IT Management Slideshow:
Social BPM: When Worlds Collide

You know all about Business Process Management (BPM) tools. And you probably think you have a handle on social-media sites and applications. But we’re betting you haven’t yet considered how social networking and BPM can come together to make your department, and your entire enterprise, more agile than ever? The book “Social BPM: Work, Planning and Collaboration Under the Impact of Social Technology ” (CreateSpace/available now) examines what could evolved into a new technology force-of-nature. In the chapter, “How Social Technologies Enhance the BPM Experience for All Participants,” contributing author Steve Russell sheds insight into the human equation of social BPM. He spotlights two key trends: the increase of user influence on technology decision-making and the decline of rigid, hierarchal corporate structures and says together they have opened opportunities. “Instead of starting with the process model, start with the participants within the process,” he writes. “Once their needs are understood, processes can be developed that support those needs, not the other way around.” Russell is CTO of Global 360 (now OpenText), an international provider of process and case-management solutions. Here are selected highlights: