So if AlignSpace is intended to be a forum for business services (automated processes) then kudos – it should be very valuable. If it is intended to foster a broad conversation on human-centric processes then every consultant that has a BPM shingle out will probably love it as a means to build profile and create affinity with potential customers (I’m not disparaging consultants by the way). I don’t see that addressing the real opportunity, but it ought to do well.

For customers, BPM vendors have yet to step up to the plate and really unravel the key challenges. You can’t do that by asking customers what they want. That’s not how Skype came into existence, how Zara became the largest fashion retailer in the world, how Apple designed the iPhone or how Discount Tire reshaped the entire US tire retailer market. You can’t do that without solving problems that haven’t been solved before. For SAG, Mike, I would expect your focus will tend towards the more technical side of BPM (you are working for a German company now). My comments may be more a reflection of focus or perspective than anything else. Oh, and sorry to create frustration but in the world of BPM technology I’ve been living with it for years!

Terry Schurter

Over at her column2 blog, independent BPM consultant (and ace blogger) Sandy Kemsley stirred up some interesting debate with a post about Software AG’s AlignSpace community (which I also blogged about here btw).
The debate on Sandy’s blog c…

- Thomas

Unlike Terry, I don’t believe that social groups have to be unruly. I am a long time Facebook user (http://www.facebook.com/jessiekeen) and routinely use it to organize meetings and projects. While there is a huge potential for disorganization in such settings I have found that eventually a clear hierarchy develops. Most social media users only really participate when they really have to. Most of the time they are in “view only” mode. I suspect that this is what will eventually happen to AlignSpace projects. In the long run social networking is very much like being there in person. There are leaders and there are followers; most are followers.

While I think that the social approach to this is interesting I am also very intrigued by the “marketplace”. Being able to have easy access to “community” BPM resources is a fantastic idea. How will this be populated? By the community? What can be shared? I love the voting aspects which really bring the community into the picture.

Sandy thinks for bringing this to light.

However, I’ve found that the Bus Brake Effect only takes over if you let it. You have to keep the larger audience from dragging you into oblivion. It can be done and in fact it is accomplished all the time

Mike, you make some great points about the value of broader participation.

Sandy, do you intend to complete the series and review the other “collaborative” offerings?

Are you really suggesting that we should take a dictatorial approach to process improvement and that only the opinions of a few appointed ‘process experts’ should count?! That’s definitely an interesting approach to innovation.

We are not talking about a solution that allows decisions to get taken by some sort of group concensus here. Instead we are talking about a mechanism that allows us to find and harness the minds of the informed and feed it into a structured framework for decision-making. It’s a platform where project owners still retain control over who and what is involved in their initiatives.

Just because we are using social networking as a feature of AlignSpace does not make the approach unstructured. Social networking offers nothing more than a way of connecting with people that have a relevant perspective, and a collaborative platform allows these people to contribute in a more productive way. Certainly more productive, than the unscalable, 3 person, closed workshop approach that you would seem to recommend.

Finally, comments like “[BPM vendors] do not understand customer needs” are frustrating to say the least. Especially so when they are made by someone who recently accepted a senior position at one such vendor. Is it really possible that businesses such as Software AG and Global360 could be successful if they didn’t have some understanding of what their customers needed? Are we *so* good at sales and marketing that, in the current environment we can get our customers to part with money for solutions they don’t need?

I personally think the persona approach that Global360 is advocating shows that you *do* understand your customers….I just think there are more than 3 ‘personas’ that we need to be listening to!

Mike Lees