A little over 2 years after the first Earth Day in 1969, the single chip microprocessor was introduced to the world. In great part this invention catapulted us into a technological revolution.

To put things into perspective, the crew of the Apollo 13 mission – another 40^th anniversary celebrated this month – were working with a computer that had about as much memory as a pocket calculator; and today, in less than a minute, my cell phone can assess highway traffic, propose a new route, and then provide me with real time instructions as I navigate (I’m sure the crew would have had a much easier trip had they had their smart phones on them).

Our attitude towards technology and its Green capabilities has also changed dramatically.

During the era when “Going Green” was still a grass roots movement it would have been laughable to suggest that computers could help clean up the environment – and the phrase “Green Technology” would have been considered an oxymoron!

Today we have only begun to explore the benefits of green technology.

A few months ago I wrote a post, Lean process agility breeds green viability, which examines the relationship between the business attitudes that make up the New Normal – “we need to ‘Lean out’ and eliminate excess waste; being bulky causes us to operate ineffectively” – and the longstanding mantra of the Green Movement – “we need to change our wasteful ways.”

For businesses, the Green Movement isn’t just a moral choice, but it also makes a lot of sense. In a recent article about pharmaceuticals employing green practices, Mike Whaley, senior director of environmental health and safety at Allergan Inc. noted the business value of being Green – “The more efficient you are the more profitable you are,” he stated.

It’s true – when it comes to “Getting Lean,” and when it comes to “Going Green,” efficiency is the name of the game. At Metastorm we are proud that our software solutions can help organizations do both.

Through the use of our Enterprise Architecture (EA), Business Process Management (BPM) and Business Process Analysis (BPA) software, organizations have been able to identify “Fat” in their organization – or areas where they are wasting resources, and running inefficiently – and adjust their processes to eliminate unnecessary overhead and accelerate their performance; minimizing impact on the environment while maximizing their bottom line and competitive advantage.

And it keeps getting better! With new technologies (like the ones we will be unveiling at the 2010 Metastorm Global User Conference) that enable employees to collaborate more effectively without necessitating as much travel, organizations will also be able to further reduce fuel consumption and other associated costs.

To learn more about how we can help you “Get Lean” and “Go Green,” check out this complimentary eBook, Green BPM- The Best Kept Secret for Meeting Your Company’s Green Mandates. This eBook is absolutely a must-read whether you are looking to Lean out your enterprise for greater business value, to “Go Green,” or both!

Happy Earth Day everyone!

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The podcast, “The USAF, Six Sigma, and BPM,” discusses how the US Air Force utilized Metastorm ProVision® and Metastorm BPM® to achieve a 200% increase in automation to gain more efficiency, productivity, and control.

According to Chaney, the project began when the Department of Defense (DoD) mandated that, in order for DoD organizations to continue receiving funding, their IT investments had to include an Enterprise Architecture (EA) tool.

As part of its new EA initiative, the US Air Force wanted to identify how its IT infrastructure was supporting its business processes, and how well the processes were performing in the supported environments. To meet the goals of an existing initiative, Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21), which aims to streamline processes and optimize resource consumption – the US Air Force also wanted to “Lean out” its business processes to do more with less.

Listen to this podcast and read this customer success story to learn how the team used Metastorm ProVision to see and analyze its processes, and to identify time wasters and other areas of inefficiency, how it subsequently used Metastorm BPM to execute the Leaner, more agile processes across the entire enterprise, and how it utilized the power of the Metastorm Enterprise software suite to realize greater efficiency, and meet the goals of AFSO21.

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In order to achieve the most success with a Lean BPM initiative, Chaney recommended that teams be small and agile. He said that it is important to ensure that a team has the right combination of skill sets, and that all members have a well-defined role. Make sure that the team has the correct mindset to work well with the business analysts and developers, and that everyone is brought into an executable environment. As usual, communication is a key factor in making a team successful, as is supporting the team and development cycles with the right tool sets and skills so that the project can move quickly and effectively.

Chaney also recommended that project managers time box the analysis phase so that the project doesn’t fall into analysis paralysis, because this will diminish its overall value. Setting a limit to the amount of time spent on analysis will help everybody on the team focus on what’s important for the project. With an end goal and a specific date, everyone can be better focused. BPM by nature should be  flexible and agile, so it is important to ensure that the team doesn’t get so caught up in analysis that they lose sight of that fact.

Prioritization of requirements is also critical. Make sure the team works on the most important things first. Chaney commented that 20% of processes are used 80% of the time, so if a team can get that core 20% “Leaned,” then they’ve addressed 80% of inefficiencies. He suggested prototyping the top 5 processes to show significant improvement early on, and to get everyone on board to expand the project across the enterprise.

Finally, Chaney encouraged rewarding the team if they have done a good job and are tracking ahead of schedule. Morale is very important to any process improvement initiative. If the team is not productively moving, they’re not really adding value.  So, if they’ve achieved their goal for a particular day, tell them to take the rest of the day off, and they will ultimately be more productive in the future.

Want to watch this webinar? Check it out as an onDemand webcast .

And don’t forget to sign up for the final webinar in Metastorm’s Lean Webinar Series, Lean to the Power of Three, which will run twice on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 9:00 AM EST and 1:00 PM EST.

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The modern day Lean does not have to be about formal methodologies – the new Lean is about productivity, efficiency and competitive advantage. It is about doing business smarter and faster by squeezing out underutilized resources and eliminating time wasters. The new Lean applies to every industry, and it is becoming a top agenda item for CIOs everywhere. Metastorm’s Lean webinar series is designed to empower organizations to “get Lean” with enterprise architecture (EA), business process analysis (BPA) and business process management (BPM) to help cut costs, improve productivity and lower risk in smart ways that will enable them to gain a competitive advantage now, and to accelerate success in the future.

The following are featured in Metastorm’s Lean webinar series:

Lean Enterprise Architecture: EA Can Be Fast & Agile
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Session1: 6:00am PT/9:00am ET/2:00pm GMT
Session 2: 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 6:00pm GMT

In the “new normal” of today’s operating environment, it is more important than ever to make the most of your enterprise resources. Well targeted enterprise architecture initiatives can help you achieve more, better and faster, with the same or fewer resources. Productivity, efficiency, optimal use of assets both in-house and in the “cloud” – that’s what Lean EA can deliver. Learn from a hands-on EA and BPM practitioner who has successfully implemented Lean EA techniques tied directly into business process management for fast, practical results. To register, visit http://www.metastorm.com/news/webinars.asp

Business Process Analysis: Identify & Eliminate the Fat in Your Processes
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Session1: 6:00am PT/9:00am ET/2:00pm GMT
Session 2: 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 6:00pm GMT

To get Lean, you need to know where the fat is, and therefore where you have opportunities to be more efficient and productive. But where do you start when your organization is comprised of literally hundreds or thousands of business processes? Business process analysis software provides built-in expertise and algorithms to zero in on the best and worst areas of your processes and simulate changes that will deliver better results – no PhD required! This webinar will explore how packaged BPA software can give you the insight you need to make effective process changes that take into account all dependencies and a variety of objectives – including cost, time and profit. To register, visit http://www.metastorm.com/news/webinars.asp

Getting Leaner Faster with Business Process Management
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Session1: 6:00am PT/9:00am ET/2:00pm GMT
Session 2: 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 6:00pm GMT
BPM has been hailed as one of the best and fastest ways to operate in a leaner, more optimized manner. But a critical question is what BPM approaches can allow you to get lean the fastest, with the greatest certainty and with the largest business results? Get advice from a hands-on CMMI, Six Sigma and Lean practitioner who has successfully implemented roundtrip process improvements complete with metrics and significant, quantifiable benefits to productivity and efficiency. To register, visit http://www.metastorm.com/news/webinars.asp

Lean to the Power of 3
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Session1: 6:00am PT/9:00am ET/2:00pm GMT
Session 2: 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 6:00pm GMT
Are your goals out of sync with reality? Is the business out of sync with IT? Failing to align strategy with execution and difficulty aligning business and IT are two of the most fundamental issues standing in the way of optimizing organizational productivity, efficiency and performance. To truly “get Lean,” you need greater visibility into and collaboration on what matters most. Learn from industry experts who have successfully used EA, BPA and BPM software together to bridge these gaps – with significant improvements in the business. To register, visit http://www.metastorm.com/news/webinars.asp

For more Lean resources, visit http://www.metastorm.com/solutions/horizontal/lean-solutions.asp

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Of course this new, unwavering display of willpower and drive usually lasts until around March when gym attendance slowly trickles back to its normal, pre-resolution-season numbers. But there are always those dedicated few who come out on top – leaner, more agile and energized, and of course, healthier and more resilient than ever before.

A recent Financial Times post outlines ways that we can increase our chances of being successful with our fitness resolutions – one being to enlist a personal trainer. Another important element to a successful resolution season (and beyond!) is of course, to evaluate the way we treat our bodies – Are we drinking enough water? Are we wasting calories on poor food choices? Are we getting enough sleep, or spending too much time watching television?

This really comes down to one essential question— Are we allocating our time and resources to ensure that our bodies are running at optimal efficiency?

A few months ago I explained that businesses are just like the human body – living, growing and continually changing. So shouldn’t you pay attention to how you allocate your time and resources within your organization? Just like your body, your business can also get Lean to become more agile and productive, and healthier and more resilient than ever!

Set a fitness resolution for your business in the New Year, and let us be your personal trainer! You can fast track your efforts to get Lean in 2010 with help from Metastorm’s Enterprise Architecture and Business Process Management software. Using Metastorm as your platform for getting Lean will enable you to:

• Analyze your operations and infrastructure to identify underutilized resources,
• Run process scenarios to figure out how to accelerate cycle times and improve results,
• Identify where time is wasted and improve on those business processes,
• Automate processes to increase efficiency, save money, and become more agile – do more with less, and
• Give your employees a toolset that will make them more productive from Day One.

With Metastorm’s help your organization can lose the ‘fat,’ accelerate results and rev up the corporate metabolism!

Want to know more about your organization’s connection to the human body? Read this recent article by Laura Mooney, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Metastorm.

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