Article Contributed by Maricel Rivera
Everyday, new processes are emerging. And everyday, a good number of businesses, even those with already established protocols that have worked magnificently for a period of time, face process challenges that need to be promptly addressed to stay relevant in a competitive marketplace, customer-centric and staff-friendly while keeping a healthy bottom line.
Business process management, or BPM, isn’t new news. BPMInstitute.org, a peer-to-peer exchange platform for BPM professionals, asserts that BPM is a dynamic process and has, over the years, evolved – on the technology front, from standalone applications to workflow solutions to business process management suites (BPMS), and on the business side of the house, from total quality management to business process re-engineering and, finally, business process management.
Commercially off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms vs. adaptive solutions
The goal of BPM is not just process automation. It’s also about continuous innovation and process optimization. Software platforms that are commercially available off-the-shelf work just fine with zero or little tweaking provided your processes, say, your new hiring and onboarding protocols, don’t change much from one instance to another.
Considering the dynamic nature of most, if not all, business processes, this can be a limiting factor. What happens if a process change is warranted?
One significant weakness of packaged solutions or ready-made software is customization, particularly the lack or limited nature thereof. So when process changes happen or end-product specifications are updated, businesses are forced to consider any one of the following options to still meet their business obligations on time, on budget and as expected:
- Find and deploy a better software solution even if that means (a) ditching already existing systems, and (b) hours of staff and management training to familiarize everyone with the ins and outs of the new software.
- Build their own software.
- Commission the software vendor to make changes to the code.
- Hire coding experts to perform the needed changes.
Whichever choice they opt to employ entails possible project delays, additional expenses and, in the case of building their own software from scratch, a skilled IT team and a solid IT infrastructure.
On the other hand, adaptive solutions, like Comindware Tracker, are gaining a lot of traction and are largely being seen as replacement to “stiff” commercially off-the-shelf software. Some industry observers and practitioners agree that BPM will one day outplace traditional programming, especially in terms of rapid deployment of IT solutions.
Why choose adaptive BPM?
Aside from getting a packaged solution that’s based on industry research, with COTS, you’re entitled to vendor support whenever you run across issues and challenges while implementing the software.
In the case of proprietary software scratch-built in-house, you have the ability to design and create an application that meets your unique business protocols, which, unfortunately, is generally a costly proposition, considering the infrastructure and deep IT talent pool you have to have, plus the maintenance you will need to undergo from time to time.
Business process
BPM is a discipline that involves people, processes and philosophy. Adaptive BPM, mainly because of its ability to support customization at various stages of the business or workflow process, is like getting the best of both worlds. You get software support, and you’re awarded the ability to make changes to pre-built templates/solutions, sans the programming know-how, to adhere to current client or market demands.
People
Multitasking, they say, is a necessary evil modern-day workers are exposed to on a daily basis. Multitasking, however, results in execution errors and can trump information retention, problem solving and creativity. Adaptive BPM helps in multiple task management, and empowers your people in terms of real-time visibility and team collaboration.
Legacy tools
If your business has been operating for a while, chances are you already have system tools in place, like Outlook or SharePoint, for example. Adopting an adaptive BPM suite means keeping your legacy systems intact, data included, even being able to work in the same environment you and your staff are already familiar with while the BPM engine works silently in the background.
Conclusion
Working with commercially available software has its merits, but if your business processes are constantly changing, looking into a BPM solution that’s flexible enough to address your business needs without breaking the bank is a worthy exercise.
About the Author:
Maricel Rivera is a content writer for Comindware, a work management technology company providing easy-to-configure business process management software. Comindware Tracker, its flagship product, is an adaptive enterprise solution that comes with built-in process management templates that you can customize with drag-and-drop ease.