Business process visions over the years

Forrester's James Kobielus writes in his latest blog about the absence of change to the business vision - transformation, optimization and agility.

I agree that the BPM vision has not changed much in the past decade, but I believe that BPM technology has greatly improved over the years.

If, years ago, you could get away with implementing a workflow engine that sends emails and tasks, Today - you must have a platform that embeds modelling, execution, monitoring, simulation and optimization.

Modelling software used to be the rage. Today, BPM vendors that have a process modeller that cannot execute the process (run the workflow) or do not have the functionality to run, simulate and monitor the process - have little value in the eyes of business organizations. Clunky old visual basic applications that sit on the business analyst's desktop (still priced by seat), that cannot be shared with others, (unlike today's web BPM applications), use code (unlike today’s codeless wizard BPM platforms ) and cannot connect easily into other systems (using web services) are useless.

BPM vendors that did not invest time and effort in upgrading their software are finding it hard to penetrate into new markets, thus forcing them to rely on existing customers ("old money").

Thus said, many BPM vendors have invested time and energy to ensure that their software does have a real impact on the organizations that implement BPM. BPM software platforms nowadays are web-based, drag n’drop, codeless, wizard platforms that enable the business users to create their own workflows processes and have visibility over their business processes. The business vision might not have changed much, the BPR, BPO, BPA, BPM buzzwords might feel a bit like clever people dreaming up new ways to dish out the same old stuff, but technology has taken BPM mainstream and has enabled this “vision” to be implemented in business organizations.

The absence of change to the business vision should be a concern to everyone in the BPM industry.
BPM vendors like ourselves always look to the analysts, like Forrester for guidance in ways to align their software roadmap to meet future customer needs. The analysts are the real visionaries that tell the industry which way to march forward, and should be the ones to define the change needed to the business vision.

About PNMsoft

PNMsoft was founded in 1996 by experts in human workflow processes and specializes in Business Process Management (BPM) and Workflow Automation solutions for business users. The company is a multi-national enterprise with its headquarters in the UK, the R&D centre in Israel and a global network of business partners and associated offices.

PNMsoft is noted for looking beyond pure software issues, towards concerns such as customization and fast ROI.
The company has forged close and long-standing partner relationships, particularly with Microsoft, which has appointed it a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. PNMsoft is also a member of the Microsoft Business Process Alliance.

About SEQUENCE

SEQUENCE is an intuitive BPM software suite based on a graphical flowchart-based platform. It contains powerful options to give users great flexibility in taking an existing business process and converting it from a manual flow to an automated flow.
SEQUENCE provides a full end-to-end BPM solution that includes exploring, modeling, simulation, execution, integration, monitoring and optimization functions.

For more about our BPM software, contact us or request our white paper