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Smarter Systems: Applying Decision Management
All systems are active participants in business decision making to some degree.
The logic coded into business systems allows a level of ‘smartness’, and this is then amplified by the decision logic used by users – resulting in smart business operations. So, if we want to make the entire business operations smarter, we need to focus on decision making across systems and their users. Business Decision Management seeks to explicitly define and improve operational decisions; and to automate them through targeted deployment of sophisticated decision management technologies like Business Rules Management, Advanced Analytics and Optimization.
Business Process Management as Key for Innovation
The environment in which organisations find themselves is and remains in a state of flux; markets are volatile, customers are able to manage on their own and are more articulate than ever and it’s impossible to imagine society today without social interaction. In addition, organisations are faced with more (new) legislation than they have ever experienced before and there is unprecedented pressure on margins and profit.
These developments are forcing organisations to change and within the changes taking place the demand for innovation is becoming increasingly greater. Why is that? Simple: to add value both internally and (preferably) externally. The question is whether and, if so, how a discipline such as Business Process Management (BPM) can and must contribute towards innovation.
This whitepaper answers that question by addressing the following subjects:
Business Architect, Enterprise Architect and Business Transformation
Businesses are under constant challenge to deliver growth and profitability. Business process improvements and other enterprise quality initiatives are vital for the enterprise to do more with less, but they are not sufficient. When businesses feel there is opportunity for transformation, they may engage a business architect. Many organizations do not have the benefit of established architecture processes and architecture governance for the enterprise, which makes the task of the business architect even more difficult. It becomes incumbent on the business architect to educate and navigate stakeholders through architectural aspects of business transformation.
Building a Process Catalog: Final Steps
This is the final article in my series on building a process catalog for the organization in which I work. For reference and context, you can find the first three articles at these links: Building a Process Catalog: The Journey Begins; Building a Process Catalog, The Ongoing Journey; and Building a Process Catalog: Moving Ahead.
As we have wrapped up the calendar year, the Process Catalog that we began last October finally can be completed. Below is a brief recap of the stages we’ve gone through to get the catalog to the current state.
The Role of Decision Modeling in Business Decision Management
Decision Management, Business Decision Management as we call it here at the BPMInstitute.org, is both an approach and a technology stack for automating and improving business decisions.
State of Business Decision Management & Decision Modeling
Business Decision Management is an approach that allows you to take advantage of powerful technologies, particularly business rules management systems and predictive analytics. Applying decision management allows you to develop agile, analytic and adaptive systems that deliver significant business ROI. In this webcast, hear James Taylor, CEO of Decision Management Solutions and Editorial Director for Business Decision Management at BPMInstitute.org, introduce Business Decision Management. He’ll outline key concepts and technologies describe the kinds of decisions to focus on, outline the value proposition for business rules management systems and introduce the new Decision Model and Notation standard and its role in developing decision models alongside your process models.
Decision Modeling with DMN
How to Build a Decision Requirements Model using the new Decision Model and Notation (DMN) standard
The Object Management Group has recently adopted the Decision Model and Notation as a beta standard. Here’s how you can use it to define your decision requirements.
Why Model Decisions
The goal of this paper is to describe the four iterative steps to complete a Decision Requirements Model using the forthcoming DMN standard. Before beginning, it is important to understand the value of defining decision requirements as part of your overall requirements process. Experience shows that there are three main reasons for doing so:
Critical Success Strategies for New Change Management Leaders
You have been promoted to a new change management position. You’re not sure of how you are going to meet the challenges ahead. All you know is that all eyes are on you and you only have a short time to get your strategies in place and operational. The actions you take will largely determine whether you succeed or fail. You will either move Change Management support forward or lose this opportunity to show its longer term value and yours.
Understanding Business Vocabulary: A Business Architect’s Perspective
During the recent assessment of an organization, the topic of CM popped up as a reoccurring theme when it came to problems being experienced throughout the organization. The one thing that became exceedingly clear was that everyone’s definition for CM was very different. One of the prime roles for any business architect is to make sure they are looking holistically across the organization and that everyone is working from the same vocabulary. This is not the first time I am running into the topic of “CM” as a source of chaos.
Government Transformation Depends On Dynamic Portfolio Management
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
In the 21st century, government transformation initiatives have become increasingly more common, rather than exceptional. Some ambitious public sector initiatives turn out to be at least partially successful, though many others do not. Even when transformation success is declared, the outcome is often plagued by significant limitations that must be dealt with for many years.
Business Architecture: The Real Tie that Binds
By William Ulrich & Jim Rhyne
A recently published article entitled “Business Capability Architecture Is the Tie that Binds All” discussed how to use business capabilities to tie business strategy, enterprise change, and project portfolio prioritization.[i] We concur that strategy, enterprise change, and portfolio management are managed more effectively using business architecture, and agree that capabilities are a component of business architecture However we view the article’s notion of “business capability architecture” as being incomplete. We will discuss why this concept is incomplete and how it can be extended through value mapping.
A Process Based View of Customer Experience
A recent article in HBR informed readers on the “truth” about customer experience[i]. The authors argued that it’s not enough for organizations to excel at key touch points with customers – instead organizations need to understand and skillfully manage the entire customer journey. While this is true – and might be a new revelation for some readers – it should come as no surprise to those of us who have practiced a customer focused, process based view of business.
A process based view of customer experience is much more than just creating a roadmap of a customer journey; it also involves shaping what the organization measures and manages. Let’s consider how a process based view of customer experience can benefit service providers such as phone, internet, cable, and utility companies. The customers of such service providers have a set of very simple needs; including,
Government Transformation Depends On Dynamic Portfolio Management
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
In the 21st century, government transformation initiatives have become increasingly more common, rather than exceptional. Some ambitious public sector initiatives turn out to be at least partially successful, though many others do not. Even when transformation success is declared, the outcome is often plagued by significant limitations that must be dealt with for many years.
Organisation Ring of Influence
A famous quote, “Installing a Rolls Royce engine in a Hyundai can make it inoperable,” (Russell Ackoff, 1999) as used to explain why improving parts of a system can be detrimental as opposed to improving the entire system, could also be used to explain why you should consider improving Business Process Reengineering BPR project execution as part of an organisation in terms of how they operate and not just by focusing on the technical execution of a project in terms of the project lifecycle. In other words the “BPR Project System” is made up of the environment in which it is executed as well as the BPR project itself inclusive of its execution method, its team structure, its project objectives and execution deliverables.
The Illusive Bridge between Business Architecture and IT
In this world of “It’s not my job!” thinking, I look at the practice of business architecture and noticed that nowhere does anyone discuss business requirements as part of business architecture. “We are not IT, we are aligned to the business.” Yet, one of the values of business architecture is to create the bridge between business and IT which means at some point we need to be involved in translating business requirements or business needs.
Five Core Principles of Successful Business Architecture
Despite the massive efforts undertaken in many organizations, the promises of the latest business trends have often failed to come to fruition. This is not the result of lack of effort, smart people, software tools, new ideas, or new approaches. It is due to the absence of a holistic, business-centric approach to solving the complex challenges within a company. This approach is business architecture. This whitepaper explores five core principles of business architecture and provides important facts that are valuable to know before beginning, or when evaluating an existing internal business architecture program.
Building a Process Catalog: Moving Ahead
This is the third in a series. The first installment, Building a Process Catalog – The Journey Begins, was published in the April BPM Institute’s online journal. The second installment, Building a Process Catalog, The Ongoing Journey, was featured in the August bulletin.
Recap
My first two features described how I use SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer) diagrams to capture some essential characteristics of major business functions.
Business Architects Architect your Success
I am not an enterprise architect. I’m a business architect. The difference lies in the customers we primarily serve. Historically, the business architecture perspective has been part of every enterprise architecture framework. Only recently has there been a clamor to treat business architecture as a separate profession and discipline with its own set of culture, adherents, and customers.
Process Centric Enterprise Architecture: Aligning with Successful Customer Outcomes
Every primary process in the Enterprise Architecture should have some bearing on how it affects the customer. The process, its activities and the resources to perform the activities should be geared towards achieving Successful Customer Outcomes. When we state the requirements for the services, the processes, the resources and the IT systems or when we design or develop the solution, the interaction with the customer and the goals of the customer should be stated and represented clearly.
I discussed the process centric approach to Enterprise Architecture in a previous article. In this article I will focus on the solutions from such architecture.
How do we change our solutions to achieve Successful Customer Outcomes?
Automating Capture to Transform Unstructured Data Processes
We live in a fast paced world where consumers demand high quality and rapid services. When we buy an item on-line we expect a confirmation email in seconds or we start to be concerned that something has gone wrong.
The desire for rapid and meaningful response is also growing in more complex transactions such as a mortgage or insurance application, even though these often require documents to be supplied that contain the data needed to decide on the claim or application. Consumers can now take and send pictures on mobile devices or scan documents from home, and are attracted by the simplicity and availability of 24/7 e-business.
When transforming these types of business process a capture strategy is needed to enable documents to be delivered and processed in a fast and low cost means, with a consistent high level of quality.
