0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
BPM for Senior Managers, 2008-01-13
A must read for senior managers wanting to justify the long term commitment of moving towards business process oriented architectures.
Also a great source of inspiration for the ones that, like me, need to constantly educate customers on the benefits of BPM and Business-Process-oriented information platforms.
The core of the book is about the rebuttal of an article argued that IT was not longer a key differentiator. Through the book, they introduce BPM and are able to prove their cases. More than ever, IT is a source of strategic competitiveness to the organization.
Concepts discussed in this book:
*Time is moving responsibilities from IT to Business Analyst. The same happened with the Spreadsheet and now it will happen with the Business Process.
*Enterprise will have portfolios of business processes constantly analyzed for performance from different angles
*BPM is not automation since human interaction can not be automated.
*Processes cast in stone (CRM, ERP, etc) can be as much of a liability as an asset.
*BPM is to IT what CAD/CAM is for manufacturing
*IT shouldn't be the owner of the business process.
*BPM is digitizing the process as data was in the 90s
*IT will become a provisionary of Business Processes
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Replace IT with Architecture, 2003-09-22
Having browsed through both sides of the story, i have to say that Howard Smith and Peter Fingar do an excellent job bringing the importance of business processes to the forefront. In the systems of tomorrow, business processes will play an important role but that role has to be supported and realized by a sound architecture. IT in this context will be important but will perhaps assume a slightly different flavour.
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
An interesting monograph on the state of IT, 2003-09-17
Smith and Fingar present an interesting monograph on the current state, and future possibilities, of IT. Their premise is that IT, as we know it is over, Business Process Management (BPM) represents the next wave of corporate computing. They do a good job of defining IT but never do they adequately define BPM. We are told what it isn't; it's not data, it's not hardware or software, and it's not Web services. But what is it? It is loosely defined, first, as a value-chain that encompasses suppliers and then as the white space between the boxes on an organization chart (referencing Rummler's terrific book on managing process).
Regardless, I believe they make a valid argument. It's not how many servers you have, it's about how you're using the data and applications to make money and trounce the competition.
But Carr also makes valid arguments, after all, who screws things up like IT? Who would think that in this day and age we still have runaway IT projects and projects that lack business value? There is a dearth of business sense among IT managers and there are too many business managers who find computers a mystery and abdicate business decisions to IT managers.
At times the book becomes strident and takes on the spirit of a manifesto. The section on IT investments, and how they're going to soar again, references a science fiction writer and talk show host as sources. Later on, Smith and Fingar lament that Carr's article will destroy economic growth by giving CEOs justification for withholding IT investment. Perhaps the silver lining here is that vendors will offer products and services that add business value and IT and business managers will have to make solid business arguments to justify purchases.
What is implicit but not explicitly stated in this book or Carr's article is the importance of governance: businesses must articulate strategy and align IT with that strategy. Organizations must select and manage IT projects as business projects managed by capable and IT savvy business leaders and business savvy IT managers. This will distinguish those firms that can effectively utilize IT resources from those that cannot.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Plan Ahead, 2003-09-17
The examples and solutions within Fingar and Smith's book clearly illustrate that the future of business process exists within a framework that reaches beyond the box that now defines IT.
For any one that wants a glimpse into the bright future of e-commerce and the marriage of IT & Business, this is a must read.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
good information for business strategists, 2003-09-12
As anyone who is responsible for strategic IT planning can tell you, it's a new dawn in IT these days - especially as IT spending relates to improved business efficiencies and the bottom line. While Carr's HBR article is a simplistic and flawed interpretation of where IT is heading, Smith and Fingar present a well thought and presented, point by point analysis of, not only what is wrong with Carr's misguided vision, but also solutions offered by new directions in IT of paramount importance to strategic corporate management. A significant element of my company's competitive edge came from developing advanced business processes, so we are already up to speed on the directions towards business process management espoused by Smith and Fingar. I do, however, know of many examples of companies and organizations that might be looking for excuses to minimize their IT expenditures due to problems with previous flawed IT strategies and execution. For those companies, Carr's article might provide the perfect justification to retrench. This book, on the other hand, is for forward thinking strategists who are looking to optimize and innovate to maintain and improve their efficiency and competitive edge.