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U.S. Navy turning to BPM

Ben Farrell
April 9, 2013

Technological needs are often so different from one industry to another that there is little in the way of crossover. While specialty technologies are necessary in just about every sector, many solutionsare increasingly valuable for organizations, regardless of what the company istrying to get done. Business process management software is one such technological solution, as itenables companies to streamline operations and use cloud, mobile and social systems more effectively. As a result, its appeal is often universal.

The wide range of applications ofBPM for governmentis evident in a recent strategic move by the U.S. Navy. According to an Integration Developer News report, the U.S. Navy and Marine armed forces organizations are beginning to explore the potential value of BPM.

BPM enlisting in the Navy

The news source explained that the Navy willuse BPM to perform functions including emphasizing process improvement throughout operations, shift business-related operations to focus on finances and achieve both short- and long-term gains.

In a written statement, industryexpertVince Vlasho, who is working with the Navy on its process management project, explained that BPM should enable more responsible financial operations in the armed forces.

"Ensuring that all internal financial controls provide accurate information will help the Navy meet all federal and Department of Defense guidelines toward auditability," said Vlasho. "This is a critical initiative that assists Navy leaders by improving the quality and reliability of financial data and securing the effectiveness of their ERP systems."

Integration Developer News reported that part of the Navy's goal in this project is to be able to use off-the-shelf BPM products.

Considering BPM in government

For government organizations like the Navy, getting more done while spending less money is a growing priority. This creates an environment in which strategic technology deployment combined with meaningful business process transformation can go a long way toward meeting operational goals. This often leads to a major problem in government, however, as a long-held conservative attitude toward IT has left many branches of different agencies and departments playing catch up. As cloud computing, social functionality and mobile device use play a more important role in more government organizations, the need to adapt processes to take full advantage of these solutions is key. BPM software can make this possible, creating an efficient operational climate in government.

Ben Farrell

Director of Corporate Communications

Ben Farrell