UK-based Bloor Research has made its annual review of the business process management (BPM) market available for download on its web site (as with the ebizQ Gold Club, you have to join the Bloor community to get the report but there is no fee to join).
I like the positioning terminology Bloor uses ("BPM is a holistic management practice") almost as much as I like my own mantra ("BPM is a value proposition"). Both statements make the point that BPM is not a technology or a product set. I also like the statement that all the arguments over platform, whether rules engines should be separate, BPEL, and so forth are "missing the point." You just need the tool that best does the job for you.
However as I've said elsewhere I don't like quadrants, and waves and now bullseyes because everyone's either in the upper right, or not wiped out, or in the case of the Bloor bullseye, almost in the inner circle. Both Atul Saini of Fiorano (post to come) and Ismael Ghalimi of Intalio (see this post) have told me recently that they offer a different value proposition than BPM. So I wonder why they were were included on the bullseye and Microsoft and SAP were not (the two software industry leaders are mentioned in the report)?
Somehow TIBCO and SoftwareAg get listed as "BPM specialists," apparently Bloor's version of pureplay. That's selling both companies short; I presume that it's because TIBCO and Software Ag acquired Staffware and WebMethods years ago (but even the acquirees weren't pureplays). I also think there are dozens of other specialists and stack providers that deserve a look-see.
Anyways, it's a good read and a different perspective. My year-end lookback and lookahead at BPM are here and here, respectively. I admit I am not always right (although my wife says I think I am) so look at some other views such as Bloor's.
-- Dennis Byron
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