Posts Tagged ‘bpm’

30Aug

The Evolution of Business Process

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Is your business DNA changing?

The transformation of a business and its processes is always a challenge, and like anything else over time, process management and the flow of work has evolved. It’s a balance between cost and benefit, pain and efficiency. And every business has a complete and total mix of how they get work done. Paper is still ubiquitous in the business world, as are what I call “Franken-processes”, or those that are a combination of paper, Excel, email correspondence and anything else that might be at hand. Many drive their critical processes with custom applications, and the lucky ones have fully evolved, and implemented app platforms to drive speed and flexibility. In this post, I will provide an analysis of the 3 key process solutions: Paper, Custom Apps and App Platform.

So, as a primer, every process can be evaluated on 4 key axes: Degree of Automation, Scalability, Flexibility and Speed to Implement. Below is a quick overview of the evolution of business process.

Paper-based

Paperless process with workflow and forms

Paper is fast to implement, but inefficient (Image from K2 Whitepaper “It’s a BYOA World”)

Paper processes have been part of business process forever, and it is still a pervasive medium for transactions and the flow of work. Paper forms and documents flow through businesses every day, exchanging hands, passing through in boxes and out boxes, being copied, placed in folders, and ultimately ending up in a file cabinet as a permanent record. To evaluate paper on our 4 axes, it is quite fast to implement, and can be somewhat flexible. Just create a form in Word or Excel, kill some trees through the printing/copying process and distribute. But we all know that processing paper is painful, and about as far from automated as you can get. Many organizations attempt to add automation to the mix through scanning and capture, but layering of processes just creates complexity, and decreases the ability to scale. See the chart above for a visual representation of paper process, the lowest on the evolutionary chain.

Custom Applications

Replace custom apps with no code platforms

Custom apps great for automation, but slow to implement. (Image from K2 Whitepaper “It’s a BYOA World”)

For many organizations, the only option, or next step in the evolution of process is the custom-built application, focused on automating a core set of processes critical to the business. Custom apps can be a powerful technical transformation tool, and although the benefits can be huge, there are some key draw backs. Using our axes, you can see the prime benefit is automation (as shown above). But due to the long cycle times for development and updates, plus the requirement to grow and expand features overtime, custom apps can be a core constrictor on flexibility and adaptability. In this day and age, custom apps and all their draw backs are becoming and unacceptable way to automate business and drive process, and are just far too costly.

“Traditional mobile-app development typically costs at least $250K and takes more than 6 months for a single app”

Kevin Benedict, Mind the Gap

Business Apps Platform

No code for data, forms, workflow and reports.

No code platforms are the best of all worlds (Image from K2 Whitepaper “It’s a BYOA World”)

Evolution in and of itself, is a process of growth, formation and change based on environmental factors, and the current apex in business process technology is the Business Process Application (BPA) platform. Built for speed, automation and flexibility, the BPA platform provides a broad reach on all the axes of evaluation (as shown above), and allows agility through a no/low code foundation.

“In the age of the customer, everything runs as quickly as customers and markets – and software delivery must keep up.”
Forrester

With IT departments struggling with the demands of the business for applications, the market and customer requirements have driven the evolution of BPAs. With delivery time being reduced by a factor of 3-10x, and beneficial cost reduction, forward-looking CIOs are quickly adapting the platform-based approach to transform the way they automate and deliver applications, workflows, forms and reports. For more info on evolving your business, see our applications for transformation:

Business Process Management and Workflow from inForm Decisions

15Aug

Business Process Management (BPM)

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in BPM and Workflow, Terminology

Business Process Management (BPM) is a specialty area in operations management that focuses on the improvement and management of process within an organization. The goal is to improve overall performance, increase productivity and maximize the efficiency of operations. A side effect is cost savings and improved competitive standing. The BPMInstitue.org defines BPM as:

improvement and management of a firm’s end-to-end enterprise business processes in order to achieve three outcomes crucial to a performance-based, customer-driven firm: 1) clarity on strategic direction, 2) alignment of the firm’s resources, and 3) increased discipline in daily operations.

Business process can be defined as a workflow that encompasses tasks, scheduling, approvals, routing, integration, input and output. Many define this as workflow. In information technology, business process management is also affiliated with any number of applications that provide the ability to digitally manage work and process. There are a broad range of BPM tools on the market, including K2 workflow and iWorkflow.

BPM is typically focused in process intensive departments, including: human resources, finance, accounting, operations and manufacturing. BPM ROI is usually easy to calculate based on initial state and improved state.

13Aug

Workflow and BPM Terminology

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Terminology

Activity

Processes can be sub-divided into smaller and smaller units or sub-processes. We define activity as the smallest sub-process that a given business process team decides to illustrate on their process diagrams. (We could reverse that and say that a process is made up of one or more activities.) Activities can consist of a single step, like approving a purchase request or placing a cap on a bottle passing on a production line. Other activities involve multiple steps, like filling out a form, or assembling a chair. There is no consistency about how the various methodologies use terms like task and step, but, increasingly, the term activity is reserved for the smallest unit of analysis. A given activity could be performed by one or more employees, by a software system, or by some combination. In the UML notation, both processes and activities are represented by rectangles with rounded corners. (See Business Process Hierarchy.) We sometimes indicate if activities are manual (normal line around rectangle), systems (bold line around rectangle) or mixed activities that involve both manual activities an systems (dashed line around activity rectangle).

Activity Cost Worksheet

A grid or matrix that one can use to analyze the various costs of a set of activities. Activities are listed on the vertical axis and data about outputs, costs, times and problems are described for each activity.

Ad Hoc Workflow Systems

Workflow systems that wait on users to indicate what should happen next. An insurance system might pull up documents for an underwriter only on request. Compare with Administrative and Transaction or Production Workflow Systems.

Application Programming Interface (API)

An application programming interface (API) is a set of definitions of the ways one piece of computer software communicates with another. It is a method of achieving abstraction, usually (but not necessarily) between lower-level and higher-level software. APIs are implemented by writing function calls in the program, which provide the linkage to the required subroutine for execution. Thus, an API implies that some program module is available in the computer to perform the operation or that it must be linked into the existing program to perform the tasks.

Asynchronous Process

In an asynchronous process, one activity sends a message to another, but does not wait until it gets a response.

Batch Processing

In either human or computer processes, a step where lots of items are accumulated and then processed together. In contrast to continuous processing where items are processes as soon as possible.

Benchmarks

As used in business process redesign, data about process measures obtained for specific types of processes. Many companies seek benchmark data on processes they seek to redesign in order to determine how well other companies manage the process.

BPM Software

BPM is software that automates, executes, and monitors business processes from beginning to end by connecting people to people, applications to applications, and people to applications

BPM System

BPM is a management practice that provides for governance of a business’s process environment toward the goal of improving agility and operational performance. This more holistic view offers a structured approach for optimizing processes and takes into account the software tools discussed above as well as an organization’s methods, policies, metrics, and management practices.

Business Intelligence (BI)

Software systems and tools that seek to extract useful patterns or conclusions from masses of data.

Business Process Automation

Refers to the use of computer systems and software to automate a process. Processes can be completely automated, so no human intervention is required, or semi-automated, when some human intervention is required to make decisions or handle exceptions. Techniques used for BP Automation, include workflow, BP-XML languages, ERP, and software development and EAI.

Business Process Management (BPM)

Refers to aligning processes with an organization’s strategic goals, designing and implementing process architectures, establishing process measurement systems that align with organizational goals, and educating and organizing managers so that they will manage processes effectively. Business Process Management or BPM can also refer to various automation efforts, including workflow systems, XML Business Process languages and packaged ERP systems. In this case the management emphasizes the ability of workflow engines to control process flows, automatically measure processes, and M can also refer to various automation efforts, including workflow systems, XML Business Process languages and packaged ERP systems. In this case the management emphasizes the ability of workflow engines to control process flows, automatically measure processes, and M can also refer to various automation efforts, including workflow systems, XML Business Process languages and packaged ERP systems. In this case the management emphasizes the ability of workflow engines to control process flows, automatically measure processes, and ems that align with organizational goals, and educating and organizing managers so that they will manage processes effectively. Business Process Management or BPM can also refer to various automation efforts, including workflow systems, XML Business Process languages and packaged ERP systems. In this case the management emphasizes the ability of workflow engines to control process flows, automatically measure processes, and to change process flows from a computer terminal.

Business Rules

A statement describing a business policy or decision procedure. Some programming languages run business rules together into very complex algorithms. In business process analysis, each rule is usually stated independently, in the general format: If A and B, Then C. Workflow tools and detailed process diagrams both depend on business rules to specify how decisions are made. We generally associate business rules with activities. A decision diamond is adequate to show what happens if a loan is accepted or rejected, but dozens or even hundreds of business rules may need to be defined to clarify what a loan should be accepted or rejected. Training programs, job aids, software systems and knowledge management systems aim to document business rules either to automate the decision process or to and make the rules available to other decision makers.

Collaborative Tools

Tools like discussion forums, dynamic workspaces, and message boards that are provided within the BPM platform framework and are designed to remove intra- and inter-departmental communication barriers.

Composite Process Application

An enterprise application that is developed and deployed using a BPM platform to solve a particular business problem, such as complying with regulatory standards or managing a company’s assets. By integrating existing applications, pulling relevant data, and connecting appropriate people, it overcomes the limitations of traditional enterprise applications, offering more flexibility and scalability as well as better collaboration and integration.

Dashboard

A user interface that resembles the dashboard of an automobile. Dashboards contain small graphs, charts, and gauges that provide data on key information within an organization.

Packaged Applications

Generically, any pre-packaged software application. Normally it is used as a way of referring to vendors who sell ERP or CRM application platforms that are organized to be used to integrate all of a company’s main software applications. By installing a number of packaged applications a company can assure that major business process applications in finance, accounting, human resources, and manufacturing all communicate smoothly and store data in a common database.

Process

A set of activities and transactions that an organization conducts on a regular basis in order to achieve its objectives. It can be simple (i.e. order fulfillment) or complex (i.e. new product development), short-running (i.e. employee on-boarding) or long-running (i.e. regulatory compliance), function-specific (i.e. proposal management) or industry-specific (i.e. energy procurement). It can exist within a single department (i.e. billing), run throughout the entire enterprise (i.e. strategic sourcing), or extend across the whole value chain (i.e. supply chain management).

Rules Engine

BPM component that manages the flow of information and activities within a process according to the formulas and rules assigned to it.

Sub-Processes

Process analysis necessarily occurs on levels. A high-level process diagram shows major processes. Each major process is typically divided into sub-processes which are represented on separate process diagrams. Those processes, in turn, may be sub-divided into sub-processes. There is no logical limit to the number of times we may sub-divide processes into sub-processes. We repeat it until we understand the process in sufficient detail to successfully redesign or improve it. The smallest sub-processes we identify in any given analysis effort are arbitrarily called activities.

Workflow

Generic term for a process or for the movement of information or material from one activity (worksite) to another.

Workflow Model

Another name for a process diagram. Often includes both a diagram and rules that define the flow of information from one activity to the next. If used in conjunction with a workflow system or engine, a software-based process diagram that becomes the program for a workflow system that will move information from a database to one computer terminal after another.

Workflow System or Engine

A software tool or program that helps analysts define a process and the rules governing process decisions, and then manages the actual distribution of information related to specific instances or cases to terminals and databases.

28Jul

5 Key Benefits of Digital Workflow

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Business Process Management and Workflow Benefits

If you are an organization that still does BBP (Business by Paper), you have some great benefits you can glean through the use of digital workflow software. If you are not familiar with workflow software, you can think of it as a digital in and outbox (Broader definition here: Workflow Software: What is it?). You can do things like simple document routing, advanced approvals and even data collection with the workflow tool. Below are 5 quick benefits you can achieve with a digital workflow solutions:

Insight to your business processes – ever wonder on the status of your vacation request or expense claim? With workflow process software you can immediately check on the status of any process as an end-user. As a manager, you can peer into the workings of any process you manage, and find bottlenecks that can help you improve efficiency.
Routing of documents – ever lose a document or have it sit on someone’s desk for a week? With workflow software, you have a digital trail that can route documents throughout the organization. Need to route inbound mail? Want to send an email attachment to someone for action? It’s a snap.
Approvals – Most organizations go through a painful process of emailing documents for approvals. Take a contract that needs to have the input of multiple managers. With process management/workflow, you can set up an approval process that tracks each step, changes and individual input.
Audit Power – need to audit a financial process that happened 3 months ago? With workflow software, a historical record is logged and maintained. You can always go back and peer into the process and its data.
Beyond the simple – the above are simple and basic benefits of a workflow solution, but understand, most process engines today can take highly complex processes and automate them. Want to put a capital expenditure process in place that does currency conversions for international offices? Need an HR on boarding process that spans 5 departments and 30 people? No problem.

This was just a short list of the benefits of our workflow solutions. Give us a shout today to learn more.

19Jul

The Castle Analogy: Core Strategy for a Paperless Office

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Build Your Moat and Drawbridge: Document Capture, Digital Forms and Workflow

When you look at the medieval castle, it had all the protective measures to insure the occupants were protected from outside threats. In our modern office, the threat is to efficiency and productivity, especially when examining the flow of paper both in and out. A core strategy is to surround your organization with a virtual moat, that allows no paper to cross. Below outlines the use of 3 technologies to help with the goal of the paperless office.

Document Capture and Scanning – Today, it is almost impossible to forbid inbound paper. Whether it is a small business sending paper invoices, a law firm that sends a FedEx package of contracts or a paper bill of lading for a shipment, paper will still exist for most organizations at some level. The goal here is to create that virtual moat, across which “none shall pass”. This can be your mail room, with a core policy of digitizing any paper for distribution within the organization.

Digital Forms – Forms technology can insure minimal creation of paper, through the use of a “born digital” mindset. Want to request vacation? Fill out a digital form. HR new hire paperwork? Go to the new hire portal and fill out the required electronic forms. This technology can help eliminate new paper creation internally, and can be expanded for external paperwork as well, reducing the need for scanning and document capture.

Workflow Software – workflow provides the ability to fully digitize any work process, and can integrate with both electronic forms and document capture. This provides a powerful multiplier effect, letting you combine the advantages of all technologies, and enhancing your efficiency and productivity to a whole new level. Documents and work can now be digitally routed both internally and externally.

These three technologies can be implemented in stages, one by one to start the improvement process, and begin the elimination of the paper threat. Thoughts?

21May

What is BPMN?

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Uncategorized

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a graphical representation for documenting and specifying business processes within a business process model. The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) developed BPMN, which has been maintained by the Object Management Group since the two organizations merged in 2005. BPMN has several advantages:

It provides a standard method to document and communicate business processes and workflow within organizations.
It makes sharing process across organizations easier.
Business Process Management Software supports standard BPMN

Example of BPMN

Products like iWorkflow leverage standard BPMN designers for modeling business process. You can read more here:

BPMN Specification

Wikipedia BPMN

Tech Target BPMN Overview

10May

CIO’s Dilemma: Build, Buy or BPM

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Choosing the Right Application Strategy Path

CIOs constantly face one of the most complex decisions on the IT Strategy front:

What is the most effective way for our organization to introduce new applications or rebuild old ones?

These discussions are always bound by key options:

Build a custom application.
Buy an off the shelf commercial application.
Buy a BPM/BPA Suite.
A hybrid approach.

Build

Ah, the custom application. The promised land, everything you want, built exactly to requirements ;). My favorite CIO quote in my time in BPM is: “I am so tired of being a custom software development house.” The Build option has historically been the de facto path to meeting the exact business needs of a desired application, and truly tailoring functionality. But building comes with unique resource requirements, longer timelines, and rigid change management that prevents agility. Add in the standard requirement of Line of Business (LOB) System integration, and even small applications can require large teams with diverse skill sets to deliver. For this reason, many organizations leverage 3rd party partners to help with development, which adds to overall project complexity. The benefit? If managed correctly, you get exactly what you want. Some great info on Build vs Buy here: Build Versus Buy Whitepaper

Buy

Whether its Safety, HR, Accounting, or any other core business function, there are focused commercial applications to meet business needs. Most of these applications will meet about 80% of an organization’s requirements, but what I find is that missing 20% is the true gold. Many applications offer APIs to extend and add functionality, but this requires custom development or hiring the 3rd party’s services team to extend. I am seeing more and more organizations that are trying to get their app “bloat” under control, and reduce the number of niche applications in use by their business. There are some key questions to ask when evaluating focused apps:

How easy is it to integrate with my LOBs? Code or configuration?
Is the system overkill for what we are trying to accomplish?
How difficult is it to administer? Will I require certified staff?
What is missing and what will it cost to extend and maintain?

I find many organizations “settle” when it comes to off the shelf applications, and adjust their business to the application. The key benefit, in most cases, is you get up and running quite quickly, and can glean advantages and ROI without waiting for dev or build time.

BPM/BPA

The Business Process Management/Business Process Application suites are just about always in the mix, but I find there is always some deep education required on capabilities. There is quite often core resistance to them, especially from the development teams. No/Low Code platforms can be perceived as a threat, but smart dev managers see them as powerful tools that can lead to reduced delivery time, increased agility and quite frankly, a driver for accomplishing more with less. The benefits are shorter dev times, agility when it comes to modifying the applications, and creating process centric applications that map to the business. These platforms have evolved into a true “swiss army knife” of IT, and can be used as a plugin to provide solutions around all types of requirements. More on No/Low Code here: No/Low Code Platforms

Hybrid

The hybrid approach seems to be quite common, and many of the inquiries I see today involve organizations looking for BPM/BPA platforms to round out their existing inventory. Maybe they have a custom dev project where they need a workflow engine, or a data integration layer, and see the platform as a way to provide core capabilities. Perhaps they purchased an off the shelf app, and need to extend it, or wrap it with a more capable forms or reporting engine. To see how a hybrid strategy including BPM/BPA can impact an organization, see this post: BPM Benefits The true benefit of this hybrid strategy is that you can have all the benefits of the core BPM engine, and use extended capabilities through the APIs to add value to other existing apps or projects.

Just a quick overview of App Strategy observations. Comments?

08Mar

K2 Workflow

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Uncategorized

K2 Workflow – Blackpearl & Appit

Looking for information on K2 workflow/blackpearl/Appit? K2 workflow and BPM

inForm Decisions is a K2 partner, and can help with all your workflow and BPM needs. K2 has one of the most powerful workflow engines on the market, but the product goes way beyond just workflow. It is a Business Process Management Suite (BPM) comprised of workflow, forms, reports and a powerful data integration layer. With on-premise support and cloud-based BPM, it fits in any size business, regardless of budget or tech infrastructure. Read more about K2 blackpearl workflow below:

K2 Features

No code BPM and BPA platform

Forms, Workflow, Reports and Data Layers

Patented smartobject Data Integration

Drag and drop designers for workflow and forms

Workflow rules and business logic

K2 Benefits

Create efficiency and improve productivity

Enable citizen developers to build apps

Standardized and make repeatable processes

Integration with Oracle, Salesforce, SQL, SharePoint and more

Paperless accelerator

Eliminate manual process

K2 Use Cases

HR Onboarding

AP Routing and Workflow

Paper Forms Replacements

Purchase Order Process

Document Approvals

Document Routing

And much, much more

inForm Decisions is a K2 partner, and can provide additional information, K2 pricing and a tailored demo to show you the value of this software suite. Contact us today.

Workflow and Business Process Management

21Feb

The Gears of Process: Making Sense of the Business Process Acronyms

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Definitions for BPMP, BPMS and iBPMS

There is quite a bit of confusion within the Business Process Management (BPM) world, and much of it revolves around acronyms, and actually what defines a platform, a suite and intelligence. As companies look to bring workflow and process technology into their business operations, it can help to actually understand how the market is defined, and where to look for the right set of features and functions that will provide the required outcomes.

Increasing Capabilities of the BPM Stack

So, to start off in simple terms, there is a hierarchy of capabilities and features, that goes from basic to advanced. It starts at the ground level with the basic Business Process Management Platform, and climbs to the Suite, and then the Intelligent Suite. Below are some basic definitions and attributes:

What is a Business Process Management Platform?

The basic BPM platform is a set of tools (workflow, forms, data, reporting) that allows an organization to create digital process, and transform their businesses and compose process-centric applications. It provides a graphical design environment, and allows you to build out your processes. It includes storage for process metadata, and also an engine for executing process and managing business rules. An example of this type of application would be iWorkflow.

What is a Business Process Management Suite (BPMS)?

The BPMS lays a foundation for business and IT to collaborate throughout the design and execution of process. It houses all the features and benefits of the Platform, but the Suite adds a full compliment of tools and features to improve process and increase business agility. The Suite focuses on transformation and innovation, and typically adds no/low code application composition, as well as the ability to handle routine and non-routine work (case management). It provides robust reporting on process to create a feedback loop for continuous improvement. K2 fulfills this niche, as well as the next level. See K2 Workflow and BPM.

What is an Intelligent Business Process Management Suite (iBPMS)?

The iBPMS is at the apex application of the process world. Take all the benefits of the previously mentioned categories, and add enhanced and predictive analytics, process intelligence and enhanced process insight. The main purpose of the Intelligent Suite is to drive rapid improvement and process enhancement to achieve top levels of efficiency and productivity. The iBPMS also provides dynamic functionality to change process “on the fly”, for non-routine work. K2 meets all these needs: See K2 Workflow and BPM.

Inform Decisions carries both products, and can help any type of organization carve out their process needs. See our software here: Workflow Software.

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Other keywords: AS400 reports, iSeries spool file

29Dec

5 Business Resolutions for 2015: Easy Ways to Improve Efficiency and Raise Productivity

Written by Ken Kramer. Posted in Blog

Another year has passed, and they seem to go by so quickly. So what are you going to do in 2015 to make your business operate more efficiently? Here are some quick ways to improve your office productivity with document automation:

Scan your invoices. I feel for the Accounting Department. AP is the most paper laden operation in most businesses, and invoice processing is notoriously painful. Using an AP Automation process can really have an impact on an organization, and the cost savings can be huge. For more on the benefits, see our AP Automation and Invoice Processing Benefits.
Get rid of paper forms. Digital form technology has come down significantly in price, and can save costs and make collecting information a breeze. Pick a few forms in your HR department, and see the time savings, and saved costs. More on the benefits of digital forms here: Digital Forms Benefits
Create a digital workflow. It is amazing how many organizations still use the inbox/outbox on their desks. Moving paper through an organization for approvals can be painful. With digital workflow, you can check your inbox through a web browser, and process items with ease. Digital Workflow Solutions Info.
Implement a digital signature technology. Collecting signatures and approvals on a document can consume time and resources. A simple digital signature solution can easily help alleviate the hassle. Combined with forms or workflow, it can be a powerful tool in adding efficiency.
Archive your documents. The benefits of an electronic file cabinet solution are well documented, and can reduce the time required to find and distribute any document in the organization.

These are just a few solutions that can make your new year even more successful.