Another interesting session at ME2009 explored the tight integration between Metastorm’s business process management software and Microsoft productivity applications, including Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft SharePoint.

In Microsoft Office 2007, business users can participate in Metastorm BPM® governed processes without leaving the Microsoft Office environment – the tool adds a Metastorm BPM ribbon bar to the Microsoft Office 2007 suite, giving access to process data through tools like Microsoft Office and Microsoft Excel. Users can seamlessly link Metastorm BPM content, or process data, to documents and data generated using Microsoft Office and Microsoft Excel through a process binding feature. This allows business users to generate their own reports and charts using both process data and line of business data collected by the Metastorm process engine – all through familiar Microsoft desktop applications.

In Microsoft SharePoint 2007, sets of portal pages can be designed for different users, or groups of users, that are customized to their specific role within the organization. Users can then fully participate in Metastorm BPM-based processes through that single portal environment. These pages are built using the configurable suite of web parts that are available for Metastorm BPM and can display to-do lists, watch lists, key performance indicators (KPIs), charts, reports, etc. For document-centric processes, Metastorm BPM can take advantage of Microsoft SharePoint’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) capabilities for better knowledge sharing, collaboration and communication and increased process efficiency.

By allowing Metastorm BPM users to take full advantage of popular Microsoft applications, Metastorm is enabling greater distribution of business process management capabilities to business users within their existing work environments. Just one more step toward process-centric thinking as a way of life!

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