The templates are labeled as business process flows, and address jobs such as analyzing customer and product profitability, and human capital management. The process definitions can run in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) environment, and offer close alignment between the performance management process and the underlying data analysis.
For all types of organization, in commerce and in the public sector, factors such as the increased speed of operations, regulatory compliance, and the creation of highly-distributed business models are requiring improved access to information for business decision-making. This wider availability of information is of little use, however, unless there is a clear link to the strategic goals of the organization. The broader picture is, therefore, to create an effective environment for performance management, where the activities of strategic and financial planning are integrated into the overall business intelligence (BI) framework, and are reflected in the use of information at the operational level.
Take, for example, a sales manager wanting to analyze customer profitability against targets. Rather than having to manually design this process, which might involve re-entering the targets into a spreadsheet or extracting them from a local operational system, these figures should come directly from the performance management system, so that the sales manager is always working from a single source of trustworthy and validated data.
Furthermore, it is important that the information provided is actionable – that it is easy for the recipient to take an appropriate course of action based on the results presented. To achieve this, several aspects are required: firstly, the information must be delivered in context, so that it is not viewed in isolation, but is related to other variables, and to historic and predicted future trends. Secondly, the information must be easy to assimilate, and it should be easy for the user to collaborate around this information with colleagues. Finally, the information must be reliable and trusted, so that the user has the confidence to take action on the basis of the results delivered.
The ability to use pre-defined templates makes it easier for users to define the process flows that are an important part of performance management initiatives, and help to ensure that the information is indeed actionable. By directing users through performance management processes, organizations can ensure that the necessary steps are carried out, and guide them towards the follow-up actions that are required.
As organizations move towards a standardized BI platform, the capability to build customized performance management and other analytical applications on top of that platform becomes a powerful tool. Providing pre-defined templates for process flows can radically simplify and accelerate this activity.
Source: OpinionWire by Butler Group (www.butlergroup.com)
