by Jim Boyd Business Process Management is still evolving, and the technology that supports BPM systems is highly volatile. Organizations that want to improve the way they manage their processes need to find a consistent approach amidst all this change.

But every process problem is different, and each one requires a slightly different solution. The key is a consistent architecture and a changing mix of tools.

Anyone could have predicted that vendors would tout their software as BPM-compliant even though they lack core BPM capabilities. But even vendors who are serious about developing better software are blurring once-familiar boundaries. Software that started life as workflow develops into the BPMS area, BPMS software acquires workflow features, and both of these will encroach on EAI products just as those products spill over into BPMS and workflow areas.

Finding a path through this confusing landscape of competing products and philosophies isn’t easy, so it’s understandable that people try to simplify the task by focusing on particular technologies and tools. But that is a very risky strategy, because it is not clear that all product vendors will survive the inevitable shakeout as the industry matures.

It’s not only companies in need of consulting and IT services that need to find their way through this maze. The companies that provide those services, companies like CSC, have to find out which tools and techniques should be used for which problems, and then figure out how to apply them in particular situations.

We knew that companies embarking on the BPM path needed a consistent architecture that would support BPM as it evolves. So we formalized what we’ve learned over the years into an architecture called CSC e4.

Yes, everyone has an architecture these days. But this one is designed to provide stability in a time of change. It allows organizations to exploit the potential of new technologies while retaining what is valuable in legacy systems. The CSC e4 architecture lets organizations isolate specific functions of legacy system applications, retaining the ones that are still useful and transforming them into components that can be managed at the business process level. Redundant or defective functions can be switched off and replaced with new components.

The architecture defines the role of logical components of an enterprise, and so is technology neutral. By defining the logical pieces, it also defines the criteria for selecting physical products in each area. This is important in a period when physical products inevitably spread out to cover other areas. By creating an environment that will be easy to change as technology companies rise and fall, CSC e4 gives enterprises the stability they need to thrive.

This technology is also a set of software tools. Some of these tools are CSC’s own, others are not; some have a pure BPMS label, others don’t. We focus less on whether something flies a BPMS banner and more on whether a tool can be applied to enable an organization to improve the way it manages its processes. The important thing isn’t the technology, but the way it is applied.

Knowing how to apply technology is something we have learned over the years. Formalizing that experience brings consistency to what we do and marshals the thinking of hundreds of people in different practices around the globe under a single umbrella. It’s not a solution in itself, but a formula for arriving at solutions.

Jim Boyd is head of financial services product strategy for CSC EMEA.