Wouldn't you Adam and Eve it? A Leap into the BPM Blogosphere

Think BPM lacks romance? Not according to one of this month's top bloggers as PEX Network's Sam Miranda looks at the best of the BPM blogosphere.

Urban Dictionary - the web’s crude, ‘unofficial’ definitions portal - delivers an unsavoury verdict on the term blogosphere: "Imagine a million lunatics wandering the streets mumbling to themselves. Write it all down and put it on the web. Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a blogosphere."

The PEX Network is pleased to say that BPM bloggers are exempt from this sweeping denunciation.

2013 has given rise to a whole host of process predictions; many technology grounded, others more left field and philosophical.

Business Process Management in 2013: Mobile and More

Theo Priestly at BPM Redux presents an interview with Mac McConnell, VP of Marketing at Bonitasoft. On the back of recession, McConnell anticipates "a new era of municipal, federal and potentially global regulation" which will ensure that "compliance and audit trails are the buzzwords of the day." Data acquisition, archival management, data security and financial accounting practices all demand stringent compliance, and will inevitably lead to a review of processes.

McConnell goes on to identify mobile, social and big data as disruptive technologies.

Mobile, with its ability to revolutionise user experience, poses the biggest challenge to BPM vendors as they seek to tweak process design. On top of acknowledging mobile capabilities such as account location and geo-fencing, mobile BPM technology needs to stretch beyond task approvals and notifications, whilst dealing with the security risk of BYOD (bring your own device). Compulsive blogger Scott Francis, Chief Technology Officer of BP3, approaches it from an end-user angle, sharing his thoughts on the successful integration of Mobile BPM into your enterprise.

The second of these technologies, social, is addressed by Mark Pearson in the Harvard Business Review. Pearson’s rhetoric is a little convoluted – he talks about how social tools "can make the process of process management much more nimble" – but his overarching point is a veritable one. Social media can deliver actionable insights, which in turn can drive customer relations. Pearson cites the case of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, who launched a social media campaign. All the customers who engaged with its Twitter and Facebook pages were surprised with personalised gifts at the airport.

Adam Deane Talks Adam and Eve

You’d forgive BPM related literature for lacking romance, but Adam Deane’s insight proves that there’s some poetry in process. Adam uses a "boy meets girl" analogy to convey the vendor / end-user dynamic, the challenge of implementing BPM into an organisation and achieving stakeholder buy-in, and finally the evolutionary side of process development.

Speaking of evolution, the "Process Ninja" Craig Reid embeds a video of BPM expert Steve Towers in his latest update. Steve dates the principle of scientific management back to 1911, and identifies three schools of thought over the last 20 years: BPM as a set of I.T. systems, BPM which looks at the world "inside out" (Lean and Six Sigma), and enterprise BPM or "outside in." He goes on to explain the CEM Method – a customer-centric approach to BPM. If you’re looking for a succinct overview, or simply craving a dose of process nostalgia, it’s a worthwhile watch.

BPM in a Broader Sense

Ian Gotts, Vice President at TIBCO Software, dissects a critical process in the retail sphere. When looking at customer service and experience, retailers tend to neglect the role of check-out and delivery. Ian cites a humorous Google video, which explains how a protracted check-out process can destroy customer confidence. A multi-channel retailer can revitalise the brick-and-mortar side of the business by offering a "click and collect" option, where the consumer can identify a physical location to pick up their product:

Next up is VP of R&D at Fujitsu, Keith Swenson. He goes some way to smashing the status-quo, arguing that rigid I.T. systems and parameters – what he refers to as "Business Process Monoculture" - can actually damage an organisation’s flexibility and responsiveness. Swenson cites his own experience ordering a Samsung Galaxy SIII, where a new model had to be despatched because he wanted to change the billing method. His slick style and anecdotal approach makes for a refreshing read. Is Swenson’s blog a legitimate critique of BPM, or just an age-old grievance against corporate bureaucracy? You decide.

And finally, the colourful Max J.Pucher translates his experience "drifting" alongside a former-Finnish rally car pro into a life mantra. Think of his post as Scott F. Fitzgerald meets Too Fast Too Furious…

Until next time, BPM blogosphere.

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