In a previous Upside Update, Upside Research marked 2004 as the year to watch BPM. A notable development that substantiates this prediction is the decision by the Business Process Management Group (BPMG) to boost its presence in the U.S.
The Business Process Management Group (founded in 1992) is a global business club exchanging ideas and best practice in business process and change management. BPMG has over 6,500 members across all business sectors. Through case studies, seminars and research they provide members with the opportunity to interact with BPM vendors and learn about the latest developments in the market.
“We feel that the demand is there [in the US] for more research, data, and training on BPM,” stated Stewart Ashton, chairman of the board of BPM Ventures, the company that owns BPMG, in a recent interview. Ashton outlined BPMG’s plans for increasing its presence here in the states, and launching a BPM training program, that will include a certification process and working to establish working standards for BPM design and development
Currently, BPMG is establishing a Boston-based office in Burlington and has several training and ‘Technology Showcase’ events planned in North America. In addition their training team is providing direct support for organizations seeking certification in BPM.
BPMG’s arrival on US soil joins the ranks of a number of existing resources for companies in the throes of BPM initiatives. One of the primary benefits of these types of forums is its ability to connect users with other users that have experienced or are experiencing similar situations relating to BPM initiatives. From the vendor side, these resources provide a targeted audience to deliver their messages, and are thus supported by numerous BPM vendors.
Upside Take
While BPMG’s addition to the list of resources for a BPM user is a positive impact on the BPM scene, the idea of organizing a BPM certification program is a more important one, because it relates to another trend Upside Research has seen in recent months. Many of the companies we have spoken with who are currently implementing BPM are approaching their IT staff in a new business-focused light.
When selecting IT members to assist with a BPM rollout, managers often look for business-process skills. In fact, a few of the companies we’ve recently interviewed have shared that their current and future open requisitions for IT hires require a business-related background to ensure that business goals are reflected in IT development projects.
BPM is one of the most likely areas to benefit from this fusion of business and IT acumen. A challenge for many companies, however, is finding ways to help their existing IT staff acquire more business-focused skills prior to launching a corporate-wide BPM initiative. Upside Research believes that the training program BPMG has outlined is a good fit for these companies. Sending IT to training that will help them broaden their business process skills while also teaching fundamentals of good BPM design and best practices will help ensure that a corporate BPM initiative starts off on the right foot.
