- 13 January, 2009 09:49 AM EST
- BPM is a Winch Out of the Economic Ditch
I remember my days in the winters of Wisconsin. The roads could become treacherous with weather systems moving in dumping ice and snow. One night while I was delivering pizzas (my college investment trust fund was sweat equity), I managed to get into a deep ditch packed with snow. Along came a guy with a winch-equipped Jeep. He slowly dragged my wheels out of the ditch. I was very grateful and the pizzas were delivered warm, at least. I survived to thrive to another day and eventually progressed to my end goals.
Here we go again. I am having that in-the-ditch feeling again (maybe there is a song brewing there). Fear is knocking at the door. Along comes BPM with the winch of leverage to help us pull out of the ditch. The fear of taking risks really limits organizations. When the economy is creaky, this fear phenomenon is magnified. The melancholy cost cutters rule the day, but it does not have to be that way. The entry cost of BPM is low and the proven rates of return make BPM a great jump start for cost savings. As organizations gain confidence in BPM's ability to generate savings, some of the more savvy organizations use BPM savings as way to fund process efforts instead of just looking for blood-letting opportunities.
It really doesn't matter if you are looking to survive, thrive or capitalize on the economic weather facing us - BPM can be of great help. The telecom industry used BPM as a tourniquet in the mid 2000s, so we know BPM works. It's a new year that will spawn some optimism. Let's parlay some of this energy to get forward momentum to pull ourselves forward to the lip of the ditch. Once we see the top, it should inspire an adrenalin rush for the push out.
The content for the spring BPM conference in both London and San Diego revolves around "survive, thrive and capitalize" themes. I and the others on the BPM team would love to help you shape some of your process decisions going forward. We hope to see you there.
