This Wednesday is the ebizQ "BI in Action" Virtual Conference (for which you should register now, if you have not done so already). In the run-up to that event, I thought I would take on in this space and the "BI in Action" blog some of what I consider the "big issues" regarding to and relating BPM and BI. Herewith, one of those – why BPM needs BI to deliver maximum business benefit and value. (My thoughts on why BI needs BPM, conveniently enough, can be found along with the musings of some of my learned ebizQ BI blogmates at the aforementioned "BI in Action" blog.)
There are several key elements in the "life cycle" management of business processes. These include, but need not be limited to, capture, definition, development, management, prioritization, refinement/revision, and retirement. Success with each of these elements requires decisions based upon comprehensive, focused, and timely information about the business – in other words, effective, timely BI.
BPM also needs BI to know what to do next. That is to say, beyond the elements listed above, those responsible for BPM should always be looking forward a bit further than the nearest, hottest fire. BI is similarly intended to help business decision-makers to address both immediate and longer-term situations and opportunities. If BPM is to become and remain both responsive and proactive, it needs ways to become informed by and about any significant ripples or shifts on the BI front. (For example, if there should be changes in the information streams and/or processes supporting BI efforts, those changes may require and/or instigate changes in how other business processes are managed, organized, and/or used.)
Perhaps most crucial, though, is BPM's need for BI to provide meaningful context for BPM. BPM is both an end in and of itself, and a means to an end. The self-referential end for BPM is to optimize the ability to manage processes across their life cycles. But what good is that, beyond providing some limited kind of validation and/or gratification, if it doesn't serve the larger goals of the business? I'll take that one myself: no good at all.
BI, ideally, provides the context within which BPM takes on meaning and business value. At some enterprises, in fact, the BPM-BI relationship has become bi-directional. Input and feedback from BPM efforts are considered part of the BI information stream, just as BI increasingly informs BPM decisions and processes. (I'm resisting strongly the temptation to refer to BPM-focused processes as "meta-processes," but I'm sure you'll let me know if I should or should not continue said resistance.)
It is therefore incumbent upon everyone focused primarily on BPM to expand that focus to include BI. Ideally, that focus-expansion effort has already begun. Whether it has or not, this Wednesday's BI in Action Virtual Conference provides an ideal opportunity to step up your efforts to maximize the business value of every investment you make in BPM and in BI. Start by registering, and make sure to attend the keynote Webinar, "Business Intelligence: Driving Business Performance," as well as the follow-up presentation, "The Current State of the Business Intelligence Market." These will prepare you to intensify your BPM and BI efforts – and for the sure-to-be-lively panel discussion, "The Role of BI in BPM and SOA." I'll have more to say about that panel tomorrow, in my discussions of the other big issue relating BPM and BI – how best to link and integrate them. Meanwhile, though, make sure you register for and attend Wednesday's "BI in Action" Virtual Conference!
Michael Dortch has been an analyst, 'information entrepreneur,' speaker, and writer about IT and 'the real world" for the past 30 years. After almost 10 years at the Robert Frances Group (RFG), Michael begins a new position with Aberdeen Group in September.
Dennis Byron is an analyst with ebizQ, focusing on Open Source Software as well as Business Process Management technologies.
