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The Freedom to be Productive Without Barriers and Red Tape

Malcolm Ross, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy, Appian
August 10, 2010

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:

ï Case Management

ï Grants Management

ï Project Management

ï Micro-Purchasing

ï 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 ñ 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.