, well, it's an improved business. More engaged employees, better business insight, greater efficiency; these things make for a great business story. For us at BP Logix, there is no benefit to just selling a product. We want to sell a product only when it provides demonstrative value.

How Document Management Helps Automation, Workflow, and Efficient Business Operations

There are common terms that are typically part of any conversation about business process management (BPM): business process automation, workflow automation, document management solutions and efficiency are among them. These are natural outcomes of BPM and drive the exploration and evaluation phases organizations go through in their quest to operate more effectively. After learning more about how and where BPM software is used, it often becomes clear to these organizations that the advantages they stand to gain go far beyond “only” measurable business goals. With business process management software, they come to realize they can become more responsive and agile— and ultimately gain a significant advantage over their competitors.

The Connection Between Document Management Solutions and BPM Solutions

We believe that BPM software is a necessity for any business seeking to deliver demonstrable and sustainable results. In addition to improving processes (the immediate goal), organizations have come to realize that the benefits of BPM in being better equipped to identify, capture, evaluate, retrieve, and share all of an enterprise's information assets. Irrespective of the company's business, having an accessible and integrated repository of key information (document management) is essential to adequately govern and grow the company. It is also smart business. When we talk with managers, business architects and CIOs, they may not always speak specifically of effective document management solutions as a goal. As we get to know their business more thoroughly we and they generally realize that BPM solutions and document management solutions are appropriate bedfellows. The BPM and document management connection is pivotal to achieving the ongoing task of automating and monitoring both the content and processes that move and change within and across the organization. As we learn what these customers want to do, we realize the challenge is one of management, manipulation, change and modification of knowledge. There is huge value in having the information — but unless it can be acted on, it provides no value.

As corporate managers, we are steeped in the mindset of looking for document management solutions to improve ‘inefficiency.’ Our foundation in document management translates into a deep and broad understanding of how to integrate workflows, electronic forms, reusable business rules and predictive analytics into existing systems (like ERP and CRM) to run the business in a smarter — and more productively. When a company eliminates bottlenecks and unnecessary actions, what results is a more sane and intelligent way to work. Once that happens, no one wants to go back to the "old way."

Another reason why we see shifts in the culture of an organization has to do with BPM facilitating deeper insights into the details and behaviors of every business process. Process owners get smarter, which subsequently enables them to refine processes and ultimately optimize them. Our flagship BPM platform product, Process Director, learns about an organization's processes as it manages them. By introducing the dimension of time to predict the impact of changing business conditions on a running process — and by then applying the resulting business process intelligence to decisions about those processes, more effective and appropriate outcomes result. That makes for a smarter organization.

Stewart Brand famously noted that "information wants to be free." Information is knowledge, and knowledge IS an organization. Nothing is built, serviced, shipped or fixed without complex amounts of information being applied to make it happen. Each day and with every action, more knowledge is acquired. When that knowledge is then captured and managed, it can be used to its greatest advantage. The possibilities for an organization that does that are endless.

"Time is the key as to why we implement BPM in the first place." --Scott Menter

Business processes are generally adapted (or implemented) to help organizations become more organized and purposeful, ideally leading to better outcomes. Even highly structured companies can easily get off track if they then fail to adhere to goals that business process management (BPM) helped them achieve in the first place.

BPM is applied to improve results - results that come from business activities - and to ensure that the right governance and guidelines are in place. These things alone help an organization become better at delivering against its business goals, yet they presume that a business has an unspecified amount of time in which to deliver on these goals.

Time is a critical ingredient within any business process as it enables an organization to gain more control over those processes while creating the ability to predict how later stages in a process will be impacted by earlier actions. This predictive capability changes the entire nature of how we perform those tasks. Early notification leads to early intervention and response, which results in a more comprehensive view of alternative actions, the players that can affect them, and how processes can be changed as a result of changing requirements. This is why BP Logix' patented business process automation technology, Process Timeline, has become a defining element of our product - and why it provides our customers with a particularly unique view into how processes truly run.

In some corners, workflow is often considered a substitute for BPM. While the association is apt, there is not a one-for-one mapping. Here lies a critical difference in how we think of BPM and how our competitors do. For the most part, other BPM vendors see a timeline as either purely at the methodology level (consideration for a reasonable amount of time for an activity to take place), or as a pre-defined and allotted amount of time (any particular task should take X amount of time). At BP Logix, we are a BPM company that recognizes that while time moves, the amount of time needed to complete, route, authorize or perform any number of actions for a given activity is dependent on other activities in that process and may need to be adjusted as the process evolves.

The more valuable aspect of the timeline is in how reliable a picture it provides of the future. This is where Process Director stands apart and is why our customers can use the predictive capabilities to make smarter decisions and adapt as needed. We created Process Timeline to help customers measure and predict process execution times and build flexible and executable processes. Users can design process according to how they answer two important questions for each step of the process:

• What must complete before this step can begin?
• How long will this step take to complete?

We refer to these, respectively, as dependence and duration questions. Each activity will begin as soon as its prerequisites, if any, are completed. The result is a solution with many valuable features:

1. Modeling is greatly simplified: project owners list each activity, estimate its duration, and then drag-and-drop it onto the activity or activities that must complete before it can begin.
2. As many of the activities as possible will run at the same time, without the need to explicitly configure parallel behavior.
3. The status of the process can be determined at a glance.
4. At any point — even the moment the process is launched — the system can determine which activities, if any, may not complete by their due date.
5. The system records actual versus predicted execution times each time the process is run, and adjusts its time estimates accordingly.

Organizations look to our patented business process automation software technology, Process Timeline, to help them deliver better results with more addressable solutions. The benefits from Process Timeline include:

• Faster time-to-value: The simplified model gives businesses the opportunity to go from discovery to full automation faster than was previously possible.
• Proactive response: The earliest possible notice of potential delays (and the resulting missed deadlines) — even for tasks that haven’t yet begun — means that your business can predict a future problem, adapt to changing circumstances, and succeed in overcoming those obstacles.
• Improved business process governance and BPM compliance: Every approval, every piece of data entered, and every step of every process is permanently stored by Process Director, and can be made available to internal or external auditors, regulators, or risk management personnel.
• Rapid changes: Business processes must respond rapidly to changing requirements. Process Director is configured through a simple, intuitive graphical interface, requiring no programming skills. As a result, Process Director makes it possible for your processes to change at the speed of your business.

When a business goal is addressed through a realistic application of governance and execution, the likelihood of success increases dramatically. When a reasonable timeline can help identify potential issues and predict outcomes, the organization can adapt and be flexible in how it handles the situation.

Better workflow, automation and forms management helped Memphis Light, Gas and Water dramatically improve company operations and the customer experience.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) is the largest three-service municipal utility in the U.S. with more than 420,000 customers. Owned by the city of Memphis (hence its name) MLGW has provided electricity, natural gas and water for residents of Memphis and Shelby County since 1939.

The Utility also operates one of the largest artesian well systems in the world that delivers water to more than 254,000 customers over a distribution network that measures more than 4,650 miles.

Supporting and managing the IT efforts for this vast network of services is Cynthia Jones , Supervisor of Data Analytics and Software Integration. Her team of 12 assists 2500 employees who need access to web applications, forms, policies and “how to” documentation. All of these are delivered through iHub, the company intranet.

Problem
Top on the list of business process management priorities was a workflow software solution for automating the workflows and complex system of forms that are used to manage MLGW’s business . Jones wanted to dramatically reduce the sheer volume of paper documents and put an end to delays caused by routing bottlenecks and the need for multiple approvers across different locations.

Jones recalled that “An average form that MLGW uses has three signatures – and could have a maximum of eight. We typically wait a minimum of one day for documents to transfer between locations. As a result, one form could take two weeks to get all the signatures from the approximately 20 locations – and, at any point in time, we could be routing 100 different forms. The need to find a more effective and efficient solution was obvious.”

Solution
Jones’ IT team began with Google searches and contacted 12 BPM vendors to request free BPM software demos. After seeing the demos the team short-listed four then sent an RFP to that short list. Among the most important factors were that the solution be:

• Browser-based to support both internal and external users
• Integrate seamlessly within MLGW’s existing environment
• Provide electronic routing and approval at multiple levels
• Use LDAP authentication
• Facilitate electronic signatures
• Convert electronic templates easily
• Send out notifications via GroupWise
• Provide a publication process
• Reside on MLGW’s hardware
• Be competitively priced

While IT were champions of the initiative, the Environmental Engineering department became a key contributor from the business side – and worked closely with Jones’ team to develop the cost-justification as well as the requirements. BP Logix's Process Director, met both the technical and business criteria and was selected by MLGW.

Implementation
To facilitate an early win, Jones’ team decided on a phased approach to automating workflows and forms. Phase 1 BPM implementation included the document workflow processes for network and systems security access cards, project cost justification and equipment requests – and a total of 25 of the most commonly used forms. “The ability to authenticate users and provide electronic signatures was a critical aspect of our decision. Equally important was the ability to delegate approval, encrypt data and send email notifications to approvers, ” Jones observed.

With the initial phase completed, the team then took requests from a variety of internal customers. As a result, it already has 22 smart forms in production and use – and more in the planning stage. The MLGW team has found it can do a lot more than initially anticipated. The flexibility of Process Director is one of its strengths and, according to Jones, “One of the benefits we are aware of already is that it will be easier to survive audits!”

As people are moving to smart devices being able to approve documents on-the-go without a physical piece of paper is invaluable.” I think moving towards mobile devices is the way companies will remain competitive – and we are a service-oriented company,” Jones said.

In Process Director MLGW has found a BPM software solution that enables the company to provide the output of a development organization without the overhead. To learn more about the organizational and operational advantages the company has achieved with Process Director, read the Memphis Light Gas and Water customer profile.

Learn more:

• BPM in Utilities and Energy: BPM helps pipeline companies, utility providers and distribution organizations manage, monitor and continuously improve internal business activities.
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software Demo of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

Multi-Chem works with BP Logix to solve internal processes and help make their organization run with greater efficiency.

There is a good chance that your commute this morning was enabled, at least in part, by work done by Multi-Chem, a BP Logix customer. A global company that is a service unit of Halliburton, Multi-Chem develops and manufactures oilfield products, gas well treatments and pipeline solutions that enhance oil production. The company’s products address the chemical challenges associated with producing, processing and transporting oil and gas. A rapidly-growing company (50-70% for 10 consecutive years), Multi-Chem has a longstanding record of creating solutions relied on by some of the world’s largest and most respected energy companies.

Internal operations depend on communication — and the processing of essential documents with partner companies and customers. Efficiency is also highly valued. Working with companies around the globe, and with tight timeframes, Multi-Chem needs to be responsive to all requests-- and for its employees to be armed with the most current and accurate information.

Jim Honea is Multi-Chem's Director of Technology, responsible for software acquisition, integration and internal development. His team supports 700 internal users, and in addition to software acquisition and integration and internal development Jim was also responsible for streamlining its document approval process. That was an area that would benefit from automation, as Multi-Chem employees relied on reviewing and approving hard-copy documents – and the processes that drove them were inefficient. Jim wanted to put in place a workflow solution that would reflect the processes employees were currently using, control the workflow of those processes and identify the specific location and status of documents. “Many of our processes seemed to go into a dark hole. We needed something that was electronic, much more precise than email, and that would control the workflow of the processes. We wanted to be able to ask the question: Where is the document and who has approved it?” Honea remarked.

Finding the right tool for Multi-Chem began with a review of SharePoint, InfoPath, Adobe and Process Director. Jim and his team had done their due diligence and were very specific regarding their requirements. The workflow management software solution they needed had to include document management software for document tracking, electronic notification, eForms that provide electronic signatures, ensure standardized information, and designate roles for viewing and submitting forms. It also had to mirror -- and improve on -- existing business processes, be reasonably priced, and not be disruptive to end-users.

We spent considerable time learning about and understanding Multi-Chem's needs. As is typical when we engage with a prospect, we wanted to be confident that Process Director represented a good fit. It is important to us that we deliver what the customer needs. In the case of Multi-Chem their needs mapped very well with Process Director’s features. "We were confident that Process Director could do everything we wanted and more–and comfortable that BP Logix provided the best value proposition,” Jim said.

The team implementing Process Director rolled it out under the name, "eDocs" and began by creating a variety of new eForms. The first was the Personnel Request Form (PRF), which was used for hiring and employee ‘events’. As an indicator of what was to come, the PRF dramatically changed the way Multi-Chem employees worked. Approvals could be done remotely and on mobile devices, and the IT team was able to track and monitor document progress. As a result of email notification, documents pending approval are more visible – and more easily tracked. This set the model for additional forms to be created and shared by employees across the company; in turn the new document workflow has facilitated a more effective organization.

“It is obvious that we are a lot more efficient. We can now quantify employee hours worked and vacations, properly assign company vehicles based on title, and enforce company policies. If we needed to hire a new sales person and did not have the ability to route the forms electronically, it could cost us lost opportunities – and that translates to money,” Jim commented.

The greatest benefit that Multi-Chem has received, however, is that it has standardized its business processes. And while the initial impetus for implementing an electronic workflow and approval process belonged to the IT group that is no longer the case. Selecting Process Director was an IT decision that has helped the business – and continues to do that every day.

Learn more:

• BPM in Utilities and Energy: BPM helps pipeline companies, utility providers and distribution organizations manage, monitor and continuously improve internal business activities.
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

Technology pundits have been furiously typing away over the past couple weeks trying to explain the significance of Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, a thermostat company. "It will change how we manage our lives," say the early adopters. "It will give Google knowledge of our every movement," say the detractors. Around the halls of BP Logix, we feel like we have been in the catbird’s seat as an observer, and now a participant, in this event because one of our recent customers, Crestron Electronics, has (like Google and Nest) seen the future —and is already delivering on it.

Crestron has a well-earned reputation for product leadership in the development of advanced control and automation systems. The World Bank, Space Needle, Hearst Tower, Microsoft World Headquarters, Johnson & Johnson Belgium, the situation room at the Pentagon and the American Red Cross in San Diego, among others, rely on Crestron devices to manage offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and homes. The company’s integrated solutions control audio, video, computer, IP and environmental systems so they can be managed from a Web browser, mobile device, or other types of touch screens.

While the world questions how Google will apply the products and vision of Nest, Crestron has already figured out how to deliver intelligent automation systems globally. This puts them almost in a class by themselves! They are innovators who are adept at understanding how technology can be applied. This is validated by a 45- year history of success and progress.

We have thoroughly enjoyed learning how this New Jersey-based company runs. While it started out as a manufacturer of laser-leveling devices to help automate assembly lines, with the enthusiasm of a true tinkerer, founder George Feldstein continued to find opportunities to use electronic devices to automate just about anything and everything. As we have learned more about Crestron we have come to appreciate how the company operates. Crestron is a class organization, and one with which we are proud to be associated.

People like Sherwood King, Senior IT Director for the company, look for BPM software and workflow solutions that enable the company to continue innovating and executing. As a result of its rapid growth and staffing requirements, Creston needed to update policies and procedures. The former system (a combination of Microsoft Word, Visio, and Excel) was no longer manageable. King wanted a product that could be IT-centric, understood and used by business users, and facilitate more collaboration and communication company-wide. He selected Process Director to support those objectives.

In Phase I King and his team will be automating and streamlining the company’s onboarding process, as its dynamic growth translates to lots of new hires. Phase II will involve more complex processes around support and approval systems. Improved workflow processes and greater business process automation are anticipated as a result of deploying BPM capabilities from Process Director.

We are always delighted to have customers reiterate that choosing Process Director has been the right decision. It reminds us that the work we do is meaningful and valuable. When a company with the stature of Crestron chooses to partner with us to help them deliver award-winning products to the world, it reminds us that the best output is a byproduct of well-managed, considerate and intelligent decisions and actions. We are proud to be that kind of partner.

See For Yourself

Process Director from BP Logix will empower your organization for all the reasons above and so much more. Ready to see for yourself? Learn more about our free BPM software demo of Process Director and contact us today for a demonstration from a BP Logix business process management expert.

"Social" seems to be the buzz word, if not the implementation, in just about every enterprise application today. Some vendors have done a nice job identifying how to bring social into the realm of usability, while others seem to be delivering a lot of "check box" acknowledgement. Granted, the industry is in its early stages — with business process management vendors trying to figure out the right "formula" for integrating social with BPM.

At BP Logix we believe there are huge advantages to adeptly incorporating social with BPM — and we are already delivering on it. Well before Process Director was delivered, we were aware of the implications of social and that demand for it would be increasing. We recognized that there were elements of social that inherently solve issues of communication and collaboration among the various players in business processes. We observed how business process management software was being used and noted where we could leverage social to give process participants more opportunities for engagement and interaction. More than being "just software" the methodologies and strategies that make social what it is are fairly easy to understand. We also appreciate that people are good at using social tools to fit their needs.

At a first glance, social capabilities may seem to be too random and unstructured to be relevant to business processes. When most of us think social (at least initially) Facebook and Twitter come to mind as entertaining way to connect with others — rather than thinking about how social might be incorporated into a "process discipline" and accompany real business goals.

Yet, social is all about...well, being social. Rules about how communication and conduct should be handled in a social network are dictated either by users or owners. Users either comply or lose their effectiveness. With BPM solutions and workflow solutions, users want need to engage, share and collaborate. Rules facilitate and drive those interactions — but not for process actors alone. Rather, all interactions are intended to get closer to delivering on the goals of the business. Social groups tend to like relying on rules— so a BPM software solution that leverages rules is a good fit.

Ultimately, social software creates new pathways along which business processes can travel. Because it is also simple and recognizable, social software allows customers, partners and others in the ecosystem to feel more comfortable engaging with processes —and allows different parties to collaborate and fuse their data and decisions. This leads to more inclusion and contribution, which might not be as readily available without an entree like social.

This is precisely what we saw and heard from partners, customers and prospects. Their needs could be solved with some of the same behaviors that are a natural aspect of social networks. We decided to help users take advantage of what they already knew and apply it to solving business problems. We suspect that integrating social with BPM may lower the barrier to entry, involve more people, accelerate the learning curve, and decrease some of the hierarchical limitations that exist in many organizations.

Process Director  provides social media integration that encourages organizations to apply the best practices of social to business process planning and implementation. Social is big and trendy — yet we have figured out how to apply it in a way that helps drive business progress. And we will continue to do so.

Baseball legend Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't bragging if you can do it".... From the baseball diamond to the halls of the enterprise, it ain't bragging if it delivers actual results.

At what point will your organization be ready to adopt a business process mindset and implement a process-focused way of working?

We wish the answer could easily identified, like some ancient Zen wisdom ("You will know when you are ready!"). As with the adoption of business process management itself, however, you will need to strategize and plan – then create the vision and train your staff to be successful.

The most important element to BPM software readiness is willingness. As discussed in Part 3 of this series ("Do You Have a Process-Focused Organization?"), an organization needs to be self-aware regarding both its shortcomings and strengths in order to understand how BPM software can aid in improving the organization. From there, the organization has to be willing to undergo ‘change’ in order to ultimately achieve the results it wants. This is a critical point.

All enterprises seek improvement from new technologies and business methods, yet there is a certain amount of naiveté in thinking that simply buying and using a new tool will ensure success. BPM is not a conventional “tool”, and it cannot be ‘dropped in.’ Rather, BPM needs to be integrated into how the organization works. It is not ‘one button-click away’. The essence of what BPM is and provides has to be embedded into the minds of employees and manifested in their work.

Whoever leads the BPM charge in an organization needs to communicate the impending changes in a way that emphasizes preparation. BPM adoption can be initially disruptive because it is something that can only be conducted through humans. (We are not focusing on technology solutions here.) That disruption, however, can be minimized by willingness to embrace the change. The staff should understand what to expect and feel supported. Most notably, employees should be aware of the following:

• Long-term impact: The business initiatives that people work on do not change simply as a result of BPM adoption; the way in which they are conducted, however, does. The initial impact will occur in their daily work, yet the results will not likely be ‘fully realized’ for a period of time. As a result, awareness of what is to come will impact the transformation. It is important to be patient with the people who will be using the new business processes. Their adjustment to the new process, and acceptance of it, will ultimate impact the results and make the process itself more successful.
• Vision: If you communicate your vision to your team and set the tone for what is to come, you will create buy-in from participants. You do not need to wave the BPM flag and rally the troops. You do, however, need to create a sense of hope that, combined with a realistic set of expectations, will enable your team to recognize when they are arriving at their goal – and when they have achieved it.
• Understanding business reasons: The question on most people's minds (but one that few will actually ask) is a simple one: "WHY are we doing this?" Be very clear as to the business reasons for implementing BPM. It is not enough to point out broken processes or inefficient activity. (One should also not presume that employees are unhappy with the status quo. Often it is quite the opposite.) Since you will have done a great deal of work to identify a solution to known issues, sharing this with employees should be part of your implementation plan.
• Timeframe: Too many solutions are geared towards a launch date. For a new technology implementation, that may be fine for at some point “it” has to be turned on. BPM may be turned "on", however the impact is truly felt only after it has been given time to work — and after people have adapted. At that point they can begin to see process improvements. Your organization should be aware that BPM is iterative and ripe for improvement the longer it is used. With BPM you don’t need to wait for new versions in order to see improvement. Instead, the participants can make it better the longer they work with it. Patience is key.
• Desire: It is difficult to instill a ‘passion for improvement, as we cannot truly know what makes each individual ‘tick’. With the support of the executive team, you can set the tone for how you want your business to operate. Demonstrating sincerity for changing the way you do business and improving the work environment goes a long way towards helping staff become comfortable with the forthcoming changes, and at the same time, embracing them.

After all the research, strategizing, planning and training there will come a time when your teams are working differently, with noticeable results and recognizable improvement. Don’t underestimate the need to prepare and communicate with your stakeholders in advance, however. They are the ones who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your BPM implementation — and it is they who should feel supported and recognized as a key part of the success of your BPM initiative.

Learn more:

• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 1: Know Thyself (and Thy Process)
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 2: Do You Have a Process-Focused Organization?
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 3: We Sell BPM, But Should We Sell It To You?
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software Demo of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

In today’s competitive market, you, or we,  would be hard pressed to find executives who do not want their companies to be better organized and more efficient. Most C-level leaders pepper their speeches and memos with messages that implore employees to find smarter ways of working, techniques that will maximize their business process improvement efforts and reduce or even eliminate repetitive tasks. The hope is that somewhere between "working smarter" and “a validated bottom-line improvement” some actions will occur that make that vision a reality. Unfortunately, that middle ground between desires and outcomes is usually where the best laid plans often go astray.

Our corporate leaders  have demanding jobs and, as a result, normally do not get too involved with the many projects required to carry out their vision and strategies. Rather, they hope their ideas and exhortations will drive the actions of their staff — and encourage people to take the appropriate risks to deliver on their vision. The identification and execution of those tasks, however, often gets lost somewhere after being “announced” in a PowerPoint presentation. The reason the delivery of a mission fails to happen has a lot to do with execution — or lack of it.

There is nothing wrong with a CEO who demands a better way of working. His or her credibility is often based on the ability to set a course of action based on articulating the vision. One of the keys to achieving goals lies in creating a foundation that is process-driven. Given the right preparation, employees can take management concepts and devise a plan that will  deliver results. The link between strategy and delivery is execution — one that is based on a repeatable, understandable set of systems and workflow processes.

To implement a vision for the business (irrespective of who is demanding the change), organizations must have a core belief in the value of “process.”  And it is forward-looking companies that recognize and lend their support to the impact of process within their organizations.

Even for those that already do recognize the value of change, it is still worth the time to look more closely at how the company views its business processes. Are employees operating according to uniform, yet flexible, processes — or do they forsake logic and hope that a tool (even a great BPM software) will do the work for them?

The good news is that even companies that fail to follow a rigorous business process can, with some discipline, operate more efficiently. The principles that establish a successful process mindset include:

1. Operating according to established rules: Without a framework for action, a lot of time can be spent creating a new process each time a task needs to be accomplished. Process-based organizations have defined rules for how activities are handled, who is responsible for what, and how approvals are handled. Relying on these rules means that employees can focus on outcomes, rather than on process itself.
2. Change is valued: Many executives are good at identifying activities that provide quantifiable benefits, especially where incremental business process improvement (BPI) is not a huge challenge. Executives choose where to focus, putting energy into tasks where there's a reasonable expectation of success. Some, however, recognize that victories of the repeatable type are important but do not necessarily drive business forward. Implementing the types of activities that both initiate and drive “process” will help the organization to be more successful. Change can be embraced because there is confidence that established processes will prevent operations from being derailed.
3. Execution is decentralized: Organizations that operate with a top-down approach may stall when trying to implement a process. When Lines of Business managers and directors are given the authority to decide and implement business processes (done so, of course, in accordance with accepted organizational rules and best practices), the results increase dramatically. When the “process mindset” is embedded into the thinking of managers and employees, execution  improves significantly.
4. Risk is inherent in doing business: Certainly there is some risk involved with implementing new ways of doing business. New ways of thinking run the risk of causing dissension, distractions, and sometimes simply fail. Some organizations are also risk averse.  Those that are not, however, embrace the changes that result from implementing better business processes. They recognize that risk is inherent in doing and growing the business — and they believe that improving their processes will provide a competitive advantage.

When you begin thinking about “process” and how to drive your business to the next level, self-evaluation is crucial. Does your company value and understand the benefits of process? (Automating, streamlining and becoming more efficient are the most frequently cited benefits.) Do you have a process mindset? If you can answer affirmatively you are on your way to process nirvana (well, maybe not quite). Those who are not yet “there” need not fear. We will look more closely at what that mindset looks like in part four of our series.

Learn more:

• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 1: Know Thyself (and Thy Process)
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 2: Do You Have a Process-Focused Organization?
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 3: We Sell BPM, But Should We Sell It To You?
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software Demo of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

Smart businesspeople are always looking for ways to improve operations. "Faster is better" is often the mantra, as we humans are somewhat predisposed to looking for ways to arrive ‘there’ (wherever that may be) more quickly. In today’s technology-driven world, that means we usually default to looking at devices and software to help us get where we need to go faster than anyone else.

While technology can often deliver noticeable value when an organization needs things to change, the people choosing the BPM solution don’t always account for the fact that humans need to guide the actions coming from the technology. BPM software and workflow software itself is basically worthless without engaged and motivated people trying to mold it to fit an organization or solve a problem. All too frequently we rely on a solution to take care of itself, forgetting that it is the job of business stakeholders to act as caretakers of the business – not only the software that runs it but also the covenants and guidelines by which that software performs its job.

The adage "garbage in, garbage out" is too often ignored. A tool (software, process, hardware) is only as good as the data that goes into it. For a technology solution to work, it needs to have been well thought out — and directed at a specific solution. The tool you choose to solve a problem might be fundamentally sound, but the way it is implemented might be flawed. When this happens, the results of your efforts cannot be as profound as they could be.

The cultural changes that need to happen before you implement BPM have to do with this mindset. Undoubtedly you will encounter people within your organization who want to open a metaphorical box labeled "BPM", plug it in and start using it. They believe that THAT is what process change is all about. You certainly do not want to disabuse them of the notion that business process management (BPM) can bring about massive change — but it behooves you to get them to recognize that the way they work may need to change (at least somewhat) before any tool can bring about improvements.

The BP Logix approach begins with first understanding your business and your needs. That may sound simple enough, but businesses are complex, and it is not just a matter of us reviewing a checklist of issues. The first step involves you communicating your vision and needs. How we address those needs to provide a solution that brings value to the organization is the next part of the dialogue. Just doing things faster, or even just doing them differently, is not necessarily going to give you better results. The opportunity to learn about your business, opportunities, gaps, and how a solution might help you achieve specific business goals is the next step in our conversation.

This is where the culture of change begins to take shape, and where an organization can gain a better understanding of how it can automate processes as a way of doing business (not just as a tool). Decision-makers will be best served if they think of change as an evolutionary part of their business, not a goal unto itself. As they consider BPM solutions that will help them automate tasks and implement workflows, they should also think about how ‘process change’ can be manifested throughout the organization. Change can be good— but if there is no fit culturally or environmentally, or if attitudes impede innovation, it is likely that no solution will work.

Thinking through the issues regarding what is important to your business will help you get a better understanding of the type of solution that can help run your business — and result in a greater impact on your goals. When considering your current state and its  challenges, these conversations will hopefully guide your thinking regarding the fundamental aspects of how — and whether — your organization’s culture can capitalize on process change.

Learn more:

• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 2: Do You Have a Process-Focused Organization?
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 3: We Sell BPM, But Should We Sell It To You?
• Organizational Change and BPM, Part 4: Preparing Your Organization for BPM
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software Demo of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

As companies expand into new geographies and adapt to rapidly-changing technology, the very nature of their work has changed. When we consider the intense scrutiny now being placed on their operations as a result of increased regulation that work has becomes even more complicated.

 This is the natural state of today’s financial services industry. Retail banks, investment banks, savings and loans, brokerages, hedge funds etc., all deal in the world of data and transactions. As a result, and to satisfy the best interests of customers and stakeholders, they need to adhere to specific sets of standards. Due to both government and industry regulations, they face legal jeopardy if they cannot demonstrate compliance management solutions with legal mandates. With the proper mindset and tools to address issues of consolidation, compliance, reporting and a host of other activities, financial services firms can operate more effectively and efficiently.

In this highly regulated industry, businesses tend to have fairly complex actions as part of their regular business operations. This magnifies the need to develop and manage activities as actionable and reportable processes. An example of this is Stillwater National Bank and Trust company (SNB), a BP Logix customer. We began working with SNB to automate its loan credit and accounting processes and more than 150,000 forms used by employees across 28 locations. SNB turned to BPM to improve its customer service, address compliance requirements and ensure a more efficient and cost-effective operation overall.

Streamlining the loan credit process, as well as improving Accounts Payable processes, were key requests from Laura Briscoe, SNB's Director of Information Services. Her initial requirements indicated that the solution needed to be:

1) Browser-based

2) Provide rule-based routing

3) Be able to handle complex logic

4) Offer a user-friendly dashboard with search and proxy capabilities

5) Provide integration with SQL, Active Directory and SharePoint

While doing a cost-benefit analysis Briscoe found that she could do everything she needed to with Process Director -- including complex logic for forms, spawning, different rule sets and calculations on loan documents. As a result of streamlining the loan credit process, SNB is reducing  man hours, time and money and  have a well-documented and audited process. According to Briscoe, “With Process Director, we will be doing what we do now – on steroids.”

Process Director enables users to review historical and current data related to business processes, understand the implication of activities in running processes and implement corrective action to overcome a pending problem, if one is present. Process Director fuses traditional business process automation software technology with BPLogix Process Timeline™. The Timeline enables process builders to specify dependencies and conditions, determine the planned duration of a process, and define the order for all activities within the process.

Process Director BPM software provided business process governance and BPM compliance solutions which led to business process improvement that SNB required, that demonstrated compliance with regulatory and industry standards. The result was not just adherence to those standards, but improvements in end user productivity and SNB’s bottom-line.

Learn more:

There are dreams -- and then there's reality. For those of us who have spent time in enterprise software, we've seen ambitious plans and big hopes turn into unusable or "unsavable" projects more often that we may want to admit. With a lot of BPM software and workflow software tools, there are implementation and BPM application and workflow application integration issues that become complicated early on.  These end up taking up a disproportionate amount of time and, as a result, ultimately end up causing many of these projects to be derailed or shelved.

• Function: Where will you use your BPM tool? Product development, marketing, finance? Because BPM is so highly customizable and flexible, you need be specific about what you'll use it for, as well as for which specific aspects of that function. There's a mindset to the people who carry out certain tasks, and they are successful when they can rely on proven ways of meeting their goals. But the way an IT team operates is different from the way a finance group works. All of this thinking will eventually need to be embedded into the BPM, so it's essential that the functions are considered when creating a model.
• Environment: Here's where you'll need to map the tools and technology components you have available to you to the BPM. Maybe you won't rely on much of the technology functionality, but you need to be aware of what you could do so you can adapt your processes to the potential and limitations of the tools. If technology won't provide the backbone of your BPM operations, what will? This is where you need to consider how methodology applies to process.
• Processes:  The result of activities, decisions and a workflow produces a process that enables a result. At this point in your modeling, you should be thinking specifically about processes that will need to be created or modified, and what the impact of these processes will be on the overall landscape of your BPM.
• Workflow: Your workflow will be comprised of a lot of tasks that must be done in an orderly way. But just completion of those tasks is not enough to justify a BPM roll-out. Rather, you should be thinking not just of the linear way of getting things done, but what decisions, roles and activities will be involved that will impact the workflow.
• Roles: If you've scoped this well, then you not only know what each player does, but you know how to optimize their time and resources so they're adding the most value to the process. It's crucial that each person is able to impact the business process by contributing their strengths. This is where BPM is most evidently not just a technology-dependent thing.
• Decisions: If you can, with a fairly high degree of accuracy, determine what decisions will need to be made during the workflow of your BPM, then you'll have a greater likelihood of success when it comes to defining your workflow and assigning roles appropriately. Too often, a decision point is considered to be either a "yes" or a "no" situation. In some cases, there's more nuance to what's required; after all, the decision leads to the next step in the process, or it leads to completion of the process. The key is anticipating what the decisions will entail and what the results of those decisions will likely be.
• Activities: While separate, distinct activities will be what governs how the BPM will function, it's important to note that there are very different types of activities. Keep in mind that activities that are provided and handled by an individual are different (and provide a different impact) to those activities coming as a result of an entire group or business unit. Note not just what the activities are, but who performs them, and to what end they will arrive.

Just about every conversation about business process starts with some promise of "increased productivity" and ends with at least one party frothing at the mouth in anticipation of a demonstrable improvement.  ("Just how much productivity improvement did we see?")

There are all kinds of formulas for deriving a metric for business process improvement (BPI). Just as numbers and percentages can be impressive, so, too, can they be deceiving. Each organization operates with its own set of goals and relies on performance indicators to determine its success. As a result, it is difficult to provide a specific number or percentage that indicates better or more productivity. (Remember the old adage about the shady accountant who, when asked to do the books, said, “Just tell me what you want the numbers to be, and I’ll make sure they add up that.”) We all can identify impressive numbers however they will probably not be defensible, nor appropriate, for making reliable business decisions.

Surprisingly, we find that the same principle applies to many vendors who will show prospects a ‘25% increase in productivity or a 31% decrease in redundant processes.’ Those numbers are likely to be unique to a certain industry or to a specific organization.  Applying the logic, process and BPM software for an auto manufacturer doesn't automatically equate to identical success with a chain of donut franchises. This isn’t news to anyone who has ever scoped out or implemented an automated workflow process, yet it is still how software is often sold!

We, on the other hand, believe that making decisions regarding how you develop your BPM system requires knowing what you ultimately want to achieve -- and the results you will use to determine your success. To start, there has to be agreement within your organization that using BPM software begins with a specific mindset.  We initiate BPM with one fundamental understanding:   when we talk about automating any set of processes the result is, often, changes in the way those processes are performed. The hope (and goal), is that the automation alters things to a point where the organization recognizes and eliminates waste, reduces and eliminates redundancy, and identifies a “better way.” That is not necessarily a Holy Grail, but if anything ‘should’ be derived from a focus on business process management (BPM), it is that a “better way” inherently brings with it an increased sense of how to achieve increased productivity.

With this new mindset you can truly begin to apply business change management to what you are doing. Some organizations leave this aspect of business change to training (and to pleas about “working smarter.”)  That is a tall order for any organization – as businesses do not (and cannot) come to a grinding halt while we figure out how to change the way we work. BPM tools institutionalize this new way of doing business – and automating business processes is probably the simplest yet most impactful aspect of a BPM system.

If your organization’s mindset is geared towards thinking through its processes in a thoughtful, rational way, then in automating these processes you will start to see tangible changes to productivity: fewer people required to perform certain tasks, less time needed at decision points, greater transparency and more flexibility.

Consider implementing a BPM framework at Lucille’s Global Widget Corporation and another at Fred’s Fish Hatchery. The decision points and actions for effective widget production are completely and totally different from what is required to hatch fish (or breed fish… I’m not altogether clear on what hatcheries do.) Lucille sees a 17% increase in productivity that is saving her $5.3M over her closest competitor. Fred, meanwhile, is increasing his company’s productivity by 38% which, as it turns out, is ‘average’ for those in his industry. Both are reaping huge benefits and both require constant attention to the methodologies and management of their BPM tools. Both are feeling positive about the improvements to their businesses -- and both can point to automation of processes as the main reason for these improvements.

There is no doubt that the value in implementing BPM is real.  Ask any of our customers! They are saving real money; money they are re-investing in their businesses and distributing as increased profits.  Part of that “real” value, however, lies in knowing they have a solution that fits their needs and is specific to their businesses.

My career has taken me a lot of places over the past two-and-a-half decades. As a technologist, I spent a lot of time creating purpose-built solutions for a variety of business needs. As a manager, I faced the challenge of supporting those solutions, sometimes long after the individual who created them had gone elsewhere. And as a CIO, I saw how the accumulation of off-the-shelf point products and custom-built BPM software solutions can create an ungovernable, change-resistant headache for an organization trying to stay nimble in a tough competitive environment.

On and off throughout these years, I have also worked for some pretty terrific BPM vendors. In those roles, I saw the other side of the coin: customers unwilling or unable to abandon costly legacy products, convinced their careers are tied to a specific way of doing things, and suspicious of "not invented here" solutions.

All of these experiences led me to the BPM software industry. Business process management (BPM) software opens the door to the possibility of smaller software portfolios, flexible response to business needs, and easy customization. BPM software enables data to flow easily from the organization's various data repositories to its employees and partners while actually strengthening the governance of the data itself as well as that of the processes driven by that data. And, perhaps most importantly, BPM-based processes are indeed "invented here", custom-configured for the needs of the business, often without programming.

Sure, business process management (BPM) has its challenges, and I hope to touch on those in this space. Ultimately, though, BPM software holds out the promise of a revolution in the way that technology impacts business, and the way that business, in turn, views technology.

Things got pretty busy around here in the last quarter of 2010, so before I get too deeply entangled in the demands of the new year, I thought it might be a good moment to put down some ideas about where business process management (BPM) might be going in 2011. I may be wrong, but if by some chance I’m not, be sure to remember: you heard it here first.

1. BPM software adoption will continue to trend upwards. I’m not a fan of the school of thought that suggests that business process management (BPM) has become a mature, widely adopted technology.  Yes, many companies have procured a BPM solution, but BPM isn’t like CRM, ERP, or other big, centralized software suites. The most effective BPM deployments have been, and will continue to be, tactical, meaning that there is room for many such installations within an enterprise.
2. BPM initiatives will increasingly originate on the business side, not on the IT side. I see this phenomenon every day. BPM has been around long enough for non-technical managers to become familiar with, and eager to obtain, its benefits. Moreover, IT is often not well positioned to identify inefficiencies or risks in many business processes. So business units will increasingly reach out to directly vendors, independently or in partnership with their IT organizations, to address those needs.
3. SharePoint 2010 roll-outs will accelerate, but at a careful pace. Businesses are still unsure what to expect from SharePoint, which is surprising considering the investment many are making in that platform. It will be immediately obvious to most users that SharePoint’s workflow automation tools fall well short of even the most basic solutions offered by pure-play BPM vendors; nonetheless, customers will demand zero-programming integration with SharePoint’s lists and libraries, and BPM providers will have to get on board.
4. Predictive BPM (what we here at BP Logix refer to as business process automation software) will gain mindshare throughout the year. It’s one thing to automate and measure business processes, but it’s quite another to get an early view as to where a process is headed while it is still in progress. The power of predictable processes is the leverage it offers the business, enabling it to adapt to changing conditions at the earliest possible opportunity.

We can’t always see the future, but we can certainly hope for the best. All of us at BP Logix wish you a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011.

[This post originally appeared on Redux Online, where I am a guest blogger.]

BPM software is an important consideration for companies for reasons I've discussed earlier:  end users, CIOs, and CFOs all see direct benefits from the technology.

For better or worse, however, business process management (BPM) doesn't mean the same thing to everybody.  Some BPM products involve months-long, top-down implementation efforts.  Others boast rapidly deployed point-and-click workflow builders, but provide little flexibility in building forms.  Still others offer flexible data links across dissimilar applications, but require skilled programmers to build and maintain these connections.

To some extent, these variations simply represent the diversity of business needs faced by customers.  Ultimately, though, there has to be a unifying thread, a core principle joining together the panoply of solutions claiming the BPM mantle.  Lacking such a foundation, there is nothing businesses can use to determine whether or not they need to look into BPM solutions at all, much less decide which one to acquire.

Fortunately, BPM does indeed have a central tenet:  returning control of business processes to the business.  While business needs vary, it is a fairly universal truth that process owners and operators generally desire to have more control, and more flexibility, with respect to their processes.  Bringing control over processes directly to business users leads to improvements in a number of areas, including:

1. Business process improvement (BPI), which requires an intimate knowledge of the actual process being improved, rather than the technology that happens to implement it;
2. Flexibility of response to changing business needs;
3. Process Efficiency, as processes are defined and operated by those who use them, without suffering the translation errors intrinsic to the business/IT requirements dance.

All of which is why I'm so looking forward to participating in an upcoming webinar entitled Giving Control Back to the Business.  The June 23rd event features well-known analyst Sandy Kemsley.

According to Sandy, the webinar will focus on the ways that "dynamic, leaner BPM is implemented within enterprises: the drivers for adopting it, the types of workflow application and BPM application integration to which it is best suited, and the knowledge workers’ role in creating and participating in processes."

I hope to see you there!

I've talked about business process management (BPM) in general in some earlier posts, and I'll keep doing that.  But once in a while, everyone is entitled to toot their own horn.  We're gonna do some horn-tooting today.

Often I'll find myself in a conversation with an enterprise architect or CIO or even CEO, only to discover that they really have no background in BPM software and workflow software, and haven't learned (yet) what BPM software and workflow software can offer their business.  I like to take that opportunity to highlight three key benefits of our product, Process Director.

1. Transparency.  It can be difficult for senior business leaders to gain a comfort level with the various hardware and software “black boxes” deployed by IT.  Process Director bridges that gap with a solution that is fully customizable and extensible, and yet does not require programmers.
2. Efficiency.  If process improvement is important to a business—and in today’s world, it needs to be—then automation and metrics are a core requirement.  Process Director measures the performance of each activity within a given process; as the process is executed over time, Process Director learns how its actual timeline varies from the original forecast. This unique capability, called predictive analysis, alerts process owners that upcoming activities may not complete on time, even before those activities have started.
3. ROI. In any growing organization, the number of homegrown and off-the-shelf solutions accumulates pretty rapidly. Each one brings with it another team, another vendor, maintenance, updates, infrastructure, and training.  Process Director gives the CIO the opportunity to start replacing those one-trick-pony products with a flexible, customizable solution addressing a huge variety of business needs in operations, finance, HR, IT, sales, and other areas. Fewer vendors, less maintenance, reduced training costs, smaller infrastructure.

Transparency, efficiency, and ROI make a pretty valuable triumvirate at a time, like now, when businesses are struggling in all three areas.  It's great to be able to address those areas for our customers, while (I admit it) having a great time doing it.