The traditional process automation and system development paradigm of “build to last” must now give way to the business imperative of “build to change,” and that means EA-compliant solutions using BPM systems and SOA-based web services!

SOA technologies have caught up with the technical solutions for BPM systems and the governance disciplines for EA. This intersection of technologies, solutions, and disciplines is now challenging many organizations on multiple fronts regarding how to effectively model, analyze, design, develop, and deploy BPM systems and web services in support of reengineered business processes. Surmounting these challenges is making it difficult to successfully implement those technologies as optimally reusable and extensible services that are business-focused and architecturally compliant within the enterprise.

While necessary for achieving success in such projects, training in specific process and service modeling/design tools and techniques - both those that are based on industry standards, such as Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), and those that are based on vendor-specific platforms - too often overlook also providing a sound grounding in core principles and concepts that transcend specific approaches. For example, BPMN training can show what the modeling constructs are and what to do with them in diagrams. This can give the necessary guidance on creating a well-ordered model, but may not provide sufficient guidance on how to effectively apply those constructs and diagrams to break down a problem domain into modeled/designed components that best match business requirements and the capabilities of supporting information technologies.

This is akin to a building architect being trained in what the geometry of building design is and what AutoCAD can do in support of it without also being shown how to use the underlying principles and concepts of design, such as functionality and aestheticism, that apply across different building types. The result may be a well-ordered blueprint, but the design may also be sub-optimal with respect to the operational purposes of the building.

The two-part workshop described below fills the void by providing the missing pedagogical content on the necessary core principles and concepts, along with real-life experiences showcasing these in action, that give sufficient grounding in those areas so as to make the application of specific modeling/design tools and techniques more effective. Attendees will be able to use the provided material as a means of integrating the requisite SOA technologies, BPM solutions, and EA disciplines for successfully implementing BPM systems and web services to support reengineered business processes.