It’s one thing when technology leaders talk about the cloud. When the newly minted Chief Performance Officer for the federal government joins the conversation, you know the cloud is truly here to stay.

Jeffrey Zients, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – and the above-mentioned federal Chief Performance Officer – recently described a “cloud-first” policy for the fiscal 2012 budget. Government IT managers will need to look first at distributed IP-based systems when selecting software applications, according to Zients.

“Government agencies too often rely on proprietary, custom IT solutions. We need to fundamentally shift this mindset from building custom systems to adopting lighter technologies and shared solutions,” Zients said. OMB will require that agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever possible, he added.

For forward-thinking agencies, the strategy of moving to the cloud is already old news.

The Department of Education recently issued an Authority to Operate (ATO) certification  to Appian for the company’s Appian Anywhere process solution. Built on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform, this is the first cloud-based business process management solution to be granted an ATO by a federal agency.

Now that OMB is stressing a cloud-first policy for IT applications, the assurance of an ATO certification can greatly simplify the budgeting and planning process for agencies government-wide. That signals a bright future for the combination of cloud and BPM in helping to create a more efficient government.

Tags: , Appian, BPM in the Cloud, Cloud Computing, Government 2.0, OMB, software-as-a-service

Business process management software is great for building case management solutions, and case management is becoming huge in government thinking. It’s easy to understand why. In government-speak, many action items are thought of as “cases,” and case management is nothing more than a way to use technology to deliver better service and take better care of people.

But there’s the rub right there. As I’ve blogged elsewhere, “case” usually means “person,” and because people’s behaviors are often unpredictable, case management solutions must be dynamic and flexible. That means development of those solutions can’t be one-and-done. Case management requires an Agile development methodology of continuous review and enhancement.

The FBI learned this lesson the hard way with its Sentinel project. Work on Sentinel started again this month after having been put on hold in July. By moving forward as an agile development initiative, with teams working incrementally on capabilities that are tied to specific mission requirements, the FBI expects to make better progress on the case management system.

If your organization is just getting started with case management, that type of incremental development approach will help. The result can be end-to-end solutions that encompass a variety of potential inputs, responses, next steps and resolutions.

For example, case management is at the heart of the “Wounded Warrior” application developed for the US Army by CollabraLink on Appian’s BPM software. The application is used in Warrior Transition Units for on-boarding, rehabilitating and off-boarding servicemen and women injured in the field. The entire experience, with all its potential permutations, is managed through this essential case management application.

Case management strikes an obvious chord with federal agencies. BPM-based case solutions can help realize new possibilities in how agencies perform their missions and serve their constituents. Letting those new possibilities out of the box, and realizing their full benefits, requires new thinking about the nature of “cases” and how that relates to solution development.

Tags: , Appian, BPM for Case Management, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Wounded Warrior

The Obama Administration is taking a hard line on financial accountability – for both agencies and the contractors who serve them. Business processes are at the heart of this increased scrutiny – the better the processes (in terms of visibility and efficiency) the smoother the reporting back to Congress and other governmental authorities.

In late August, federal CIO Vivek Kundra spoke publicly about 26 IT projects recently dubbed “high risk” by the Office of Management and Budget. (On June 28, OMB halted spending on financial systems modernization projects.) Kundra said the projects, spanning 15 federal agencies and exceeding $30 billion in lifecycle costs, require thorough review and better management planning.

“This isn’t about killing projects, it’s about making them run better and faster,” Kundra said.

The lack of credible budgetary reporting back to the sources of federal appropriations is an ongoing issue among some agency decision-makers. This difficulty extends even to spending on the Stimulus initiative. While many government agencies have been able to allocate their stimulus dollars to worthwhile projects, ten agencies – including the USDA, Department of Commerce and Department of Homeland Security – have spent less than half of the money to which they were entitled.

The slow decisions as to how to spend stimulus money relate to making certain of tangible, measureable results. And this federal emphasis on improved accountability doesn’t stop at the agency level. Lawmakers are seeking to impose tougher standards on the contractors that fulfill the projects to which appropriated dollars are allocated.

Business Process Management software is ideally suited to address the ongoing problem of accountability. Through BPM, an organization can gain better visibility into its project related decisions – along with an added dimension of improved control, documentation trails, and audits. Agencies and the contractors that serve them can gain better control of processes, improve decision-making and create confidence that projects are being executed responsibly and well.

Those are things we all want – and things we all deserve as tax-paying citizens.

Tags: , BPM for Federal Acquisitions, BPM for Program Management, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Process Improvement for Government

Ever since his appointment as Federal CIO, Vivek Kundra has championed the idea that technology can truly transform government. And not just transform it – he wants to make it more open through what have come to be known as Kundra’s “Five Pillars” for IT priorities — innovation, cyber security, transparency, engaging citizens, and lowering the cost of government.

The push for greater openness has even prompted the General Services Administration (GSA) to offer incentives to respond to the challenges of better engaging citizens through an agency-wide platform for innovative solutions.

At its heart, open government is about making agencies more accountable to citizens across the board. It’s about giving citizens more opportunities to connect with government in ways that leave them better equipped to understand and navigate the complex federal bureaucracy. It’s about improved efficiency, transparency, and collaboration.

In short, it’s about better business processes.

Business Process Management software can offer a firm foundation for open government. Increasingly, BPM is being used not just for the “easy stuff” in agency operations, but in targeted core mission responsibilities within an agency or a department. The BPM management methodology directly supports what the Obama Administration is telling agencies about how to relate to both internal and external customers.

Organizations such as the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) are embracing BPM as central to their operations. DAU uses BPM to enforce processes and increase efficiency, reliability, and visibility – ensuring that business rules and approvals are met every time. That reduces processing time, eliminates needless repetition and identifies process bottlenecks.

As mentioned in a previous blog, the Food and Drug Administration has picked Appian as its BPM vendor of choice, and has extended its use of the Appian BPM Suite under a new five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). Having successfully tested out proof of concept, FDA is using BPM technology licenses and support services across the entire organization, targeting core processes agency-wide.

BPM has always had deep value – beyond just trimming the edges of cost reduction and efficiency. As agencies continue looking at more ways to implement the five pillars of open government, they’ll find that BPM is a solid foundation on which to build a real connection with their constituency.

Tags: , Appian, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, DAU, FDA, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Open Government, Process Improvement for Government

“The longest journey begins with a single step.” That old saying is as fitting for introducing new software applications as it for any other job. Taking a BPM journey is transformative for government, but getting started with that first step can seem daunting.

When it comes to carefully wading into the BPM waters, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a prime example of how to do it right. The FDA was interested in BPM in support of a strategic vision to transform its operations in response to emerging scientific, technological, and economic trends affecting its regulatory mission. This vision reflects the principles of productivity and accountability initiated back in 2002 in the E-Government Act, and carried forward by the current administration’s efforts to make sure our government is “running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible.”

The FDA eased into BPM by initiating a pilot program so it could assess the technology. For the pilot, the agency selected the Appian BPM Suite. Working on the pilot increased the agency’s internal BPM competency. Based on that, the FDA expanded to four separate BPM deployments that were self-contained and specific in scope. These projects further increased the FDA’s BPM comfort level with BPM technology and methodology. As various Centers within the FDA began to see the power of BPM – and how it could improve their core business functions – the FDA decided to make BPM available agency-wide.

Recently, the FDA formalized that decision via a new five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) making Appian BPM available across all FDA Centers. With all options, the contract value exceeds $12M. (For more information on the agreement, see the FDA press release from Appian here.)

The FDA’s measured approach to BPM implementation is ideal for agencies with interest in the software, but an insufficient level of understanding and experience. When you break down the process of BPM adoption, you’ll find that each step gives you more confidence to take the next. Sooner than you think, you’ll be well on your way to improving how your agency executes its mission.

BPM is a journey of rich reward. Why not take the first step?

Tags: , Appian, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, FDA, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Open Government, Process Improvement for Government

Now that we have looked at what BPM is in the context of government process efficiency, as well as the value BPM delivers, the next logical question is, “How do you know if you need it?” Well, once again the BPM Kit for Government comes to the rescue.

One of the greatest features in the Kit is a 10-question assessment you can take to get at the true nature of your agency’s business processes, and how they support (or don’t support) daily requirements and mission goals.

Maybe your current processes are working fine, managers have the visibility they need, accountabilities and ownerships are clear, and assignments are handled completely and consistently. Great – you’ll ace the quiz and you can go back to running the most efficient operation in government. But maybe not.

Take the assessment and you may get a clearer perspective on why your processes aren’t functioning quite as well as they could – and some initial insight into what you can do to improve them. It only takes a few minutes, and you may be surprised by what you learn. You’ll find the assessment on page 7 of the Kit.

Tags: , Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Process Improvement for Government, Process Management

In my last post I introduced our new BPM Kit for Government – a one-stop shop for all the info you need to come up to speed on what BPM technology is all about. The most fundamental thing to understand is the bottom line: the value BPM delivers.

Government agencies are adopting the technology because it helps them achieve their missions more effectively and more quickly. How? By orchestrating and integrating employees, applications, and data for defined business processes; by increasing collaboration within and across organizations; by delivering a better, more consistent experience for constituents when they interact with an agency; and by making agencies more nimble in response to constituent, market and regulatory changes.

Some of these benefits can be “fuzzy,” and difficult to translate into a dollar figure of return-on-investment. But when those calculations are figured out, the resulting numbers can be astounding. According to the Business Transformation Agency’s “2010 Congressional Report on Defense Business Operations,” the BPM-based Army Knowledge Online (AKO) delivers $500M in annual cost avoidance. The U.S. Marine Corps. reported a $9M savings in just the first year of using BPM to streamline its acquisition and procurement processes.

To learn more about BPM’s value for government, visit the BetterGov Resource Center.

Tags: , Army Knowledge Online, BPM for Federal Acquisitions, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Process Improvement for Government, Process Management

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve read a lot about what BPM does for government agencies. But in this BPM Beginners series of posts, I thought I would take a step back and explain what BPM is in the context of government effectiveness and efficiency. It means Business Process Management (side-note: if you’re looking for “beats per minute,” you’re definitely in the wrong place, so try here or here).

Even in this single context, BPM can mean different things to different people. Some call it discrete software, some a technology suite, and some an operational management method. The fact is, all are right.

While definitions vary, what matters is that at its core, BPM is a means for aligning IT and business, whether the ultimate objective is cutting costs, improving service, increasing transparency, complying with regulations, or achieving a combination of all the above.

To learn more about BPM, read the new BPM Kit for Government found in our Resource Center. This free 24-page e-book provides an introduction to the principles and fundamentals of BPM, and an educational overview of how government agencies can reap the benefits of process improvement through a BPM technology platform.

Tags: , BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Government 2.0, Government and Efficiency, Process Improvement for Government, Process Management

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

I would like to start by raising a question to all, What do you think is BPM? To make the discussion specific, lets start by narrowing down the debate for BPM in two dimensions: More »

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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 »

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