The BetterGov Editors are on vacation. In the meantime, please enjoy this guest blog from Y. Tilden.

Every industry can benefit from the automation and process improvement offered by business process management. Government agencies are no different. More »

Tags: , BPM for Government, guest blog

Last week, we posted the first installment of our BetterGov podcast series on the topic of Appian and Amazon Web Services (AWS) receiving an Authority to Operate (ATO) from the U.S. Department of Education.

In part 2 of the podcast, Myles Weber, VP of Product Services at Appian, joins Terry Wise, Director of Business Development for Amazon Web Services and Samir Gulati, Appian’s VP of Marketing, to discuss how the ATO validates the cloud-based process solution as truly innovative both from an effectiveness and cost-efficiency perspective.

Check it out now. Also, see Appian at the “Amazon Web Services Cloud for the Federal Government” event on September 23 in Washington, DC.

Tags: , Amazon Web Services, Appian, Appian and BPM, Appian Anywhere, BPM, BPM and Government, BPM for Government, BPM in the cloud, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Cloud Computing, Government 2.0, Government Cloud Computing, Government SaaS, Process Improvement for Government, SaaS, software-as-a-service

If you are part of a government agency interested in the benefits of cloud computing, but are holding back due to concerns about security – this news is for you!

Appian has received an Authority to Operate (ATO) certification from the U.S. Department of Education for the Department’s Appian Anywhere application, built on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Receiving an Authority to Operate (ATO) certification from a federal agency is a big deal for technology vendors selling into the government. The ATO certification is a “stamp of approval” from the government that only comes after a rigorous and comprehensive assessment.

The Appian Anywhere/AWS solution is the first cloud-based process solution to receive an ATO certification from the federal government. The certification was awarded after a stringent assessment of the solution’s management, operational, and technical security controls.

Check out the following podcast – part 1 of a series of 2 – with Terry Wise, Director of Business Development for Amazon Web Services; and Samir Gulati, VP of Marketing, Appian Corporation, on this exciting news.

Tags: , Amazon Web Services, Appian, Appian and BPM, Appian Anywhere, BPM, BPM and Government, BPM for Government, BPM in the cloud, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Cloud Computing, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Government Cloud Computing, Government SaaS, Process Improvement for Government, SaaS, software-as-a-service

In our last post, we talked about the differences between BPR and BPM. Recognizing that people are integral to the process and not relying solely on technology is one of the main differentiators between the two – and is why BPM has become the preferred approach for process improvement.

The Dept. of Homeland Security certainly learned this lesson. After reading this Nextgov blog, you realize that DHS tried to automate HR without getting the right people (i.e. hiring managers) involved in the process. This further proves that technology alone (the BPR approach) is not the answer.  Process improvement success requires technology plus active participation by the people involved (this is often called “the human-centric approach”).

Many articles have been written around the variety of challenges inherent in Federal HR processes – intensive paperwork, perpetually slow and uncompleted hiring steps, poor status visibility, limited error checking, data not captured properly, and poor communication with unengaged applicants due to manual disjointed processes. These barriers slow down the hiring process, make it difficult for an agency to meet its hiring needs, and ultimately prevent the agency from fulfilling its mission effectively.

Business Process Management (BPM) is helping the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) overcome these hurdles. OCC is using BPM to help accelerate the hiring process, provide a new level of manageability and transparency, and increase efficiency and performance. BPM can help your agency, too. Just remember to think about the technology AND the people, and find a vendor with the right methodology for bringing it all together.

For more information on how BPM can help make your agency’s hiring process more efficient, check out the Federal Hiring Management datasheet found in our Resource Center.

Tags: , Appian, BPM, BPM and Government, BPM and Human Resources, BPM for Government, BPM for Human Resource Management, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Business Process Reengineering, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Process Improvement for Government

In the early 1990s, Business Process Reengineering (BPR) emerged on the scene promising “Radical change, fast.” BPR, the analysis and redesign of workflow within and between enterprises, was first mentioned in a Harvard Business Review article written by MIT professor, Michael Hammer. He advocated a “forklift” approach when he said, “Most work done doesn’t add any value for customers,” and should thus be removed to maximize customer value and minimize consumption of resources. Following that article’s publication, BPR was picked up by large corporations and government agencies eager to renew their competitiveness. However, BPR’s shortcomings soon started showing and interest waned.

Many people often confuse BPR with BPM technology, when the two couldn’t be more dissimilar in their approach. You might be thinking, “I remember when my agency deployed BPR. It was a terrible experience, so why should I consider BPM?” Let’s pause for a minute and take a look at an overview of their differences:

BPR strove to create the perfect process from scratch by replacing manual labor with processes that were embedded in applications that made it difficult to observe them and understand their impact on others. BPR’s forklift approach proved to be time consuming and costly, and overall a risky investment for agencies. Its radical change, fast approach translated into ineffectiveness and ultimately failure.

On the other hand, BPM gives users a platform for continuous improvement. It provides long term value by helping users understand the interactions and dependencies among people, the systems they rely on, and the information they need to effectively complete tasks. Enabled by Web 2.0 and social technologies, BPM allows agencies to improve what they already have by creating visibility into process bottlenecks, identifying areas where increased automation can enhance human-centric activities, and providing real-time data to help people make better decisions in their jobs.

In summary, BPM and BPR have the same goal of optimizing organizational effectiveness and efficiency.  But, unlike BPR, BPM solutions help organizations achieve success in a dynamic world without dehumanizing the work place.

Tags: , BPM, BPM and Government, BPM for Government, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Business Process Reengineering, Process Improvement for Government, Process Management

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently sent a shockwave through the defense world by announcing significant cuts to the current defense budget. 

One of the biggest cuts is the proposed elimination of the Department of Defense’s Business Transformation Agency (BTA), an office created in 2006 for streamlining the military’s business operations.      

While completely shutting down a critical office such as the BTA could certainly cause the DoD to experience an “effectiveness de-evolution,” there is a cost-effective solution for meeting the same efficiency and effectiveness goals with Business Process Management (BPM).

Drastic cuts alone, such as the DoD is making, are not enough to ensure long-term health. Innovation matters – perhaps more than ever in the face of tight economic conditions – and innovation requires re-examining and improving how mission-critical processes are executed. With BPM, government agencies can increase efficiency and effectiveness with minimal investment by streamlining their business processes.

We are still a nation fighting two wars and the Department of Defense is one of the most critical elements of our government.  It is not the right time to cut programs that make DoD more efficient and effective. With BPM, they won’t have to.

Tags: , BPM, BPM and Government, BPM for Government, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Department of Defense, Government and Efficiency, Process Improvement for Government

Most revolutions are fought in the name of freedom from political systems and powers that keep nations and people from reaching their full potential. This is certainly true with the American Revolutionary War, which laid the foundation for the freedom of our great nation.

We have been talking about the “effectiveness revolution” and Business Process Management (BPM) for sometime now on the BetterGov blog. Our goal is to highlight how this revolution allows government agencies to be more productive and innovative while busting bureaucracies and decimating red tape.

While this movement is not on the grand scale of the American Revolution, it is ushering in a new era of government that makes federal processes more seamless and transparent. This ultimately will make government the productive engine it should be.

A real-life example of BPM in action for government is the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) use of Appian’s Government Acquisition Management module to significantly improve efficiency and drive automation in its procurement processes. DISA received an end-to-end solution that connects procurement operations, systems, and DISA personnel in a collaborative, process-driven procurement framework. This solution significantly improved productivity and work quality at DISA by automating complex agency processes and providing real-time access to critical government information and applications.

In addition to streamlining procurement and acquisition processes, BPM is transforming many government functions that, for far too long, have been tied down in red tape and cumbersome processes. These areas include:

• Case Management
• Grants Management
• Project Management
• Micro-Purchasing
• Human Resources

These are merely some of the key functions BPM revolutionizes for government. As the effectiveness revolution continues to gain momentum, we will see BPM being used in virtually every facet of government life that involves processes – which is pretty much everything.

So, for all government executives who truly want to be productive, the revolution is happening as we speak and freedom is at your finger tips.

Tags: , Appian, Appian and BPM, BetterGov, BPM and Case Management, BPM and Government, BPM and Grants Management, BPM and Human Resources, BPM and Transparency, Business Process Management and Government, effectiveness revolution

Over the past couple of years, the concept of Gov 2.0 has grown beyond being an emerging trend to becoming a defining strategy that makes government more open, transparent and more effective.   This was further underscored by the White House’s push for “Transparency and Open Government” memo that aims to enhance collaboration, participation and innovation in government.

So, then what exactly is Gov 2.0? Mark Drapeau, Gov 2.0 advocate and thought leader, recently defined Gov 2.0 in a blog post leading into the inaugural Gov 2.0 Expo. Here is what he said:

Gov 2.0 is about changing the status quo of government in various ways. What are those ways? They include but are not necessarily limited to: innovation by government, transparency of its processes, collaboration among its members, and participation of citizens.

As you can imagine, the idea of improving government via innovation and transparency of processes caught the attention of the BetterGov editorial team.

Along those lines, Craig Newmark, creator of Craigslist.org, has been speaking lately about government transparency initiatives needing to be raised up in the mainstream media – beyond the Beltway.  We agree that there needs to be more awareness around the administration’s transparency initiatives, and new innovations could help better bring these efforts out of the shadows.

What is really happening now is that Business Process Management (BPM) is not only giving Gov 2.0 the processes and discipline it needs to make it more efficient, effective and transparent, but also making government more effective overall.  This innovation allows government agencies to better meet new transparency standards – making Gov 2.0 actionable and real – and thus creating a bigger story to capture the mainstream media’s attention.

The combination of administrative directives for more openness with the rise of Gov 2.0, and an enabling technology such as BPM, has created a platform for a more innovative government that can better serve citizens.

Gov 2.0 comes to life through BPM!

Tags: , Appian, Appian and BPM, BPM and Transparency, Business Process Management, Open Government

While the BetterGov blog has mainly focused on how Business Process Management (BPM) is making government more effective, we did not want to lose sight of what a more effective government can actually do:  allows citizens to be more productive and prosperous.

One of the most famous phrases from the Declaration of Independence is that U.S. citizens should be afforded “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”   And a government that is too complex and cumbersome will have a difficult time achieving this core mission.

The beauty of BPM is that it allows for the automation of complex processes and the provision of real-time access to critical information and applications in order to drive significant, measurable improvements in productivity and work quality.  Technology serves the mission, rather than being an end unto itself. Once government achieves measurable improvements (i.e., becomes more effective), it can open the door for all citizens to enhance their prosperity.

While the ability to be prosperous is mainly in the hands of citizens, shouldn’t government open the door to all when it comes to achieving the American dream?  A slow-moving, bureaucratic government creates barriers that stifle innovation.

As such, we are challenging all government agencies to embrace the “effectiveness revolution,” which will not only help agencies perform better, but also allow citizens to pursue happiness and prosperity.

Tags: , BPM, Business Process Management, Government 2.0

As cloud computing continues to gain traction in the federal sector and beyond, it is important to note that the most critical benefit of the cloud, especially when it comes to Business Process Management (BPM), is to help agencies execute more effectively.

More specifically, BPM in the cloud allows any government agency to meet demands for cost reduction, transparency and accountability – all key goals for the Obama Administration.   Agencies are embracing the “effectiveness revolution” when it comes to BPM in the cloud for the following reasons:

• It’s Low Cost: Government agencies can benefit from a complete BPM Suite that allows them to gain control over critical processes, increase efficiency and reduce operating costs, at low subscription pricing.

• It’s Low Risk: Agencies are exposed to less risk since the BPM solution is hosted in a secure environment.

• It’s High Value: Agencies can quickly build and deploy process-based applications that offer the flexibility and control necessary to deliver improved efficiency and transparency.

Beyond these core benefits, BPM in the cloud allows federal agencies to better execute on key functions including case management, human resources, acquisition/procurement, grants management and micro-purchasing.

We don’t want to tip our hats too much to some exciting news, but stay tuned for an exciting podcast on BetterGov blog about a major federal agency giving the Appian Anywhere solution a key stamp of approval.   See, it’s not only us who thinks BPM in the cloud is changing government for the better!

Tags: , BPM, BPM software