Connect the dots. Instilling confidence in management's desire and ability to successfully implement BPM is important for overcoming change barriers. This is especially true in organizations where BPM looks like one more in a long line of initiatives that haven't fully realized their objectives.

The key to overcoming such perceptions is to establish an implementation and change management plan that connects the dots. The plan should demonstrate how the new management processes will link to broader objectives and programs. For example, it may show how the company is modifying its leadership development policies to promote desired behaviors. Or it might specify how BPM builds on other programs, such as TQM, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement, in which problem-solving methods that the company is already using will be leveraged in performance measurement activities. Or the implementation plan might detail how BPM can serve as a basis to achieve other organizational objectives, such as reducing the cost of finance or enabling IT outsourcing. Positioning BPM in this manner can significantly improve its credibility and help overcome resistance.

Focus on a few critical capabilities. Selecting BPM software can be time-consuming. After a while, the options tend to start looking the same, and decision-makers begin to focus on the technical elegance of the products. They think in terms of tools, not in terms of solutions. The key to avoiding this situation is to start with the end in mind. Consider again exhibit 1. If one desired result of a BPM initiative is the ability to conduct analyses of IT value, BPM decision-makers should consider the following questions when choosing an application: Which of our options can integrate planning, budgeting, and target-setting processes at an operational IT level to make the link between strategy, finance, and operations more explicit? How can cost and performance measurement processes capture this information on an ongoing basis? How can we significantly reduce the cycle time of budgeting and target-setting processes to maintain the linkages among strategy, finance, and operations as budgets are revised during the year?

The point: When key requirements are clear, they provide the means to reduce the list of potential vendors to a manageable number. Moreover, a detailed requirement analysis will keep the project strategically focused and prevent it from being railroaded by people having a penchant for one tool versus another.