Was 2009 the year BPM really died?

Thomas Olbrich

Thomas Olbrich
Co-founder and Managing Director at taraneon Process TestL
Saarbrücken Area, Germany

Downsizing, cost cutting, re-aligning to new realities, survival, new business models … 2009 has offered so many challenges to which process owners might have provided not only answers but solutions. And on the whole they have failed:

Failed in that we’re still spending an unacceptable amount of time on process discovery

Failed in that we’re still insisting that automation is a type of management

Failed in that we’ve still not understood that processes either create or destroy value

Failed in that we’re still thinking that any improvement of our internal processes will automatically lead to improved customer processes

Failed in that we’ve still not understood the difference between process projects and process operations

Failed in that we’ve not linked processes to business strategy

Failed in that still we’re using the term ‘process’ as a figleaf to cover functional orientation

Failed in that we’re ignorant of how changing circumstances affect processes

Failed in that we’ve refused to hold process owners accountable for the mess they are administering

Failed in that 20 years after the first big reengineering wave and 10 years after BPM became fashionable to talk about, we have still not managed to create a process mindset

And we’re still wondering why senior management refuses to believe in the value of processes – other than as a theoretical concept? I dare anyone to explain how all the nice sounding process predictions for 2010 a la cloud, SaaS, green processes, BPM 3.0 etc. will make things any better if we first don’t adress the basic issues we’re facing. Looking to the future is one thing but without learning the lessons from the past (http://bit.ly/7fMaAY) the future will just pass us by.

(Sorry about this rant, it’s been a good year from a business and personal perspective, so no complaints there, but I really thought that 2009 would have pushed BPM to a new/higher level of contributing to business excellence)

Thomas

Recap on the discussioon at: Ongoing – Join the debate here

BP GROUP SOAPBOX 3: Do We Need another Process Methodology?

The Soapbox series is designed to be provactive and let people air their views in a mutually respectful place. You may not agree, and all the better for it, so explain your perspective and share your commitment to transforming the planet!

BP GROUP SOAPBOX 2: Six Sigma caused the global recession.

In a slight digression we have unearthed some very emotive discussions. Has the agenda really shifted this much?

The Soapbox series is designed to be provactive and let people air their views in a mutually respectful place. You may not agree, and all the better for it, so explain your perspective and share your commitment to transforming the planet!

BPGroup Soapbox – Process is an Effect

In a slight digression we have unearthed some very emotive discussions. Has the agenda really shifted this much?

BP GROUP SOAPBOX 1: Process is an Effect

The Soapbox series is designed to be provactive and let people air their views in a mutually respectful place. You may not agree, and all the better for it, so explain your perspective and share your commitment to transforming the planet!

Organisational Behavioral Aspects of BPM Implementation.

In 2008 Pieter Jongstra (Enterprise Architect) shared some of the secrets of SNS Bank Organisational Behavioral Aspects of BPM Implementation.  Great insight to help with the whole issue of BPM and change management. SNS is no different from any other large organisation coping with the 21st century – for instance this is the Business Operating Model.

 You can download the presentation from this link.
In a few weeks time the BP Group will be twenty years old. As part of the celebration we are publishing an article a day – all are evergreen and provide an insight as valuable today as when they were originally published. As we move towards September 19th we will bring the story up to date with a preview of the upcoming book – The High Performance Organisation (Samir Asaf & Steve Towers).

BP Group 20th Birthday – Bridging the Business IT Divide

Yesterday we posted BPM and Scorecards……

Today we cover the Challange of bridging the IT Business divide.
 
In a few weeks time the BP Group will be twenty years old. As part of the celebration we are publishing an article a day – all are evergreen and provide an insight as valuable today as when they were originally published. 

Business Process Management 2 Bridging The Gap Between Business And Technology from Steve Towers

In our fourth article we will cover Virgins Crown Jewels – winning with Successful Customer Outcomes.