Poor communication among a software buyer, its consultants, and the vendor leads to unreasonable expectations in terms of costs, timelines, and results, as we explored in BPM Magazine's last issue. Poor communication between the project's leaders and corporate executives results in ineffective system design. Poor communication with the employees who will be the system's end users may undermine the implementation. And, of course, poor communication of the information coming out of a BPM system to an organization's internal decision-makers and external stakeholders renders the entire undertaking useless.

IT and finance managers' communication skills begin to have an impact on a BPM initiative as soon as corporate managers recognize the need for change. The people within a company who know what's possible with performance management software -- and what's not -- must make clear up front how much time and effort the organization will need to invest to reach whatever goals executives have in mind. If they don't, they're setting the implementation up for failure before it even gets under way.

Lack of communication early in the process commonly leads to problems in the implementation of corporate performance dashboards. As these tools spread, more and more managers see their potential. But many fail to realize that a hastily assembled and poorly planned dashboard is an ineffective dashboard. In this issue, Frank Buytendijk, a Gartner analyst, explains how finance and IT managers can control executives' expectations and develop a dashboard that truly improves corporate decision-making.

Once the goals of a BPM rollout (dashboard or otherwise) have been fleshed out, project organizers must assemble the team that will determine the implementation's scope and goals, shop for software and consultants, and -- most important -- communicate back to BPM users throughout the company about where the project is and where it's going. FRx Software's Chris Scherpenseel tackles the question of how to put together an internal project team that can handle this big assignment.

And Craig Schiff, CEO of BPM Partners, offers advice on choosing the right external expertise to support a BPM undertaking. Consultants are now advising companies in all facets of the performance management improvement process, from strategic planning to software implementation, so we've included our third annual guide to BPM-specific consulting firms and practices to help narrow your search for the right service provider.

Of course, a company needs to continue working hard at communication even after a BPM software implementation is complete. The whole point of installing such an application is to improve insight into -- and communication around -- the company's performance. For full effectiveness, BPM requires adequate disclosure to a wide range of stakeholders. Employees are critical, but so too are shareholders and external entities, such as government agencies.

Compliance with financial reporting regulations can be achieved through a set of Excel spreadsheets. But as Dominique Bichut reports in this issue, smart businesses that have to change reporting methods take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade their processes so that financial reporting is embedded in the day-to-day operations of the organization. In the same vein, John Van Decker explores the widespread need among U.S. businesses to give more thought to financial consolidations in the development of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance practices.

When it has the right BPM processes and software in place, a business runs like a well-oiled machine. But at every step of the way, the BPM systems themselves must be lubed by static-free communication.

Meg Waters is editor in chief of BPM magazine and of the monthly e-mail newsletter BPM Express.