UPS Envy - The Visible Process

The number one reason why companies invest in BPM is because they have "UPS Envy"... I just made up that statistic, but I'll bet that it's not far from true...

If you've ever ordered anything online and had it shipped by UPS, then you've probably seen the UPS tracking screens. As the buyer, you can see exactly where your package has been, when it was there, and where it's going. Every drop-off, every pick up, every mile... from the shipper to your door step... It's GREAT.

I've never seen the "Shipper's View" of UPS, but I'll bet that it's phenomenal too. You can probably see all of the packages that you have shipped in a consolidated view. Everything in real time, letting you sleep comfortably knowing that your customers are going to get what they ordered on time... or giving you the warning that you need to preemptively head off the disappointment of a late shipment.

UPS itself probably has a "Gods-Eye View" of every package in their system... Great for day-to-day operations, and no doubt with historical analysis features to determine the optimum number of trucks, trains, and planes that were actually needed to get those packages delivered on time.

This is what BPM promises... The ability to track each step of all of your processes, and to be able to analyze past metrics to plan for a better future.

1. Model the Process
2. Manange the Process
3. Monitor the Process
4. Analyze the Process (darn... I can't think of a synonym for Analyze that starts with "m")
5. Modify the Process

If your BPM implementation doesn't provide these capabilities, then you've missed the mark.

In almost every Managed Business Process that you implement, you will probably need to provide the following "Current State" views (at a minimum):

Originator's View

This is analogous to the Purchaser's UPS tracking view. You initiated a Process, and you want to know how things are going. More than likely your primary concern is in knowing when the Process will complete (which implies knowing what steps are left to complete) and you probably also want to know how things have gone so far (what steps have been performed, and who performed them).

Participant's View

This is similar to the Originator's View in some respects... but you are generally more interested in all of the Processes that you've participated in rather than a single Process. In many cases, you are interested in the Processes that may "come back to haunt you"... Processes that are still "in flight" where you may be required to perform additional steps (or defend past actions).

Manager's View

This could be the Manager of the complete Process, or the Manager of a Group of Participants who own a Swim Lane of a Process. In some respects this is a Cumulative Participants View, but there is an emphasis on spotting overdue tasks that might lead to an SLA (Service Level Agreement) violation.

Note that all of these Views could span Multiple Processes. The Originators, Participants, and Managers will often be involved with many different types of Processes simultaneously.

I have emphasized the "Current State" in describing these Views, but obviously (especially for the Managers) Historical Views are also quite useful.

Process Engines are primarily concerned with making sure that the right tasks are assigned to the right participants at the right time... but they must also support the generation of all the Views that I've mentioned. This can be accomplished in many ways... but how ever you do it, make sure that you're satisfying that "UPS Envy".