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Process Reports

Published: June, 2006

‘Process’ describes the way an organisation functions. Company operations are becoming ever more complex and increasing demands are placed on the computer-based applications that drive the business. The time when applications could remain ‘stand-alone’ has long passed. Now it is critical for the various functions to interact with one another seamlessly in processing transactions, with breakdowns and bottlenecks eliminated. They must also implement in practice the organisation’s strategic goals and objectives – and technology plays a major role in fulfilling both these requirements. The various ‘process technologies’ – the underpinning software and hardware - are advancing rapidly, but the variety on offer is bewildering.

A key early outcome of the Business Process Management Group (BPMG) and Bloor alliance announced in February is a series of informative process reports, authored by Bloor’s Research Director for Process and BPMG chief analyst Terry Schurter. In the first of these, ‘Process Technology — the foundation of doing business’, Terry explains that process technology is now the very foundation of doing business. As well as an overview of process, there is information on what process technologies are available and a description of the process architecture into which the technologies must fit. This architecture is a must in order to achieve an organisation’s short- and long-term aspirations. A version specifically aimed at the chief information officer (CIO) is also available.

Investment is of course needed to get the right business process architecture and infrastructure in place. The ‘BPM ROI Guide’ is dedicated entirely to reviewing the return on investment (ROI) approaches that can be applied specifically to BPM to, for instance, justify the cost of the needed infrastructure or ascertain which of the existing processes offer real business value. Positive cash flow is one often overlooked ROI factor that the Guide identifies as particularly influenced by good BPM to help sustain a business. A further report, the ‘Executive Guide on Service Oriented Architecture,’ addresses this important new infrastructure technology (SOA) and its market; a company cannot realistically implement its business strategy without this underpinning process architecture. Let Terry Schurter inform you of what it means to the organisation.

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