Mind, Body—Business?
Hence, the right EA platform can serve as the brains and visual sense of the organization.
Thinking and Rationalization
Once we have the big picture of the opportunities and risks facing us, we still are faced with making decisions and choices—what to prioritize, how and when to take action and what approach we are going to take in our actions. The ability to contemplate various scenarios and figure out how to proceed is a critical element of our day-to-day interactions with the world around us. Growing up, we are taught to think before we act—a mantra that is sometimes elusive in business.
In business, thinking through actions is even more complex than in our personal lives because in business we rely on many people to make decisions across a vast array of disciplines. How do organizations ensure that each person makes the best decision—not only for his or her focus area but for the overall good of the enterprise?
One effective approach is to provide everyone with the same basis of information and scenario evaluation tools from which to work. Business process analysis (BPA) software provides this foundation by allowing each individual to evaluate the big picture provided by the EA framework, focus in on the processes that affect them and use built-in process simulation and optimization algorithms to evaluate multiple scenarios and determine the best course of action. BPA software accelerates the decision-making cycle while at the same time maximizing the likelihood of the decision having the desired outcome. In addition, each decision then has the power to improve the overall process and help the organization move closer to an optimized state. The tie of BPA to EA is essential to ensure that the big-picture foundation of information on which decisions are evaluated remains current as internal and external factors change, thus allowing those changes to be immediately factored into plans and decisions.
Just as we need to be alert at all times and think before we act at any given moment, so too does an organization—and BPA enables an organization to think and rationalize as a more cohesive unit to ensure that when action is taken, it is the right action. BPA essentially synchronizes the thought process for the entire organization.
Doing and Actions
If our brains were not tied to the rest of our body, our intelligence and thought processes could not be translated into action and our movements and speech would be random and without real purpose.
In business, random actions that are not in line with organizational objectives and intentions can be at best wasteful and at worst devastating. Business process management (BPM) software provides the means to define desired actions in the form of processes and automate the enforcement of those actions at all levels of the organization. From system-based actions to human-centric decisions to cross-functional collaboration, BPM provides more control over actions and ensures they are executed efficiently.
While many organizations implement BPM software on its own with the intent of ensuring repeatable, consistent and auditable processes and actions, BPM on its own is the equivalent of your body not being connected to your mind. EA and BPA serve as the brains and senses of the organization— seeing and thinking. Therefore, to ensure actions are in sync with intentions, EA and BPA must be connected to BPM—the doing.
Organizations that want to be truly successful with BPM efforts need to also take into consideration the big picture of all of the resources that support critical business processes, the interdependencies across those business processes and the most effective way to design and deploy them. This ensures that the goals and objectives of the organization are tied into daily actions and that all assets are being utilized in the most efficient and productive way—all working toward the common good of the enterprise.
A Healthy Organization
The mind-body connection is something that we take for granted in our individual lives, and the importance of both mind and body to overall health is well researched and documented. So why then do so many organizations operate with their mind and body in complete disconnect? Why do executives not focus more on aligning strategy, analysis and execution? Perhaps it is because they have not considered the role that technology can play in helping people see, think and do in unison.
With EA software providing a common understanding and strategy, BPA software providing a common set of information and decision-making capabilities and BPM providing the discipline to ensure that actions are executed in harmony with goals and plans, you have the power to make mind, body and business work for you.
Metastorm is helping organizations worldwide align strategy, analysis and execution through the implementation of world class software for enterprise architecture, business process analysis and business process management in an integrated environment. See, Think, Do—Get Business to the Power of 3™ at www.metastorm.com.
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