| If anyone asks me what is happening in the BPM | | | | BPM Systems - The Vision is Lost |
| Systems (software) market the reply I give, without | | | | For BPM systems market drivers (what customers |
| any hesitation, is that BPMS IS DEAD. | | | | think they want) have driven product vision into |
| Now that certainly doesn't seem to make any sense if | | | | creation of processes that struggle to deliver on |
| you look at the sales growth of BPMS vendors and | | | | anything more than incremental reduction in cost. That's |
| market predictions from analysts covering BPMS. The | | | | one KPI... but the story doesn't end there. |
| reality is that the BPMS market is continuing to grow in | | | | Unfortunately the Trifecta of Business Success too |
| respect to the amount of money being spent on the | | | | often operates in a give and take mode, where a gain |
| purchase of BPMS software products and the growth | | | | in one area produces a loss in one or both of the other |
| of that expenditure shows little sign of abating. | | | | areas. This is the most common case for processes |
| So why would I claim that BPMS is Dead? | | | | implemented in BPM systems. |
| The issue is not one of current market trends. Anyone | | | | It's not that the software isn't well-designed, robust and |
| with a bit of time on their hands can assemble some | | | | feature-rich. That is NOT the problem. The problem is |
| statistics on what is happening (from a sales | | | | how people use it - and unfortunately in the vast |
| perspective) and what has happened (historical), then | | | | majority of BPMS applications the results produce a |
| produce a set of "predictive" trend statements. There | | | | net loss when all the BIG 3 KPIs are factored into the |
| are plenty of high school students I could hire for a | | | | results equation. |
| song and a dance to do that. | | | | When this realization finally hits home the BPM market |
| Adding in surveys - the quintessential means analyst | | | | will do the BIG FLUSH and that is why I know that the |
| and research firms have for creating those insightful | | | | BPMS market is already DEAD. |
| perspectives from the "trenches" - brings forth a | | | | BPMS is DEAD - Long Live BPMS... |
| rudimentary snapshot of likely buying habits for a 6 to | | | | However, this cloud of gloom and doom does have a |
| 12 month window. Ok, so that is what people intend to | | | | silver lining. While the current application of BPMS |
| do. But what happens to all of these trends if the | | | | products is fueling the rush to the big flush there is a |
| realization hits home that the BIG 3 KPIs are NOT | | | | saving grace at hand - the inherent flexibility of BPMS |
| being delivered on? Crash and burn, baby. Crash and | | | | products. |
| burn. | | | | We now know that to successfully deliver against all |
| The BIG 3 Key Performance Indicators | | | | of the BIG 3 KPIs simultaneously requires the |
| We all know that KPIs are an integral part of our daily | | | | identification of process Points of Failure and Causes |
| corporate lives in the pursuit of business success. | | | | of Work followed by the reduction in both. That |
| Because many of our organizations are so big and so | | | | ALWAYS means we will be removing waste from |
| complex, we have identified the need to measure and | | | | our process models (yes, there is waste there - lot's |
| manage against Key Performance Indicators that we | | | | of waste. Current practice only understands the tip of |
| believe are inherently linked to business success. | | | | the iceberg). |
| Trends in KPIs should be reflections of business | | | | So when we finally see the light - or when we are |
| success. | | | | dragged kicking and screaming to it - we find that our |
| That is a very important point. If KPIs truly serve their | | | | processes immediately undergo significant change. |
| purpose then when KPIs are trending up, our business | | | | If processes are stuck inside a traditional enterprise |
| success had better be trending up as well. Conversely, | | | | application then the work required to actually change |
| if our KPIs are trending down this should be reflected in | | | | the process model is probably not worth even |
| a reduction of business success. If KPIs are truly | | | | considering - assuming we can even find a way to |
| representative of business success this relationship | | | | accomplish same. |
| must exist without any ambiguity. It's the foundation of | | | | Yet if the process model is in a BPMS we can indeed |
| the KPI concept. | | | | change what needs to be changed - that's one of the |
| Now in regards to business success, I only see three | | | | fundamental concepts of BPMS products - without |
| KPIs that make any sense... | | | | ripping out our hair or committing hara-kiri. |
| 1) Increased Revenues | | | | For that reason alone - even if you haven't seen the |
| 2) Decreased Costs | | | | light nor want to - the investment in BPMS for |
| 3) Improved Customer Satisfaction | | | | technology used for executing process models makes |
| These are the BIG THREE KPIs and if the work we | | | | more sense than most of the other choices. |
| are doing - or the investment we are making - is NOT | | | | But remember, the reason you are buying it now is not |
| delivering on at least one of these KPIs then we flirt | | | | the reason you should be buying it... unless you are one |
| dangerously close to our work or investment falling into | | | | of those that has already seen "the light. |
| the "dumb stuff" category. | | | | |