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A lot of business process management (BPM) software descends from integration
server software. Because of this, BPM is often perceived as being "lower
on the stack" (see illustration) than applications software such as ERP,
CRM, enterprise content management (ECM) and collaborative products. That is not
just a comment on my PowerPoint drawing technique; the perspective of being lower
on the stack typically means such software should be "hidden away" in
the server closet, or visible only on the desk of a guy with a screen full of
green C code.
There is an alternate view (refer back to illustration). Decades-old document/imaging
management and other workflow-related products are just as much BPM as those
products with BPM in their names.
In addition, SAP's R/3 and the heritage Oracle application suite have very
powerful workflow capabilities built in but in effect only available to consultants
and others "in the know." Back in the 1990s, SAP's development staff
thought it had already figured out and wired in every possible business process
set. SAP said that there were 8000 such sets. When 8000 turned out to be a gross
underestimate, the need spawned integration server software which led to today's
BPM products.
The Business View of the Stack
Now the cycle is coming around again. The ERP/etc. players want back in the
BPM game. A recent IT Investment Research survey found agreement among all types
of BPM software suppliers (see Table). Both workflow functionality and the modeling/integration
features associated with BPM products with BPM in their names should be thought
of as being at the top of the stack.
Table. Comparing heritage of BPM software suppliers
The ultimate proof of course is that the heritage ERP/etc. suppliers to whom
I spoke have now exposed their workflow and integration features to everyone,
not just those "in the know." And many of these providers are willing
to sell you these capabilities even if you do not purchase their applications.
The best example of that mindset change is SAP. The ERP giant says limiting
BPM to a part of the software stack "automatically means limiting its potential
for real business impact." Business-process-set thinking starts outside
of software, SAP says, and on the business level. Things you should consider
include organization, cost, resources, rules, information, but still, of course,
transaction processing functionality. This view is consistent with the classic
ASAP World Consultancy books about R/3 from the mid 1990s. But SAP, via NetWeaver
and its features, now also works outside the SAP ecosystem. SAP suggests next-generation
BPM will also need to not only look at and react to the past (via built in analytics)
but also help drive the enterprise's and supply chain's future (via built-in
simulation).
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