The Insider's Guide to Business and IT Agility
By Zygmunt Jackowski, PhD, BPM Specialist, Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Afffairs , 04/16/2006
Print this article
Email this article
Talk Back!
Write to Editor
A ferry named “Enterprise”
Let me begin with the following (not-so) fictional story: IT and Business
camps have been co-operating from the opposite banks of the same river for
decades. They make a decent living by ferrying customers from one side to
the other by co-owned ferry that they have aptly named ‘Enterprise’. Even
though the ferry looks pretty modern and is described on the enterprise
Web-site as ‘customer oriented’ it doesn’t take a consulting guru to
envisage what benefits would be delivered to both the customers and the
service providers if only both camps managed to design and build a decent
bridge across the river. In fact why such a bridge hasn’t been built yet is
murky waters for many industry visionaries not mentioning scores of bridge
and enterprise architects.
In recent years the pressure has mounted even higher as many inconvenienced customers have got a hold of Enterprise ownership (which is now publicly listed) and simply demand it to provide them with yet higher dividends by designing and building what they don’t even call a bridge any more – but an integrated super-system connecting all aspects of the re-designed Enterprise and the World beyond while maintaining client-centric approach. Still, a good ferryman who understands what’s going on at both sides of the river and knows how to get through the currents is in higher demand than ever before.
Reality Check
Steering back to reality – there have been numerous attempts to achieve
business-IT alignment in the course of the so called end-to-end development
methodologies, but none of them really succeeded. Using our metaphor they
have brought about friendly hand-waving of campers on the two opposite
river banks with none of them really inclined to pay a visit to the others.
In recent years the focus of the discussion has moved to more of the
paradigm shift with each side (this time represented by BPM and SOA teams)
claiming that they are better positioned to manage the required change.
I will approach the problem posed in the title by asking two auxiliary
questions:
My answer to both of the questions above is ‘No’ and I will describe the reasons for that below. This means that without discrediting all the advantages that BPM/SOA approach brings with it (a list of which one can find on BPM/SOA Web-site of their choice) we are still not any closer to resolving the issue of bridging business-IT divide and I will provide main reasons for it in the last part of the article.
About the Author
Dr Zygmunt Jackowski is a System Innovation Staff Member of DIMA (Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) with several years of international experience in IT industry. He specializes in methodology and architecture disciplines as perceived from both business and IT perspectives. His research and publications include Extreme System Analysis, Agile Business Process Modelling and Enterprise Architecture. You can contact him at zygmunt.jackowski@immi.gov.au.
More by Zygmunt Jackowski, PhD1
ROUNDTABLE: Stretch Your Budget with smart SOA Governance-A Look at Successful Case Studies
ROUNDTABLE: Open Source Market Update
Insurance: Explore how SOA & BPM are driving down expenses and improving ROI
BPM VIEWPOINT: Are You Asking Yourself the Hard Questions about BPM in Today's Economy? 
BPM VIEWPOINT: Does Oracle/Sun Mean It's a Horse Race for BPM?
Managing Case Management Within BPM
BPM VIEWPOINT: How Do You Look at BPM?
When It Comes to BPM Type, It All Depends on You
BPM VIEWPOINT: Does Case Management Fill in the Gaps in the BPM Spectrum?
ebizQ is very interested in what you have to say. To contribute an article, an opinion, or to become a blogger, please contact Peter Schooff.
You need Adobe Flash Player 9 to view this widget.
June 3, 2009
One of the most compelling trends in the enterprise business technology space over the past year has been the emergence of cloud computing. In ebizQ’s upcoming Qcamp virtual un-conference, leading industry experts and practitioners will explore the role of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process management (BPM) in supporting cloud-computing initiatives. Additionally, the new skills that developers and IT managers need for successful cloud development will be discussed.Register
Date: Aug 26, 2009
Time: 12:00 PM
ET- (16:00 GMT)
Date: Sep 30, 2009
Time: 12:00 PM
ET- (16:00 GMT)
Date:Aug 26, 2009
Time:12:00 PM
ET- (16:00 GMT)
Date:Sep 30, 2009
Time:12:00 PM
ET- (16:00 GMT)
This White Paper seeks to help you maximize the overall benefit your organization will see from a Service Oriented Architecture.
Download Now
In part two of Joe McKendrick's recent podcast with Miko Matsumura, chief strategist for Software AG, they talk about how SOA and IT systems need to change and grow and adapt with the organization around it.
Listen Now
Phil Wainewright interviews David Vap, VP of products at RightNow Technologies, and finds out how sharing best practices can help businesses understand how best to engage with online communities.
Listen Now
Scott Hebner, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy for IBM Rational, discusses a topic on the top of every company's mind today: getting the most from IT investments.
Listen Now
In BI, this tough economy and the increasing role of Web 2.0 and MDM are certainly topics on people's minds today. WiseAnalytics' Lyndsay Wise addresses each of them in this informative podcast.
Listen Now
Deepak Singh, President and CTO of Adeptia, joins ebizQ's Dennis Byron in a podcast that gets its hand around the trend of industry-specific BPM.
Listen Now
From Dennis Byron: For BPM to fit at the top of the stack, it can't merely support workflow or integration. It needs to integrate the BI aspects of the stack, too. Learn More
In the insurance industry, companies have accepted that systems, strategies and data all developed in silos are making it difficult for them to grow and adjust to today’s market demands. The obstacles imposed by siloed approaches are painfully obvious to companies as they try to gain a better understanding of their customers and meet the growing constraints imposed by compliance and regulatory requirements. Leveraging industry standards with full data integration is one was to tackle this challenge. Learn More
From Dennis Byron: Is it better to choose one strain of BPM over another? The answer is unique to your organization. Learn More
Can decision management really deliver costs savings, agility and happy customers on a consistent basis? Learn More
From Dennis Byron: BPM products optimized for case management might be the products that bridge the extremes in my view of the BPM spectrum. Learn More
Integrating BPM and CEP gives you intelligent business processes that can react to rapidly changing business conditions with continuous visibility. Learn More
Insurers need to think about creating "true linkage," which means linking business strategy to process to IT investments and thereby setting the foundation for true change. Learn More
To be effective, business intelligence technology must work behind the scenes to deliver relevant information when, where, and how it's needed. Learn More
A lot of people are talking about Enterprise 2.0 as being the business application of Web 2.0 technology. However, there's still some debate on exactly what this technology entails, how it applies to today's business models, and which components bring true value. Some use the term Enterprise 2.0 exclusively to describe the use of social networking technologies in the enterprise, while others use it to describe a web economy platform, or the technological framework behind such a platform. Still others say that Enterprise 2.0 is all of these things. Learn More
Smart event processing can help your company run smarter and faster. This comprehensive guide helps you research the basics of complex event processing (CEP) and learn how to get started on the right foot with your CEP project using EDA, RFID, SOA, SCADA and other relevant technologies. Learn More
Hi Johan,
thank you for such prompt response.
I...
Phil,
It appears that Google is looking at the world...
We see every possible level of SOA governance from those...
I believe work has been done in this area privately for some time....
I wonder if BPM has become more popular because many solutions...
We are looking for a FileNET admin/developer in Houston, TX. The...
As we see more companies consider the cloud we should be...
Scott,
I agree that process management is good way for...
The device sounds very good for physicians. It is vital to know...
|
|
|
|
