Lots of news this week -- Pegasystems Inc.'s update of its SmartBPM Suite, and webMethods, Inc.'s Fabric version 7.0, among other items covered at the ebizQ site.
But I think the news of the greatest immediate value to those of you involved in BPM was Apple Computer, Inc.'s new iPhone -- and the company's dropping of the word "Computer" from its own name. What do these have to do with BPM? Well, Apple's iPhone had been grist for the rumor mill for more than two years. Heck, Cisco Systems, Inc. was already selling another product with the same name, and has filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against Apple after claiming an inabilty to reach amicable terms with the "former" computer company. And yet, Apple wowed even skeptical observers, by delivering more than was expected, even by the most optimistic acolytes. And the name change simply acknowledges the obvious and inevitable. Apple doesn't sell "computers," really. Even its Macintosh systems aren't just computers. They are marketed as life enhancers, and accepted and embraced as such.
If you're gonna succeed with BPM, you've gotta do two things. You've gotta deliver more than even the most hardened skeptics expect, and you've gotta sell. To expand on the hints I've been dropping about the importance of communications to BPM success in earlier outings, herewith, some thoughts on promoting BPM. (We'll spend more time on setting and exceeding expectations in the near future, I promise.)
Whether you are planning, building, or managing BPM initiatives -- and especially if you're in the early stages of such endeavors -- you will need to "market" and "sell" your efforts. You will need senior-executive support "from above," and buy-in among users and line-of-business decision-makers "from below." This means you're going to have excel not only in IT and BPM, but in Sales/Marketing 101:
1. Know what the customer wants and needs.
2. Deliver it in ways that meet or exceed customer needs and expectations.
3. Repeat.
As with anything related to BPM, this will require processes grounded in a clear, goal-oriented context. Fortunately, we at RFG happen to have one, referred to as our "P7" model or "the seven Ps." These are elements critical to the success of any strategic business or IT initiatives, based on the experiences of RFG clients and other companies. The seven Ps, listed alphabetically, are:
* People;
* Planning;
* Platforms;
* Portfolios;
* Processes;
* Products (and services); and
* Projects.
If every candidate BPM initiative addresses these points proactively, marketing and selling those initiatives will be a lot easier, because influencers and observers will see their concerns reflected in the planned effort, and become stakeholders. At least some will, anyway. Others will take a few repetitions of the cycle, but that's another way to look at the building of trust, another critical success factor with BPM and other similarly strategic initiatives.
How to apply this framework? Well, the most simple way is to look at each of the seven Ps, and come up with relevant, focused questions about each category and BPM at your particular organization. The questions you and your colleagues come up with, as well as the priority of importance assigned to each and its answer(s), will help you do everything from assessing BPM opportunities to developing metrics for evaluating the results of those opportunities you pursue.
To help you get started, you should check out the RFG Research Note "From Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs) to Business-Oriented Architectures" in the ebizQ Analyst Corner. That Note includes some sample business and IT issues related to BPM, and organized according to the seven Ps. I'd be thrilled to hear whether you find any or all of this useful (and/or entertaining), and especially if you have validating or contradictory real-life experiences to share (anonymously or with attribution). So try letting the seven Ps be your guide to beginning or furthering your journey into the often-remarkable world of BPM marketing and sales, and let me know how the trip is going.
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