IT and software development processes and business processes are inherently different and are driven by their own domain needs. System workflow and service oriented architecture (SOA) are the main drivers of business processes. Low-fidelity human centric activities are the main drivers of IT and software development processes.

Execution of inline machine logic and invocation of external systems form the majority of business process logic; human interactions are limited to simple tasks such as approvals.

In contrast, low-fidelity activities of IT and software development processes only capture, at high-level, the expected work to be performed. These processes also rely heavy on role-based creation of work products—for example system analysts create requirement documents, architects create design documents, tester create test cases, and developers produce code. Also, the workflow aspect of these processes is indeterminist and it heavily relies on the knowledge workers involved.

Based on these fundamental differences a single set of systems cannot satisfy the needs of both IT and software development processes and business processes.

Earlier this week, one of our key customers was looking into exporting some of its IT processes from the organizations process asset repository system to IBM Process Server, a business process management (BPM) system.

BPM systems utilize business process execution language (BPEL), XML based language, for process representation. Using IRIS Process Author’s export facility, we are able to quickly define a script that generates BPEL representation of a process which can be consumed by BPM applications. The flexibility of the export facility stems from the fact that IRIS Process Author’s process object model is accessible from within export scripts. Hence, the script logic can directly reference process objects of the asset repository and transform and export the process elements into the desired format.

Usefulness of BPEL goes beyond BPM systems, Microsoft Window Workflow Foundation, currently embedded in BizTalk, SharePoint and Dynamics CRM, also supports BPEL. Therefore, aside from BPM systems, once in BPEL format, the organization’s processes can be used by a variety of applications.

In the first draft of my white paper, I failed to point out the importance of a flexible export facility for the organization’s process asset repository system. I will correct this omission in the next version of the white paper.

Seamless interface with BMP extends the usefulness of the organization’s process asset repository system beyond IT and software process improvement and extends it to the realm of business process improvement. But, the relationship between BPM and process improvement and the differences between IT processes and business processes deserve much more discussion. I will dig deeper into these areas in future posts.

I just finished reading a white paper titled “Automating Processes for CMMI Maturity Level 3 and Beyond”. This paper argues that by using business process management (BPM) technologies you can achieve CMMI Maturity Level 3.
It is misleading and an over simplifing to state that BPM tools assist organizations in achieving CMMI Level 3.  Among other things, CMMI Level 3 requires implementation of Organizational Process Definition (OPD) and Organizational Process Focus (OPF) process areas. Both substantial organization wide undertakings and not addressed by BPM tools.
At best, BPM tools may help with some of the practices of CMMI Level 2 process areas, but they fall far short of satisfying even the CMMI Level 2 maturity or capability. As an example, these tools do not address Configuration Management (CM) process area at all. The best automation systems for CMMI Level 2 are ALM and process enactment tools.

I am working on a white paper about process asset repository systems. I should have an early draft of the paper by next week and will post it here soon.