Consultants who install and maintain complex software systems are among the least-scrutinized service providers hired by businesses today. The very nature of these engagements -- contracting with a third party to evaluate, purchase, implement, and manage a substantial capital investment that the organization's staff knows little or nothing about -- screams "caveat emptor." However, by carefully evaluating their needs and consulting options, companies can hire service providers who will increase the effectiveness and value of their software systems.

Back in the early days of ERP, there were no SAP experts outside of SAP. Implementing ERP software required total reliance on the vendor. Naturally, veterans of SAP implementations established or went to work for consulting firms, lending their experience to other organizations' ERP deployments. Eventually enough ERP systems were in use that many IT departments were able to hire in-house experts who had participated in multiple installations. As the ERP consulting market has gone, so too should the market for business performance management consulting services. The BPM consulting market is now in an early, high-growth stage of development. Many firms provide a range of services, but since BPM itself is in a nascent stage in its life cycle -- those organizations that have implemented it are still considered early adopters -- the population of experienced consultants is limited in size.

Despite the market's youth, developments in BPM technology are spurring integrated business and organizational management methodologies that are resulting in significant, measurable change within organizations. Early adopters of BPM systems are achieving top-quartile performance results in a range of areas: finance and accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, planning, consolidations, and performance measurement, to name but a few. The current business and regulatory environment is compelling many organizations to perform better in these areas to improve their competitiveness and maximize value. In conjunction with a solid business intelligence and Web technology infrastructure, a new, robust BPM system -- if implemented and administered effectively -- can support new and improved processes.

Ninety percent of the subscribers to this first issue of Business Performance Management magazine are either evaluating or seeking to implement BPM software, maintaining a BPM system they already have in place, or looking to extend a pilot implementation throughout their organization. Regardless of where they are in the BPM life cycle, these companies are asking themselves one key question: To whom can we turn for help? Choosing the right vendor is a difficult undertaking, complicated by the sophistication of the technology and the unique organizational characteristics of every prospective buyer. Even if a company selects the right BPM solution, implementing it successfully is no easy task. As ERP was tagged large enterprises' "white elephant" after more than a few multimillion-dollar implementations failed, BPM can fall down on its promises if buyers aren't careful. Bringing in outside expertise is crucial to deploying this complex technology.