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In an repost of an article from a couple years back, Robin Bloor provides some updated color on the state of BPM and SoA. It’s apparent that some of the other “B” buzz words have the same challenges that exist on the BSM front.

Things to ponder…

  • How can these projects with such touted value to the business or IT be successfully implemented?
  • Where are vendors falling short in helping “solve the organizational problems” that often cause these “B” projects to fail?
  • Is throwing technology/product at the problem the best place to start?
  • What should a next generation organizational structure look like? Can IT and Business organize around end-to-end business service/process delivery and support?
  • How can organizations be incented, encouraged, mandated to have an end-to-end business service/process focus?
  • Where success stories for BPM, SOA, BSM, BAM, etc. exist, how have these technologies been operationalized, organizations changed, workflow/process/procedure modified to reap the benefits?
  • Is it foolish to think that any of these organizational challenges can ever be solved or at least minimized?
  • Do we have generational issues here that will change as Baby Boomers retire and Gen X/Y/Z move up the ranks in IT and Business?

Give the post a read, I found these two very applicable to all of the things I’m seeing with BPM, BSM, BAM, etc.

Question 5: What are the most difficult steps within a BPM project – and what makes a SOA project tedious?

Answer: The most difficult steps within a BPM project are the early ones. The problem is cultural. As a fact of business history and IT history, all organizations are siloed. Hell, I know it’s a cliché and a platitude, but its also true. The siloed nature of organizations is ingrained. You have to get people to think end-to-end rather than silo. This means everyone, the business folk and the IT folk and any other folk who happen to be around. The IT folk are siloed too, you know. You need to “get their minds right” because with BPM you need cross-discipline teams who don’t indulge in turf wars.

As for SOA projects, I don’t believe one should even think in terms of implementing SOA as a project. SOA is a road and it’s a road that everyone will ultimately have to take, because it’s the road that the IT industry has already taken.

Is there anything tedious on this road? Yes there is; turf wars and inadequate technology.

Comment: It’s still true. It’s still the case that the cultural problems are the biggest block to SOA.

Question 6: What best practices do you recommend to organisations looking to initiate a BPM / SOA project?

I could write a book about this, in fact we did write a book; SOA for Dummies. So let’s just pick two things that I believe to be critically important:

Answer: Get sponsorship right from the top. There are many reasons why this is necessary, because SOA and BPM usually cause significant changes to an organization.
Also pick an easy first target. Make sure to go for low hanging fruit on the first project. You know what I mean, low risk, high benefit. You really don’t want the first project to stall in any way.

Comment: Now I would add, that you should look to implement comprehensive Identity Management as soon as possible and also go after coherent Asset management. The big note on the wall should read: “It’s the plumbing, stupid.”

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  • Aruna Yeddula

    coordination of third party applications into process and manipulation process related data is done by:

    a)RPC b)SOA c)BPM d)BAM

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