The Future of BPM

Author(s)

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Business Process Management offers the ability to improve business processes significantly..

The same technology that supports BPM also can be used to implement composite applications and service-oriented architecture. Vollmer explores these additional capabilities and shows how they are changing the business landscape.

Ken Vollmer is a principal analyst in Forrester’s Enterprise Applications research group, covering trends, issues and strategies related to all forms of integration, including application integration (AI), business process integration (BPI), business process management (BPM), enterprise application integration (EAI), and electronic data interchange (EDI).

Forrester defines business process management as “…the designing, executing, and optimizing of cross-functional business activities that incorporate people, processes, and systems.” The evolution of BPM started with EAI ten to fifteen years ago. Then Business Process Integration tools were added, making the first suites. Today Business Process Management solutions are tightly integrated suites with functionalities that include:

  • Rules engines
  • Web services
  • Business activity monitoring
  • Sophisticated process modeling
  • Workflow
  • Portal capability
  • Life-cycle management tools
  • Mobile support
  • Simulation

The BPM solutions currently available make the whole process lifecycle much easier to handle. The model is that of a closed loop, which begins by defining the problem using standards-based graphical modeling, process simulation, and business rules. From this, code can be generated to execute a project. The project then can be monitored and optimized. According to Vollmer, the solutions available now are much more advanced than the solutions of only two years ago. Today, what you define as the process model can be immediately turned into production code. The model that IT creates can be directly connected to real activities in the business world.

Vollmer and Forrester define SOA as “an integrated software infrastructure and design approach to the development and integration of service-oriented applications.” Using SOA makes hooking everything together easier, quicker, and with a lower cost. Vollmer said that he hears that creating business functionality is taking 60% less time than before. Vollmer said the crossover point from start until there is a positive ROI is about a year. The business value of using service orientation includes:

  • Shorter ROI
  • Lower maintenance
  • Faster response to opportunities and threats
  • Increased flexibility
  • Existing assets used in new ways
  • Enabling loose coupling
  • Support for composite applications

BPMS allows loosely coupled applications, which allows for a simpler, robust architecture. This also allows the creation of composite applications, defined as “… new functionality created within a service-oriented-architecture that is made up of components from existing applications and combined with new business logic.”

Composite applications are agile and can be created at lower cost. By leveraging existing assets, they allow faster delivery of functionality at lower risk.

Vollmer related the case of a large financial institution. Management implemented a $50K proof-of-concept project. It was completed in 1/3 the time at 1/3 the cost. They went from $3 million in bookings to $10 million in one year, spent 1/3 as much and got the work done three times faster.

There are composite applications issues, however. One is a paradigm shift for applications development. IT departments are changing the way they work, actually developing applications by working directly with the business users. Programmers have to be able to communicate well with the business people. This also will probably affect outsourcing, making it much less desirable.

If you are not already pursuing BPM, you need to start now, according to Vollmer. Check out the opportunities you can get from composite applications. Don’t build capability. Buy it. And begin preparing your IT organization for the coming changes.

Similar Resources

Enhancing Your Team’s BPM Capabilities: The Value of External Expertise

Enhancing Your Team’s BPM Capabilities: The Value of External Expertise

Author(s):

Editor & Founder, BPMInstitute.org, BAInstitute.org and DBIZInstitute.org

Enhancing Your Team's BPM Capabilities: The Value of External Expertise In today’s dynamic business environment, managing and improving business processes is critical for any organization aiming to maintain a competitive edge. Many companies consider handling Business...

Exploring Shared Data Model and Notation (SDMN) and Its Role in BPM+

Exploring Shared Data Model and Notation (SDMN) and Its Role in BPM+

Author(s):

Editor & Founder, BPMInstitute.org, BAInstitute.org and DBIZInstitute.org

Exploring Shared Data Model and Notation (SDMN) and Its Role in BPM+ Introduction In the evolving landscape of Business Process Management (BPM), the introduction of Shared Data Model Notation (SDMN) marks a significant advancement. As businesses increasingly seek to...

Embracing the Future: Low-Code and No-Code Platforms in BPM+

Embracing the Future: Low-Code and No-Code Platforms in BPM+

Author(s):

Editor & Founder, BPMInstitute.org, BAInstitute.org and DBIZInstitute.org

Embracing the Future: Low-Code and No-Code Platforms in BPM+ Introduction In the realm of business process management (BPM), low-code and no-code platforms have emerged as transformative tools, reshaping how organizations develop applications and manage workflows....

Featured Certificate: BPM Specialist

Everyone starts here.

You're looking for a way to improve your process improvement skills, but you're not sure where to start.

Earning your Business Process Management Specialist (BPMS) Certificate will give you the competitive advantage you need in today's world. Our courses help you deliver faster and makes projects easier.

Your skills will include building hierarchical process models, using tools to analyze and assess process performance, defining critical process metrics, using best practice principles to redesign processes, developing process improvement project plans, building a center of excellence, and establishing process governance.

The BPMS Certificate is the perfect way to show employers that you are serious about business process management. With in-depth knowledge of process improvement and management, you'll be able to take your business career to the next level.

Learn more about the BPM Specialist Certificate

Courses

  •  

 

Certificates

  • Business Process Management Specialist
  • Earning your Business Process Management Specialist (BPMS) Certificate will provide you with a distinct competitive advantage in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. With in-depth knowledge of process improvement and management, you’ll be able to take your business career to the next level.
  • BPM Professional Certificate
    Business Process Management Professional
  • Earning your Business Process Management Professional (BPMP) Certificate will elevate your expertise and professional standing in the field of business process management. Our BPMP Certificate is a tangible symbol of your achievement, demonstrating your in-depth knowledge of process improvement and management.

Certification

BPM Certification

  • Make the most of your hard-earned skills. Earn the respect of your peers and superiors with Business Process Management Certification from the industry's top BPM educational organization.

Courses

 

Certificates

  • Operational Excellence Specialist
  • Earning your Operational Excellence Specialist Certificate will provide you with a distinct advantage in driving organizational excellence and achieving sustainable improvements in performance.
 

 

OpEx Professional Certificate

  • Operational Excellence Professional
  • Earn your Operational Excellence Professional Certificate and gain a competitive edge in driving organizational excellence and achieving sustainable improvements in performance.

Courses

Certificate
  •  

  • Agile BPM Specialist
  • Earn your Agile BPM Specialist Certificate and gain a competitive edge in driving business process management (BPM) with agile methodologies. You’ll gain a strong understanding of how to apply agile principles and concepts to business process management initiatives.  
 

Business Architecture

 

Certificates

  • Business Architecture Specialist
  • The Business Architecture Specialist (BAIS) Certificate is proof that you’ve begun your business architecture journey by committing to the industry’s most meaningful and credible business architecture training program.

  • Business Architecture Professional
  • When you earn your Business Architecture Professional (BAIP) Certificate, you will be able to design and implement a governance structure for your organization, develop and optimize business processes, and manage business information effectively.

BA CertificationCertification

  • Make the most of your hard-earned skills. Earn the respect of your peers and superiors with Business Architecture Certification from the industry's top BPM educational organization.

Courses

 

Certificates

  • Digital Transformation Specialist
  • Earning your Digital Transformation Specialist Certificate will provide you with a distinct advantage in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. 
 

 

  • Digital Transformation Professional
  • The Digital Transformation Professional Certificate is the first program in the industry to cover all the key pillars of Digital Transformation holistically with practical recommendations and exercises.

Courses

Certificate

  • Agile Business Analysis Specialist
  • Earning your Agile Business Analysis Specialist Certificate will provide you with a distinct advantage in the world of agile software development.

Courses

Certificate
  • DAS Certificate
  • Decision Automation Specialist
  • Earning your Decision Automation Certificate will empower you to excel in the dynamic field of automated decision-making, where data-driven insights are pivotal to driving business innovation and efficiency.