SAPERION Blog

“I’ve already documented my processes graphically in my drawing tool, so how can I import and run it in your workflow system?” Manufacturers of workflow-management and business process management systems have been fielding this question and others like it since the early 1990s. Continuing with the theme of my initial article BPM Round-Trip Engineering – Vision and Reality, I would like to walk through a short but specific example to explain why turning a graphically documented process model into an executable process is not as easy as you might think. Exporting a process from a common drawing tool into a workflow engine shouldn’t be so hard, right? If we assume that we’re working according to an interoperability standard, then the devil – as they say – is in the details.

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AIIM proclamed the 28th of October as the paperless day, the WoW-day. There will be lots of web meetings and real live meetings as well. The aim is to awake everybody to think about where better to use electronic documents instead of paper. These are the just mentioned possiblities:

1. Use document scanners to convert paper documents to electronic format through document scanning then shred them – if allowed by law and industry – and send the shredded paper for recycling
2. Do not print or copy any documents unless absolutely required. Send all documents via e-mail or electronic fax as the preferred method to your customers.
3. If you do have to print, be sure to spell/grammar check before you print to eliminate reprinting. Also, try saving or printing to PDF instead. (more…)

Dan’s point is that rewarding performance mostly doesn’t work and often leads to worse performance. For tasks that are simple and straight-forward and require no creativity or cognitive skills, extrinsic motivation works fine and promising people rewards for good performance increases performance. But as soon as a task requires even rudimentary cognitive skills, performance decreases if you offer performance rewards. And the larger the reward, the worse the performance.

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Usually, I am pretty positive about a bunch of people meeting up and deciding about how to make the (software) world a better place. Particularly if this bunch includes me! I was devastated though, to be part of the DLM Forum’s spring meeting this year. Not only did I see my concerns about the future of MoReq2 confirmed, but I had to learn that now we have another bunch of people who are working to make MoReq2010 the RM standard that could (or would, or should? Whatever.). Now, this in itself is not news anymore, as others have brokered information like this to the general public much sooner.

The (comparatively new) news is that the new standard will -of course- be incompatible with the old one: (more…)

Most of you will have heard something about Business Rule Engine by now, some more, some less. When I talk to people about it, they are usually quite interested, listen to me talking about the general idea, a little about the programming concepts involved and how we plan to make it a future feature of SAPERION. After I stop for a moment to catch my breath, I am usually told the following:”That is all very interesting, what a nice concept, we might see more of that in some future, BUT, why would “I” need a Rule Engine?” After working in this field for over a year now, I have seen a lot of examples (some closer to reality than others), exchanged ideas with other professionals and even had a few of my own.

In this post I would like to share a couple of them with you.

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I am not sure if this has been happening more often than once in the past (haven’t checked older versions of the graphic), but since last year, the Real Story Group has added complexity to their content technology vendor subway map. Not only are more vendors covered (though SAPERION still seems to be the only German ECM vendor – at least at a quick glance), no, new lines have been built (SharePoint Add-ons), and others have been re(de)fined.

Two thoughts strike me about this image – one is dealing with the overall market, the other is, well, somewhat related to the presentational choice itself. (more…)

As mentioned in my yesterday post I began to work through the brand new book “Mastering the Unpredictable“. I got attraced my attention for this book during my research actvities about the new wordings which are around the BPM area since the beginning of 2009.

This book is published by Keith Swenson, WfMC Technical Committee Chairman, foreword by Connie More, BPM Eexpert of Forrester Research. The single chapters are written by different authors, all of them participants of the Thougth Leader’s Summit of the Workflow Management Coalition in Maidenhead England in November 2009. Each of them are pioniers in the field of matering the unpredictable, as Max J. Pucher mentioned in former posts.

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Does the Workflow puts into a Straitjacket?

Critics of workflow systems often cite a lack of flexibility within implemented paths. These concerns do not refer to an administrator’s ability to quickly adapt. Instead, they refer to a user’s inability to make changes after adapting to the current situation. Such changes may include the hiring of additional people, for example. According to this argument, creative people are placed into straitjackets that prevent them from fully realizing their potential.

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As posted sometimes more the BPM fanclub became more and more aware that the predominant part of the staff work has no predictable chains of tasks. At the end of a case, surely,  it looks like a process. But looking to the history fo all of the finished process instances you will get the image as the result of a processing mining of the pioneer Wil van der Aalst shown below.

Process Mining with Edge Filtering (Source: Van der Aalst)

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Daniel O'Leary

Daniel O’Leary wrote in a blog about our reservations in using digital signatures and let us wake up from our lethargy. He is the Vice President of Global Solutions for LincWare LLC , an electronic forms and document assembly company that specializes in replacing paper forms with dynamic, electronic forms that integrate with a wide variety of ECM systems. He is an AIIM Ambassador, and active member of the Los Angeles chapter.

His statements are:

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1 — The law is on your side.

Digital signatures are as legally binding as a physical, hand-written signature in every circumstance where a signature is required. The E-SIGN law and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act are supported by the federal government and have been adopted by 47 states.

It clearly states “(c) If a law requires a record to be in writing, an electronic record satisfies the law” with the purpose “to facilitate and promote commerce and governmental transactions by validating and authorizing the use of electronic records and electronic signatures.” Further refinements by the EU, PIPEDA and the FDA recommend making sure the signature is unique to the signer, and that the signer’s identity is linked to the document. When combined with good governance and unalterable file formats, you can easily met the guidelines for legality. (more…)