UPDATED: The recession has forced software vendors to focus on one metric, return on investment (ROI), Matthew Calkins, CEO of Appian, told InternetNews.com. He added that business process management (BPM) is designed to deliver on that metric.
BPM software is designed to give employees access to data in order to help them make decisions, Calkins said. “Optimally, BPM is informed action. It is coupled with data and the comprehension of data. It is coordinated and inclusive. It is not just open to a few wonks.”
Businesses already coordinate processes through e-mail. “I like to say that e-mail is the most successful BPM product on earth because that’s how people actually handle business processes,” Calkins said.
E-mail has many flaws. “You don’t know who failed to take the handoff in an exchange. It’s hard to close systems.”
E-mail also has strengths. “Everyone’s on e-mail and you can always include somebody new. BPM has every other advantage.”