Where process isn’t a dirty word

I recently attended the Criminal Justice Management event in London and presented a panel discussion on the topic of process efficiency within UK government. The event schedule was quite varied, with subjects on Intelligence Led Policing, Enabling Communication through Interpretation and Translation Services, Improving Performance Management and Boosting Workforce Capability and powered by both process […]

Taking a look at Business Process Management: The Next Wave

These are crazy times for change, threatening to disrupt so much of what we’ve worked so hard to achieve over the past decades of information technology and business process. The toughest part of disruption is knowing that what took so much energy to figure out can be so quickly plowed under by something smarter, faster […]

Process is data and data is process

We’re a funny lot. For years we’ve been talking about data and process as though they were two different things. Guess what…they’re not. Process involves the activities of getting work done and data both describes process and is also the beginning and end points of work. We consume data in processes and we produce data […]

Don’t should all over your next BPM project

Recent research has shown that there is a simple method to vastly improve the chance that people will do what you want. For the moment I’ll hold off on what that is, because the story starts way before this. To get a BPM project right, a few things need to happen. Challenge 1: Capture and […]

I am a weirdo. I don’t belong here.

…that’s right. I don’t belong here. In fact, what the hell am I doing here? Before you jump to the wrong conclusions, those aren’t my words. You’ll know whose words they are in just a minute. But before that, I want to spend a moment to talk about something that seems to be (but probably […]

Continuous improvement that actually works

Cloud technology continues to transform the way business is done. It has had an impact on the way software is bought and sold but also on the quality of software itself. A true cloud offering, as opposed to a hosted version of an on-premise solution, makes it easier than ever for software companies to focus […]

Is it even possible to design intelligent process?

Earlier today, I read something that made me snort on my afternoon coffee. Not just because it was funny, but because, to me it had some additional insight that I thought was worth sharing with you, especially when you think about Intelligent Processes and how they can be crafted for a BPM initiative. Here it […]

How could anyone confuse BPM and event processing?

I know, right? How could anyone make that mistake? The fact is that more than a few corners of the marketplace know very little about the difference between BPM (business process management) and what’s typically called CEP (complex event processing). These two concepts are very different and understanding those differences in today’s business climate will […]

Anti-fragile business has intelligent processes

Everywhere you look, the tech world is buzzing about cloud, social, mobile, Big Data, wearables, and more. Each, on its own, represents a challenge to today’s organizations. In combination, they become a daunting mix of architecture land mines and confusing hype—and in many cases, they’re ominous signs of looming disruption. Organizations that aren’t concerned are […]

The peanut butter and chocolate that will change your world

The following was co-written with Successful Workplace editor Chris Taylor.  Last week former Gartner über analyst Jim Sinur published a blog that quietly introduced perhaps the biggest sea change coming in technology: the blending of business events (data about what’s happening in real-time) with highly dynamic business process engines to create very, very fast sense […]

Don’t punish me for using your process

I just had a 2 and a half hour hole blown in what had started out as a massively productive day. Indeed, I’m so frustrated as I write that I’m going to grab a quick bite and try to squeeze in a run during lunch hour.  Here’s the story and here’s why it matters for […]

Be much more efficient by defining your org’s work habits

How often do we think about the way we usually operate at work? Whether we’re performing an informal five-step process for evaluating a new proposal, or setting priorities for managing our time, how often do we think about consistency and efficiency? Our ability to improve the ways we do things depends on defining and shaping […]

Shifting sands — BPM’s business outcome versus its sales pitch

Over the years a constant theme is that the ROI of a BPMS implementation or BPM approach is one of the trickiest to pin down and prove. Whilst you can calculate hard efficiency and headcount benefits (which is always the wrong way to solely measure and plan for BPM success) there are a myriad of intangible benefits […]

A different type of shark encounter

If you have been bitten by the process bug, like me, then you always see parallels between business, process, and everyday life. It drives my wife, mother, and friends crazy, but I always see them, and it is usually in the context of how I can make the process better at the airport, church, restaurant, […]

Standard operating procedures can make you more flexible

Most people think standard operating procedures are a strait jacket that limits their flexibility. Yet in our increasingly complex world of work, with so many possible decisions and steps, clever use of standards can liberate. They can actually make it easier to tailor customer experiences at low cost. Consider how standards are helping the Cleveland Clinic, rated one […]

Making a case for enterprise case management

Your processes are in a mess. You have no idea how much work actually comes into the organization. You want to invest in a Case Management tool but just don’t know where to begin. The vendors all pitch forward with suggestions and want a few coins for a decent licence sale so it makes sense […]