Linkedin: Brainstorming on Adaptability / Flexibility

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My area is to improve not general, but IS/IT capacity of change, because the latter is the main blocking factor in many organizations. Usually, we do some specific initiatives first and then spread and generalize the experience. I use several techniques:

1. Show the slide 4 from http://www.slideshare.net/samarin/creating-synergy-between-bpm-and-ea-in-an-egovernment-environment to indicate importance of flexibility.
2. Coach the business how to request and test flexibility of different IT products (instead of just compliance to the specs), e.g. a vendor of BPM suite should be asked to implement a simple process and to carry out some changes during the live presentation.
3. Prepare prototypes which demonstrate flexibility.
4. Rescue “rotten” projects.

A recent example – a tender for an MIS for a governmental agency.

• High level of flexibility explicitly required
• Budget 4,5 MCHF
• About 10 offers

Some contenders:

• Classic development – 17 MCHF
• ERP hidden under workflow – 4 MCHF
• BPM-based – 2,5 MCHF

The latter has demonstrated a simple prototype and that helped to win the tender. Of course, to calm down the internal IT department, the winner has to do an extra “feasibility” step -- quickly demonstrate a very advanced prototype, which works at the client’s IT environment.

Thanks,

AS

More details are in my new book “Improving enterprise business process management systems” www.samarin.biz/book