Pick a BPM vendor wisely to maximise results

For anyone thinking about adopting business process management (BPM) technology, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the early adopters are already ahead. The good news is that those lagging the early adopters can take advantage of the lessons learned, advancements in software and a more mature technology.

All of these things provide the opportunity to move beyond basic process automation, to improve processes quickly and improve agility significantly.

In the past five years, BPM software has evolved from workflow to more comprehensive pure-play BPM software that offers graphical process design, process automation, process monitoring and reporting capabilities for human-centric processes. It is this pure-play software that delivers strong results for organisations worldwide.

However, during the transition from workflow to pure-play, the enterprise application integration providers addressed the need for complex integration and automation of system-based processes; the business intelligence providers met corporate performance management needs; and the business process analysis vendors catered to organisations with more advanced process modelling and simulation needs.

Analyst firms are often good sources of independent information and opinions on vendor options, so use these services to gain advantage.

Trevor van Rensburg heads up the products business in DVT.

While all are critical to business success, this segmentation of the technology market now poses a challenge for buyers and IT organisations that need to buy multiple applications and then piece them all together. The result is a cost, time and maintenance headache.

To address this, several of the top pure-play BPM vendors have taken the lead in expanding their solutions to provide what has become known as a BPM suite. But choosing the right vendor to provide the best BPM suite requires research. It is an important part of implementing BPM as the selected vendor plays a significant role in maximising the impact of the technology on the business.

When identifying a shortlist of vendors, narrow the options by eliminating those who are not BPM suite providers. Many vendors market their products under the BPM umbrella, but only some have products that provide the depth required to institute true, effective full lifecycle process management throughout an organisation. For example, content management and middleware vendors may provide workflow in their offerings, but they are not true BPM companies and will not be able to provide a complete, proven BPM suite.

Once the playing field has been limited to those vendors who specialise in BPM, narrow the choices still further by evaluating each vendor`s market leadership position, performance, maturity and vision. Look for companies that have been in business for a while, have a strong customer base and consistently rate well in industry analyst research published by the top firms such as Gartner, Forrester and Butler. Analyst firms are often good sources of independent information and opinions on vendor options, so use these services to gain advantage.

Another key vendor assessment area is company performance. In today`s markets, company results are critical when considering an investment. Look for a seasoned management team, consecutive quarterly growth, profitability, customer acquisition rate, strategic partnerships and overall strategy. Look for a vendor that has an established, successful customer base; one that is growing and will continue to dominate the market. If international or multinational operations are important, look for a vendor with broad geographic reach and a presence in desired regions.

On the product side, expect to see clear direction from the vendor on maintaining technology excellence. Consider product maturity, the strength of the product roadmap and the vendor`s commitment to BPM software excellence and innovation.

Also consider the company`s involvement in industry initiatives that strive to strengthen the technology and market. At the very least, check customer references and results. Look for documented case studies and public displays of endorsement from customers. If a customer is willing to go out of their way to talk about the results, chances are the solution not only delivered results, but exceeded expectations.