magic quadrant for business process analysis tools
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Magic Quadrant for Business Process Analysis Tools
Gartner RAS Core Research Note G00174515, David Norton, Mike Blechar, Teresa Jones, 22 February 2010
Business process analysis tools continue to grow in importance as business managers, process architects and process analysts seek to better understand, streamline and automate their business processes and communicate their needs to IT professionals.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWBusiness process analysis (BPA) tools are intended primarily for use by:
• Businessarchitects,whorequirerobustsolutionsalignedwithenterprisearchitecture
• Businessprocess(BP)architects,whoredesignBPsataconceptuallevel,regardlessofwhethertherewouldbeabusinessprocessmanagementsuite(BPMS)implementation
• BPanalysts,whoredesignprocessesatamoredetailedlevel,oftenusingaBPMS
BPanalystsarealsoresponsibleforcoordinatingtheimplementationofthenewprocessesaspartofBPMprojects,ITdevelopmentprojectsandpackagepurchaseacquisitions.Althoughtheserolesareincreasinglybeingperformedbystaffinend-userbusinessunits,manyorganizationsstillexpectITarchitectsandanalyststoperformtheseroles.Aswiththe2008BPAtoolMagicQuadrant,in2009wecontinuedtofocusonBParchitectsandanalystsastheprototypicalbuyersofBPAtools.
BPAtoolsalsocanbeusedbyotherrolesintheorganization(forexample,lines-of-businessowners,departmentalheadsandoperationsstaff).Thisispartofthegrowinguseof“BPAforthemasses,”embeddingBPAintotheeverydayorganization.Weseethistrendwithincreaseduseofautomatedandnonautomated“as-is”processdiscoveryandcloud-basedmodelingtoimprovecommunicationandcollaboration.Technical,solutionandinformationarchitectsincreasinglyfindvalueinBPAformodelingandsimulatingservicesandcapabilities,increasinglyseekingtobetterunderstandhowBPsrelatetoandaredesignedandimplementedinservice-orientedarchitectures(SOAs).
Organizationsarealsoshowingincreasedinterestinhavingbetterintegrationacrossrolesthroughtheuseofintegratedorbest-of-breedsuitesoftoolsthatsupportmodelingforBP,object-orientedanddata/databaseanalysisanddesign,aswellasrequirementsmanagement.Forexample,asabestpractice,organizationsaredefiningBPs,eventsandworkflowsinBPAtools,andarebringingthisinformationintoITmodelingtoolsandBPMSs,wheremore-detailedsoftwareanddataserviceanalyses,designanddevelopmentoccurs.
2TheBPAtoolmarketsitsbetweentheenterprise architecture tool market and the BPMStoolmarket;notsurprisingly,manyBPA tools are sold into these markets formodelerswiththesefocusareas.Forexample,differentBPAtoolselectionteamswant:
• Atoolwithanarchitecturalfocus,includingsupportformodelsrelatedtoorganizational,stakeholderandstrategyissues.
• AsolutionthatsupportstheintegrationofBPmodelswithprocessassembly,workfloworchestrationandoptimizationtechnologies.
• AtoolthatsupportstheintegrationofbusinessprocessesandITmodelingtoolsto facilitate application development and packagepurchases.
BPA tools are key components of BP improvement initiatives, and the discipline ofBPM.BPAtoolsareusedbybusinessanalysts and architects to construct BP models.ProcessmodelingisakeyBPMtechnologywhenusedinaBPMS(modelsareinsyncwiththeimplementation–thatis,theBPMmodelartifactsshouldalwaysreflectwhat’sbeingexecuted).Inthiscapacity, BPA tools complement BPMS toolsbyenablingdeeper,multilevelmodeling(conceptual,logicalandphysicalingreaterdetail,includingrelationshipmapping)thanthemodelingcomponentofaBPMS.WhenusedinconjunctionwithaBPMS,theBPAtoolcanbeanintegratedcomponentofasingle-vendorBPMS,oritcanbeabest-of-breedBPAtoolthatbridgesintoabest-of-breedBPMS.Linkagetotheworkflowassembly,orchestrationenginesandbusinessactivitymonitoring(BAM)toolsisdrivingBPAintothemainstreamforBPimprovementinitiatives.BAMallowsreal-timeornear-real-timedatatobeoverlaidontotheBPAmodels,providingarichkeyperformanceindicator(KPI)andprocessdashboard.UnderstandingcomplexBPsisasignificantchallenge.Theassistanceofatoolwithvisualizationandotherfeatures–suchassimulationandactivity-basedcosting(ABC)–helpsoptimizeBPsandrealizeBPMcostandtimesavings.
Becausethefunctionalityofbest-of-breedBPAtoolsandBPMSmodelingtoolsoverlapssomuch,bothtypesofproductsareincludedinthisMagicQuadrantandmustbeevaluatedinthecontextofaBPAusescenario,asdescribedinthisresearch.BeyondthescopeofthisMagicQuadrantaretheissuesrelatedtothedegreeofintegrationamongtoolsinaBPMSandhowtheysharenotonlymodels,butalltypesofmetadata.
©2010Gartner,Inc.and/oritsaffiliates.Allrightsreserved.GartnerisaregisteredtrademarkofGartner,Inc.oritsaffiliates.Reproductionanddistributionofthispublicationinanyformwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionisforbidden.Theinformationcontainedhereinhasbeenobtainedfromsourcesbelievedtobereliable.Gartnerdisclaimsallwarrantiesastotheaccuracy,completenessoradequacyofsuchinformation.AlthoughGartner’sresearchmaydiscusslegalissuesrelatedtotheinformationtechnologybusiness,Gartnerdoesnotprovidelegaladviceorservicesanditsresearchshouldnotbeconstruedorusedassuch.Gartnershallhavenoliabilityforerrors,omissionsorinadequaciesintheinformationcontainedhereinorforinterpretationsthereof.Theopinionsexpressedhereinaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.
Figure1.MagicQuadrantforBusinessProcessAnalysisTools
challengers leaders
niche players visionaries
completeness of vision
abili
ty to
exe
cute
As of February 2010
Lombardi Nimbus
Casewise Salamander Technologies
iGrafx
Microsoft
Metastorm Mega
IDS Scheer IBM
QPR Software Tibco Software BusinessGenetics
Sparx Systems
Savvion
Source: Gartner (February 2010)
3What has been the growth rate for the BPA tool market during the past three to four years?
BasedonGartnerestimates,themarketrevenuehasgrownconsistently,anaverageof10%to15%duringthepastseveralyears.GartnerBPAmarketestimatesfornew-productlicenseandmaintenancerevenuein2008were$415million,andthisgrewtoanestimated$420millionin2009,aslowergrowthcomparedtopreviousyears,butexpectedgiventhefinancialclimatein2009.
Alargefollow-onmarketalsoexistsforconsultingandservicesinimplementingthesetoolsandthemethodstousethem.WhencalculatingBPAmarketrevenue,wedidnotincludeconsultingorservicerevenue.Formanyvendors,thisadd-onconsultingandservicerevenuesignificantlyexceedssoftwarerevenue.Also,BPAtoolvendorsincreasinglyareaddingcomplementarysoftwareproductsintheareasofgovernance,riskandcompliance(GRC),aswellasmore-purchasablecontentintermsofprebuiltmodelsdeliveredintheirBPAtools.
What is the projected growth rate for the BPA tool market during the next few years?
ExpandingthedemandforBPAtoolsshouldresultinatleasta10%compoundannualgrowthrateinmarketrevenuethrough2010.WeexpectthatthenumberofBPAuserswillgrowatasignificantlyfasterratethanBPAmarketrevenueasthecostperseatdecreasesandasdemandforlow-costcloud-basedtoolstosupportthemore-casualuseraspartofa“BPAforthemasses”scenarioincreases.ThiswillcreategreateropportunitiesforsellingincreasedBPAconsultingservicesandwillopenupmorecross-productmarketingtovendorswithmultipletoolofferingsaspartoftheirBPMSs.
Do you expect the BPA market to disappear at some point because of vendor consolidations and the emergence of BPMSs? If so, then when do you expect this to happen?
WedonotseetheBPAmarketdisappearing,eveninthelongterm(thatis,throughatleast2015).Aswithanymaturemarket,consolidationcontinuestobeafactor.Buildingonpreviousyears(theacquisitionofProformabyMetastormandTelelogicbyIBM),2009sawIBMacquireLombardi,ProgressSoftwareacquireSavvionandSoftwareAGacquireIDSScheer.
ThestabilityofBPAtoolvendorsisnotbasedonlyonproductsales.MostBPAvendorshaveacomplementarysetofconsultingserviceofferingsinsuchareasasBPmethodsanddisciplinesthatcangeneraterevenueatfivetimestheBPAtoolrevenuerate;therefore,thestabilityoftheBPAtoolmarket–includingsmallerspecialty/nicheBPAvendors–isgreaterthanmayappearatfirstglance.
TheBPAtoolmarketwillcontinuetoattractnewplayers,especiallyBPM/BPMSvendorsextendingtheirtoolstoprovidegreaterBPAcapabilities,andothervendors,suchasthoseintheobject-orientedanalysisanddesignanddatamodeling/databasedesignmarkets,extendingtheirtoolstosupportBPA.BecauseBPMSsincludeBPAtechnologyasakeycomponent,manyorganizationswillimplementanintegratedsingle-vendorsolutionfromtheirstrategicpartnersduringthelongterm.Currently,however,
theBPAtoolmarketleadershipisdominatedbybest-of-breedtechnologies.Therefore,opportunitieswillcontinueforspecialty–generallyniche–BPAvendorstoflourish(seethevendorslistedintheHonorableMentionsection).
Anotherinterestingandrelateddynamicisthattheenterprisearchitecturetoolmarketisextendingincreasinglydownintothe level of solution architecture, beyond the future enterprise technologyarchitectureandintoenterprisedata,applicationand(especially)businessarchitectures.Therefore,manyleadingBPA tool vendors, especially those that also have enterprise architecturetoolofferings,canbeexpectedtogrowtheirBPAbusiness“up”intothelevelofsolutionarchitectureaspartofbroadermodelingsuites.
Atthesametime,weexpectconsolidationinanovercrowdedmarket.Manysmallplayers,especiallythosecominglatetothemarketorfailingtoaddressalliancepartnershipsanddistributionchannels,willbebought,falltonichestatusorslowlydisappear.However,theoverallBPAtooladoptionratewillaccelerateasmainstreamorganizationsbecomemoreinvolvedwithBPmodelingtosupportSOAsandaddresscomplianceissueswithmodelsbasedongovernmentmandates,andbuyandimplementthenextgenerationofmodel-drivenapplicationpackagesbasedonBPmodelsandprebuiltservice-orientedsoftwareandcontent.
MAGIC QUADRANT
Market OverviewBuyers’focushasbecomemorecomplex.AlthoughwestillweighttheselectioncriteriaforthisBPAtoolMagicQuadrantinfavorofvendorswithtoolswhosefootprintbestsupportsbusinessarchitects,BParchitectsandBPanalysts,werecognizethat BPA tool purchases may be intended to solve the needs of amorediverseuserbase.Theseareasofbuyerfocusarenotintended to be descriptions of job positions; they merely reflect howorganizationsprioritizewhowillusetheBPAtoolsand,byextension,howthetoolswillbeused.Thatis,ifenterprisebusinessarchitectsaretheprimetargetusersofthetools,thentheirmethodsandthefunctionsandfeaturestheyneedwillbedifferentfromotherusersoftheBPAtool,suchasBPanalystsworkingonBPautomationprojectsusingaBPMS.BPAtoolscansupportawidespectrumofrolesthathavevaryingdegreesofbusinessandtechnicalexpertise.Certaintoolsmeetspecificneedsbetterthanothers,soitisimportanttoprioritizewhowillusethetoolandtounderstandthemethodsandfunctionalrequirementsoftoolusetochoosethemostappropriateproductduringtheselectionprocess.
Organizations should not consider vendor placement in this BPA tools Magic Quadrant as automatically reflecting which tools will best match their organizational needs. In some cases, a niche player or a tool mentioned in the Honorable Mention section of this research may be the best fit.
Inthecompanionresearch“UnderstandingVendorPlacementintheBPAToolsMagicQuadrant,”weexploretheissueofwhichvendorsandproductsbestmeetusers’differingneedsandhowBPAsolutionsarecomparedandcontrastedwithoneanother.
4Honorable Mention
SomevendorsdonotcleanlyfallwithintheBPAmarketcategoriesordon’tmeetthecriteriafortheMagicQuadrant,butareworthyofmentioning.Herearefourproductsthatyoumaybeinterestedin:
Global Enterprise Managers
GlobalEnterpriseManagers’GEMWorXFlowModelerextendsVisio’smodelingcapabilitieswithmoresupportforbusinessmodelers.Visiouserscanorganizetheirprocessdiagramshierarchically,linkedtoeachother(andtoprocess-relatedresources),Web-publishedandnavigatedinabrowser.GEMWorX’sdata-drivenfunctionalityincludesnewtoolsthatarrivedwithversion5.1,andalightweightlearningmanagementsystemthattransformsFlowModeler/Visiodiagramsintoe-learningassets.FlowModelerispartoftheGEMWorXSuiteofintegratedBPanalysisande-learningtools.Itisrepository-based,includessupportforversioningandteamsharingofmodelinformation(integrationwithMicrosoftOfficeandSharePoint),andMonteCarlosimulation(withanimation)forABC.Userscanadd custom attributes and data elements to process shapes, automaticallyapplyserialnumberingtoworkflows,andgenerateeither preformatted or custom reports for comparison, analysis andupdating.TheWorkflowExplorerprovidesflexiblesearchcapabilitiestoVisiouserswhomaintainandupdateprocessdiagrams,andalsotoe-users,whoviewthemodelinabrowser.
GEMWorXisfocusedonhuman-drivenprocesses,soitemphasizessimplicityandclarityforthe(Visio)modelerandthe(Web-based)enduser.Organizationsthatmustproduceend-userlearningmaterialsincoordinationwithmodel-basednewdevelopment,packageacquisitionandBPimprovementprojects–includingbylargeexternalserviceproviders(consulting)andERP(applicationpackage)vendors–willfindGEMWorXworthconsidering,aswillthoseexpectinghighlevelsofpersonnelturnoverrequiringtrainingofnewemployees.NewpricingforGEMWorXv.5.1beginswithasingle-userVisioProductivityeditionat$895.However,mostpurchaseswillinvolveeithertheGEMWorXCompanyTeameditionorthesmallerProjectTeamedition.ACompanyTeam,with10FlowModelerseatsand20concurrente-userlogins,ispricedfrom$16,000foranannualsubscriptionto$36,000foraperpetuallicense.TheProjectTeamincludesthreeusers(maximumoffive)for$8,495.AdditionalFlowModelerusersare$700perseat,andblocksofconcurrente-userloginsarenominallypriced.
Orbus Software
Foundedin2004,OrbusSoftwaremarketsarepository-basedmodelingtool,iServer,whichusesMicrosoftVisioasitsprimaryuserinterface.Theshapesoneachdiagrambecomerepositoryobjects(buildingblocks),andiServermanagestherelationshipsamongthoseobjects.iServerhasmanycapabilitiessimilartootherpopularrepository-basedBPAtools,suchasthosefromCasewiseandIDSScheer’sARISbutwiththeadvantageofbeinglessexpensiveandeasiertouse.iServercomeswithcompanionproducts,PublisherandPortal,whichprovidebrowseraccesstotherepository.
OrbusSoftwareisarecommendedpartnerofMicrosoftwhenthereisafocusonVisiomodelingusingtheBusinessProcessModelingNotation(BPMN)standard.OnekeydistinguishingfeaturebetweeniServerandotherBPAtoolsisiServer’sdepthofMicrosoftOfficeintegration–forexample,thetraceabilitytoandinterrogationofindividualcomponentsinMicrosoftWorddocuments(suchasKPIs,requirements,workinstructionsandriskprofiles).Orbus’siServerDataExchangeproductcontainsanExcelimport/exportinterfaceforeditingmetadataandrelationshipsoffline.AlthoughiServercompeteshead-onwithotherBPAtools,italsocanbeusedinacomplementarymanner,withdatainterchangepossiblebetweeniServerandanyothermodelingtoolanddatasources.iServeralsointerfaceswithMicrosoftSharePointfordocumentsynchronization,ProModelProcessSimulatorforprocesssimulationandK2’sblackpearlforworkflowandprocessautomation.
iServersupportsanyindustrystandardorcustomframework,suchasZachman,andalsoprovidesout-of-the-boxsolutionsforTheOpenGroupArchitectureFramework(TOGAF9)andtheInformationTechnologyInfrastructureLibrary(ITIL)v.3.iServeralsocomeswithstrongtechnicalfeatures,suchasbeingableto“baseline”andcomparedifferentstructures,modelsanddocumentsacrossviews,timelinesandscenarios,aswellasbeingabletosetdeadlinesfordocument“packages”forgivenreleasedatesandsets.TobeincludedinthenextMagicQuadrant,OrbusSoftwaremustgrowitsrevenuesignificantly.However,thenumberofVisiousersissubstantial,andthereissignificantroomforOrbustogrowthebusinesswithawell-executedmarketingplantargetingthem.
Ultimus
TheUltimusBPAtool,ProcessDesigner,focusesonBParchitects,analystsandBPMSmodelerslookingtomodel,automate,manageandoptimizeBPs.Theproductincludesstrongsimulation,dashboardingandABC,andcomeswithmanypeople-centricfeatures.UltimushasacomplementaryBAMtool–theUltimusiBAMSuite–whichcapturesanddisplaysKPIsfromliveprocessdataandthird-partyapplications,andsupports“deepdive”analytics.UsingtheUltimusiBAMSuite,whichleveragestheUltimusAdaptiveDiscoverytechnology,inconjunctionwithProcessDesigner,completeroundtripoptimizationofprocessesisenabled,makingitpossibletodynamicallycompleteafeedbackloopforprocessimprovement.WheniBAMiscombinedwithUltimusEnterprisePerformanceManager(EPM),itextendsoptimizationcapabilitiestotheUltimusAdaptiveBPMSuite.However,thesemodelscanbeusedoutsidetheAdaptiveBPMSuitetoanalyzeandoptimizeanydatastore,includingatightintegrationwithMicrosoftVisioandIDSScheer’sARIS.
BecauseUltimusBPAtoolsaretheBPmodelingcomponentsofitsUltimusAdaptiveBPMSuite,customersshouldconsidertheextendeduseofUltimusBPAtoolsatthearchitectureandanalysislevelsofmodeling(inadditiontothephysicalandworkflowlevelsofprocessmodeling),ratherthanconsiderathird-party,best-of-breedsolution,althoughthelatterremainsanoption.UltimusisratedasavisionaryintheBPMStoolmarketMagicQuadrantwithUltimusAdaptiveBPMSuite.ProcessDesignersellsforapproximately$300foraworkstation-based,project-levelseat.ProcessDesigner,combinedwithiBAMandEPM,sellsforapproximately$3,000to$5,000.ForunlimitedenterpriseuseofUltimusProcessDesigner,itcosts$25,000.
5Fujitsu
Theproductisofferedasahostedoron-demandsoftware-as-a-service(SaaS)model,whichenablesBPanalystsandBPMSmodelerstogetstartedimmediately,withalladministration,operationandmaintenanceundertakenbyFujitsu.
AstrongfeatureofInterstageistheAutomatedProcessDiscovery(APD)thatallowsfordiscoveryandin-depthanalysisofthecurrentprocessatthetransactionlevel.TheAPDfeaturesallowbusinessandprocessanalyststodevelopthe“as-is”modelinacondensedtimespan–weeksnotmonths.Interstagesupportsroundtripengineeringasthemodelsmovefromdiscovered“as-is”withinAPDto“to-be”withinInterstageBPMStudioandfurtheranalysiswithInterstageBPMAnalytics–givingfullcyclevisualization,closingtheloopbyusingAPDtovalidatethedeployed“to-be.”
InterstagesupportforeXtensibleBusinessReportingLanguage(XBRL)viaInterstageXWandproductsallowsmodelstointegrateintofinancialreportingandcompliance,providinggreatertransparency.InterstagecanimportMicrosoftVisiodiagrams,allowingorganizationtoleverageexistingassetsandextend“as-is”discoveryfeatures.ItcanalsoimportIDSScheermodels,whichwillbenefitBPmodelerswhowishtouseabest-of-breedapproach.Fujitsuhasundertakenaglobalrestructuring.TheresultisthatthenewreorganizationisproducingmoresynergiesbetweenFujitsusoftwareandserviceorganizations.
Market Definition/DescriptionGartnerdefinesBPAasthebusinessmodelingspaceinwhichbusiness professionals (that is, business users, business architects and BP analysts) and IT analysts collaborate on business architecture,transformationandimprovement,includingprocessanalysisanddesigntosupportBPimprovementinitiatives.BusinessarchitectsuseBPAtoolstoworkcollaborativelywithenterprise, technical, application and information architects as part oftheorganization’ssolutionarchitectureefforts.Thisensuresthattheprocessesconformtotherequirements,principlesandmodelsthatsupporttheenterprise’schangeagenda–ascapturedinthegapplanandtransitionroadmap.BPAtoolsalsoareusedbyBPanalystsanddesignerstocapturethedetailsoftheBP,ensuringthatprocessflowimprovesthequalityoftherequirementassessmentforcustomdevelopment,aswellasthatofas-isandto-begapanalysesinpackagedimplementations.Furthermore,BPAcanserveasabridgetoimprovethealignmentofITeffortswithbusinessinitiatives.
ProcessmodelingaspartofBPAisbecomingastartingpointforagrowingnumberofBPMandcomplianceprojects.Conversely,mostBPMprojectsstartwithtoolsthatincludeprocessmodelinginsupportofworkflowandaddaBPAtooltobetterunderstandtheirprocessesandsimulatepossiblechanges.MostBPAtoolsincludeBAMcapabilitiesorpartnerwithBAMtoolvendors,includingexecutivedashboardingintoBPs.
MostBPAtoolscanbeusedforBPandworkflowdesignandimplementationinconjunctionwithbest-of-breedBPMworkflowandorchestrationtoolsaspartofaBPMS,orwiththeBPAtoolvendor’sBPMproductasasingle-vendorBPMS.MostBPMSvendorshaveaprocessanalysis,designandworkflowmodelingtool.SomevendorscompeteintheBPAmarket(orplantodoso),whileothersusetheleadingBPAtoolsascomplementarybusiness
architecturemodelingtoolstofrontendtheirproject-orientedprocessandworkflowdesignmodelingtool.WedidnotaddresstheselatterprocessandworkflowdesignmodelingtoolsaspartoftheBPAmarket;GartnerconsiderstheBPMSmarketseparately.Similarly, many BPA tools can be used by enterprise architects as part of the enterprise architecture tool market, and these tools also werenotconsideredaspartoftheBPAmarket.However,BPAmodels that are developed by business architects and analysts areexpectedtobeleveragedincollaborationwithothermodelersintheorganization,includingenterprisearchitects,technicalarchitects, information architects, application architects, and IT, BP andworkflowdesigners.Therefore,BPAtoolvendorsthatprovidecomplementary capabilities in these areas receive some additional creditintheBPAmarketMagicQuadrantforhavingawiderbreadthofsolution.
Inclusion and Exclusion CriteriaWehavechosentoincludevendorsmeetingoneormoreofthefollowingcriteriaintheBPAtoolmarket:
• Atotalof3%($13million)ormoreinnewproductandmaintenancelicenserevenuein2008/2009.
• GreaterorequalfrequencyofappearanceininquiriesbyGartnercustomers,ascomparedwithcompetitorslistedintheMagicQuadrant.(ThismustberelevanttotheBPAmarketandidentifiedasavendorinthisspace.)
• GreaterorequalfrequencyofappearanceonGartnercustomerevaluationshortlists,ascomparedwithcompetitorslistedintheMagicQuadrant.(ThismustberelevanttotheBPAmarketandidentifiedasavendorinthisspace.)
• BPAtoolsthatdonotmeettheaforementionedcriteriabuthavesome niche or specialty characteristic that could be of interest toGartnerclients(forexample,alightweightorgood-enoughBPAtoolthatissoldaspartofasuitebyaleadingBPMvendor).
Weusedtheseinclusionandexclusioncriteriaforthe2010MagicQuadrant.
AddedNimbusandSalamanderTechnologies
DroppedEMC and Sybase
Evaluation Criteria
Ability to ExecuteWeselectedthesamethreemajorcriteriaandweightingsasin2008toevaluatetheabilityofthevendorstoexecuteintheBPAtoolmarket.Othercriterianotselectedexplicitlywerefactoredintothethreethatwereselected(forexample,salesandmarketingexecutionandoperationsweresubsumedaspartofoverallviability).First,weidentifiedcustomerexperienceasthehighest-ratedevaluationcriterion.Weevaluatedthevendors’andproducts’abilitytoenablethesuccessofBParchitectsandanalystsintheirjobsversustheircompetitors.
6
Second,weratedhighlyproductbreadthanddepthoffunctionsandfeatures,becausemanyorganizationswantthemostrobust,bestandmostinnovativetechnology.Thetechnologywiththebestfunctionsandfeaturesdoesnotalwaysmakeprocessarchitectsandanalyststhemostsuccessful.Third,weratedasslightlylessimportanttheoverall(current) viability of the vendor and tool in the BPA market (see Table 1)
Completeness of VisionWeusedthesimilarcriteriaandweightingsforcompletenessofvisionaswedidin2008.Duringthenextfiveyears,astheacquisitionofBPAtoolsgrowsbymainstreamandgenerallymore-risk-averseorganizations,vendorviabilitywillbecomeanincreasingconcerntobuyers.Therefore,weratedbusinessmodelvisionasthemostimportantaspectofthecompletenessofvisioncriterion.
Forratingpurposes,weincludedinthebusinessmodelvisionratingrelatedcriteria,suchasmarketunderstanding,marketstrategy,salesstrategyandgeographicstrategy.Weratedoffering(product)strategyhighly,notsomuchbecauseofshortcomingsintheleadingtools,butratherbecauseweseeopportunitiestouseimprovingfunctionsandfeatures,suchasBAMandbusinessrules,duringanalysisanddesignactivities,aswellasnewdiagramtypes,asstandardscontinuetoemerge–tofurtherleveragetheworkofprocessarchitectsandanalysts.Weincludedinnovationintheratingforoffering(product)strategy.Finally,weincludedvertical/industrystrategyasalesser-weightedcriterion–butonethatweseegrowinginimportanceasless-sophisticated(moremainstream)BParchitectsandanalystsseektojump-starttheirmodelingefforts,buymodelstosavetime,acquire“strawman”examplesofbest-practiceBPsfromleadingthirdpartiesandbetterunderstandpurchasedapplications.
More on Functionality Criteria
In“SelectionCriteriaforBPATools,2H08-1H09,”weexaminedthefollowingtypesofBPAtoolfunctionality:
• Businessmodeldrawing/development
• Easeofuseinoperation/developmentandadministration
• Integrationandautomation
• Multiusersupport/versioningandextensibility
• Businessmodeldrawing/development
• Methodologyanduse
• Performanceandscalability
• Verticalindustryandhorizontalcross-industrytemplatesupport
Somekeyfunction/featuredifferencesweusedtoratetool
Evaluation Criteria
Product/Service
OverallViability(BusinessUnit,Financial,Strategy,Organization)
SalesExecution/Pricing
Market Responsiveness and Track Record
MarketingExecution
CustomerExperience
Operations
Weighting
Standard
High
NoRating
NoRating
NoRating
High
NoRating
Table 1. Ability to Execute Evaluation Criteria
Source: Gartner (February 2010)
Evaluation Criteria
MarketUnderstanding
MarketingStrategy
SalesStrategy
Offering(Product)Strategy
Business Model
Vertical/IndustryStrategy
Innovation
GeographicStrategy
Weighting
NoRating
NoRating
NoRating
High
High
Low
Standard
NoRating
Table 2. Completeness of Vision Evaluation Criteria
Source: Gartner (February 2010)
functionalityinthisMagicQuadrantincludetheabilitytosupport process simulation, ABC, BAM, industry standards and frameworks,bridgesfrom/tootherleadingBPMSsandITtools,andprebuilt/prepopulatedmodelsandcontent.
Weusedtheseinclusionandexclusioncriteriaforthe2010MagicQuadrant(seeTable2).
LeadersThesearehigh-viabilityvendorswithproventrackrecordsinBPAtoolsandhighdegreesoffunctionalityormarketpenetration,aswellasvisionandbusinessinvestment.Theyarealsowell-positioned for the future, because of completeness of vision –duetofinancialcommitmentandmarketshare,technologicaldifferentiationorboth.Leadersdonotnecessarilyofferthebestproductsforeverycustomerprojectorrole.However,theyprovidesolutionsthatofferrelativelylowerrisk.LeadersincludeIBM,IDS
7Scheer(SoftwareAG),iGrafx,Mega,MetastormandMicrosoft.
ChallengersChallengersarewell-executingvendorsthathavelesscompletenessofvisionthanleaders.InthisMagicQuadrant,thechallengersareCasewiseandSalamanderTechnologies.
VisionariesThesevendorsaredifferentiatedbyinnovationintechnologyorsalesandmarketing.However,theyhavenotachievedtherecordofexecutionrequiredtoreachaleadershipposition.InthisMagicQuadrant,therearetwovisionaries–NimbusandLombardi.
Niche PlayersThesevendors’productscansolveproblems,althoughthevendors’visionandexecutionarerelativelynarrowinfocusorlagbehindleadersinsomeaspectsofvisionandexecution.Customersthatarealignedwiththefocusofanichevendoroftenfindthatsuchproviders’offeringsarethebestfitfortheirspecialtyneeds.CurrentnicheplayersincludeBusinessGenetics,Savvion,SparxSystems,TibcoSoftwareandQPRSoftware.
Vendor Strengths and Cautions
BusinessGeneticsStrengths
• BusinessGeneticshasaunique,one-of-a-kind,businessmodelingmethodology–eXtendedBusinessModelingLanguage(xBML)–whichusessimple“what,who,when,whereandwhich”questionsdonewithinaframeworkofrulestodoprocessmodeling.
• ThexBML5dimensionalmodelscreatedbythexBMLW5BusinessModelEditoraremanagedinthexBMLModelManager.
• ThexBMLBusinessRequirementsDocumentAuto-GeneratorusesaninferenceenginetodirectlytranslatexBMLbusinessmodelsintobusinessrequirements.
• ThexBMLSAPAuto-ConfiguratorusesaninferenceenginetotranslatexBMLmodelsintothefourSAPconfigurationdocumentsrelatedtorequirements,design,specificationandinterfaceneededforSAPimplementations/configurations.
• ThereareanumberofbridgestootherleadingBPA,ITandBPMtechnologies,includingIDSScheer’sARIS,IBMRationalRose,CAERwinandSoftwareAGwebMethods.
• BusinessGeneticshasdevelopedanumberofintegrationswith
otherproducts,includingIBMRelationalSoftwareArchitect(RSA),SoftwareAGwebMethods,CasewiseandHPTestDirector.
• Gartnercustomerfeedbackgivesahighsatisfactionlevel,withmultidimensionalanalysisandreporting,pluseaseofuse,beingthemostcitedfeatures.
Cautions
• BusinessGeneticshasabout2%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• TheprimaryrevenuesourceforBusinessGeneticsistrainingandconsultinginthexBMLmethodology,andtheuniquenessofthemethodologylimitsalternativesourcesofconsultingandanavailablepoolofexperiencedmodelersusingthexBMLmethodandtools.
• Likeothercompanieswithasimilarpercentageofmarketshare,BusinessGenetics must continue to deliver on client success and increased partnerships and distribution channels for its technologytoimproveitsmarketposition.
CasewiseStrengths
• CorporateModelerhasgoodtechnologydepth,breadthandcoverage.TheCasewiseWebPortalisacomplementarymoduletotheCorporateModelerSuite,whichoffersdirectaccesstothetool’sextensiblerepositoryviaaWebbrowser.
• ThenewCasewiseWebModelerprovidesaWeb-based,thin-client,on-demandmodelingenvironmentbasedonWindowsSilverlight.Thisallowsforfastdeploymentandprojectrampup.
• BParchitectswilllikethelargenumberpredefinedprocessmodelsandbest-practiceframeworks.ManyofCasewise’smodelsandframeworkshavebeenexternallyendorsedandcertifiedbytheappropriategoverningbody(forexample,CasewiseistheTeleManagementForum’smodelcustodianfortheenhancedTelecomOperationsMap[eTOM]framework).
• CasewiseSchedulersupportsBPA/BPMgovernanceandprocesslifecyclemanagementwithchangemanagementworkflow.
• CasewiseGRCAcceleratoraddressestheareaofgovernanceriskandcompliance,managingthecomplexoverlapsbetweenmultipleregulatorycompliancesstandards.
• Casewise’sCorporateSynergysolutiondeliverscomprehensiveBPAintegratedwithenterprisearchitecture(EA)andBPMcapabilities.Awizard-drivenplatform,itallowsforcross-domainviewstobedeveloped.
• CasewiseAutoModelersupportsbusinessdiscoveryby
8importingexistingExcel,WordandVisioassets.ModelelementsareautomaticallygeneratedandmodeledwithintheCasewiserepository.
• Casewisecanbeanexcellentalternativetomore-complexandexpensivetools–especiallyIDSScheer’sARISandIBMSystemArchitect.
Cautions
• Casewisehasabout3.4%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• CasewiseprovidesastrongBPAoffering,butithasnotdisplayedleadershipinspecificareasofthismarketduringtheevaluationperiod,henceitsmovefromtheLeaderstoChallengersquadrant.Astrongerfocusonroadmapexecutionisaddressingthisissue.
iGrafxStrengths
• iGrafx’sEnterpriseBPAtoolshitthe“sweetspot”ofbuyersastheyfocusonthebusiness/BParchitectandanalystbuyercategories,withsomeadditionalcapabilitiesforthoseintheenterprise business architect, business architect and BPMS modelercategories.
• BasedonGartnercustomerfeedback,iGrafxhasahighsatisfactionratingregardingeaseofuseandflexibility.
• iGrafx’sBPAtoolsarerepository-basedandcomewithcollaborationandcommunicationfunctionality,andstronganalysis,changeandconfigurationmanagementcapabilitiesthatsupportcomplianceandthecoordinationofteamsacrosstheenterprise.
• Organizationslookingforasolutionfromasinglevendor,whichincludesVisio-likecapabilitiesaswellassupportforbusiness/BParchitectsandanalysts,shouldconsidertheiGrafxsuiteofBPAtools.
• iGrafxFlowChartercanbeusedtomeetthemodelingneedsofbusinessusersandless-skilledbusinessmodelers.
• iGrafxProcessaddressestheneedsofbusinessprocessanalysts,allowingforthenaturalmaturationofBPA/businessprocessimprovement(BPI)methodologiesandtechniques.
• iGrafxEnterpriseModelerandiGrafxProcessforSixSigmaaddresstheneedsofenterprisebusiness/BParchitects,withtherobustmethodsandleading-edgefunctionalitytheyrequire,aswellasenterpriseriskandcompliancepersonnel,withintegratedriskandcompliancemodels.
• iGrafxBPAtoolsincludebridgestomanyoftheleadingBPMSs.
Cautions
• iGrafxhadaGartner-estimated3.5%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• Likeothercompanieswithasimilarsizeofmarketshare,iGrafxmustcontinuetodeliveronclientsuccessandincreasepartnerships and distribution channels to improve its position in theLeadersquadrant.
IBMStrengths
• IBMpositionsSystemArchitectasitsEAandBPAarchitectandanalysttool,withintegrationwithWBMforthosefocusedonBPanalysisandprocessflowmodelinginsupportofexecution.WBM,aswellasIBM’sBlueWorksoffering,providesstrongbusinessmodelingandsimulationcapabilitiesforcustomerslookingatBPAfortheirBPMprojects.
• SystemArchitectisnowintegratedwithIBMFocalPoint,whichprovidesprojectandprogramplanningandanalysis.
• SystemArchitectintegrationtoRationalChangeallowsforimprovedBPAgovernanceandchangeworkflow.
• ThenewSystemArchitectXTprovidesaWeb-based,thin-clientBPAenvironmentandallowsforgreatercollaboration.Inaddition,SystemArchitectProcessIntegratorallowsbusinessuserstoprovideprocessmodelstoSystemArchitectviaVisio.
• WiththecombinationofSystemArchitectandWBM,IBMhasaGartner-estimated17%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• IBMisaleaderintheareasofbusinessrequirementsmanagementandIT(object-orientedanalysisanddesign)modeling,datamodeling/databasedesignandJavaapplicationdevelopmentwithtoolswithbridgesbetweenSystemArchitectanditsothertools.
• SystemArchitecthasfulllifecycledatamodeling/databasedesignandschema-generationcapabilities,whichassistsBParchitectsandanalystsinrelatingprocessestodataatmultiplelevels,andpromotesbetterunderstandingbetweenbusinessandITpersonnel.
• SystemArchitectsupportsavarietyofbusinessprocessmethods,referencemodels–includingtelecom(NGOSS),supplychain(SCOR),CPGandinsurance(AKMA)–andfederalfinancialmodels(iRMA).Italsosupportsarchitectureframeworks,includingZachman,TOGAF,ArchiMate,FEAF,DoDAF.MoDAFandNAF.
• SystemArchitectisfrequentlycitedbycustomersasbeingagoodsolutionfororganizationslookingforasingleEAandBPAtool.
Cautions
• IBMSystemArchitectneedstoincreasethenumberofpartnershipsandintegrationwithotherBPM/BPMSvendors,or
9elseriskbeingviewedasanIBM-centricBPAtool.
• ThosewithaBPAfocuswhoarenotinterestedinarchitectureormethodologicalrigortendtofindSystemArchitectoverlysophisticatedfortheirneeds–althoughitispossibletodeploySystemArchitectinamannerwhereless-sophisticatedmodelerscanbeproductive(suchasbyusingSystemArchitectXTorProcessIntegrator).
• IBM’sacquisitionofLombardiwillintroduceaperiodoforganizationandproductintegration.Currentandpotentialusersneedtomonitorthesituationcarefully.
IDS ScheerStrengths
• IDSScheerhasaGartner-estimated18%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• GartnercustomersreportthatARIShasrobustreportinganddashboardfeaturesacrossstrategic,tacticalandoperationallevels.
• ARISisoneofthemostcomprehensiveenterpriseandBParchitecturetoolsetsonthemarket,withstrongsupportforawidevarietyofstandards,methodsandframeworks.
• ARISisOEMedasOracle’sEAandBPAmodelingtoolofchoiceforitsdevelopmentenvironment,packagesandBPMS.
• IDSScheerhasenhancedtheprocessdiscoveryfeaturestoallowdynamicanalysisofcurrentphysicalprocess,rolesandtasks.
• ARISisalsoOEMedasSAP’sEAandBPAmodelingtoolofchoiceforitsdevelopmentenvironmentandpackages.
• ThenewARISExpressproductisafree,lightweightBPAproductforlowmaturityoroccasionaluse.ItcanbeusedforcommercialuseandhasanupgradepathtoARISprofessionalproducts.
• ARISincludesfeaturessuchasABC,balancedscorecard,keyindicatormanagementandbusinessruledesign,whileBAMcapabilitiesareofferedinIDSScheer’sProcessPerformanceManager,andsimulationinARISBusinessSimulator.
• BuyersfocusedontheBPanalystandBPMScategoryoftoolswillfindthatARISprovidesaddedvaluetothemintheformofextensive,predefined,industry-specificcontentandhorizontalreferencemodelstojump-startBPmodelingefforts.
• ARISincludesbridgestotheleadingBPMSs.
• IDSScheerhasaworkflowsolution(engine)toautomateitsowngovernanceprocess,whichcanbeextendedtothird-
partyproducts.
Cautions
• ThosewithabusinessprocessanalysisfocuswhoarenotinterestedinarchitectureormethodologicalrigortendtofindARISoverlysophisticatedfortheirneeds–althoughitispossibletodeployARISinamannerwhereless-sophisticatedmodelerscanbeproductive.
• ThosewithaBPMSfocusshouldconsideraugmentingthemodelingtoolsoftheirBPMvendorswithARISforthearchitectsintheirorganizations.
• IDSScheer’sacquisitionbySoftwareAGwillintroduceaperiodoforganizationandproductintegration.CurrentandpotentialARISusersneedtomonitorthesituationcarefully.
LombardiStrengths
• Blueprintisofferedviaanon-demandSaaSmodel,whichenables business process analysts and BPMS modelers to getstartedimmediatelywithBlueprint,asopposedtowaitingforITpersonneltoinstallandmanagethesoftwareanddata.Blueprint administration, operations and maintenance are undertakenbyLombardihostingservices.
• BlueprintisfocusedonBPanalystsandBPMSmodelerslookingtodevelopbusinessplansandbusinesscases;relatethemtokeyperformancegoals,indicatorsandbusinessprocesses;andviewthisinformationinavarietyofways–includingasaprocessmap,BPMNandtrainingdocumentation.
• Presencenotificationallowsforreal-timecollaborationwithcombinedloggingforauditing.Ausercanchoosetopullorhavecommentsandupdatespushedtohimorheratlogon.
• BlueprintcontainslightweightprocessmappingandmodelingcapabilitieswithsupportforBPMN2.0andXMLProcessDefinitionLanguage(XPDL)interchangeformat.ItisnotintendedtobeadirectcompetitortotheleadingBPAtoolsusedbyenterpriseandbusiness/BParchitects,butcanbeusedwiththemasacomplementaryprocessdiscovery,planningandanalysistool.
• Blueprintallowsforthecaptureofas-is,nonsystemprocessknowledgeusingacrowdsourcingapproachthatleveragesSaaS-baseddelivery.Informationcanbeimportedfromavarietyofsources,includingMicrosoftVisioandOfficeapplications.
• Blueprintcomeswithasharedrepositoryforallmodels,whichincludesreal-timediscoveryandcollaboration,privateandsharedassets,revisionhistoryandaudittrail.
• ThosestartingwithLombardi’sBPMSandwantingtoaddintegratedprocessmodelingshouldviewBlueprintasacomplementaryandnaturalextension.Blueprintuses
10asharedmodelrepository,whichallowsforroundtripmodelingandexecution.
• Blueprintislicensedsolelythroughanon-demandSaaSmodel.Itslistpriceis$50peruserpermonthforanauthorlicenseand$10permonthforaparticipant(reader)license.Thisincludesitsprocessmapping,modelinganddocumentationcapabilities,aswellassupportforimportingandexportingBlueprintmodelsbetweenTeamworksorotherprocessmodelingproducts.
Cautions
• LombardihasaGartner-estimatedrevenueshareoflessthan1%oftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizeofmarketshare,Lombardimust continue to deliver on client success and increase partnerships and distribution channels to improve its position in theLeadersquadrant.
• Lombardi’simpendingacquisitionbyIBMwillintroduceaperiodoforganizationandproductintegration.CurrentandpotentialBlueprintusersneedtomonitorthesituationcarefully.
MegaStrengths
• MegaModelingSuitehasacomprehensivesetoftoolsformodelinginitsrepository-basedenvironment,withstrongEAsupportforbusiness,technology,dataandapplicationarchitecturemodeling.
• AspartoftheMegaModelingSuite,thecompanyalsohastoolsfocusedontheBPmodelercategoryofbuyers,includingMegaProcessandMegaSimulationforBPmodelingandsimulation.
• TheMegaControlandRiskproductaddressesGRCissues(i.e.,Sarbanes-OxleyandBaselIIrequirements)integratedwiththeprocessmodels.
• MegaTeamWorkprovidesgovernanceworkflowviaacustomizableprocessforchangemanagementthroughthecirculationofinformation,requestsforchange,notificationsandreviews.
• TheMegaGRCPlatformandMegaAdvisortechnologyprovidebusinessuserswithdynamicWebaccesstoenterpriseblueprintsandoperationaldataaboutprocessperformanceandrisk.
• TheMegaModelingSuitecanperformavarietyofmodelingandspecificationtaskstoenablemore-sophisticatedmodelersandarchitects–yet,Mega’splatformparameterization,filtersand options enable each user to benefit from the simplest interface,customizedtoeachuser’sneeds.
• TheMegaOpenKitApproach(MOKA)methodologyallowsuserstodefinecustomizablemethodlibrarieslikeABC,SixSigma,TOGAFandBalancedScorecard.MOKAallowsforthedefinitionofphasesanddeliverableswithintherepository.
• TheMegaModelingSuiteincludesinformationanddataarchitecturetoolsprovidingdatamodeling,SQLandXMLschemageneration,aswellasreverse-engineeringfeaturesthatcanbeofusetoprocessanalysts.
• TheMegaModelingSuitehasfeaturessuchasqualitymanagement,balancedscorecard,keyindicatormanagementandbusinessruledesign,aswellasbusinessprocesssimulationandBAMcapabilities.
• Megagenerallyhasdeepandlong-termrelationshipswithitsclientsthroughsuccessfulengagements,and,asaresult,itscustomerserviceratingsareamongthehighestreportedtousintheBPAtoolmarket.
• MegahasenteredintoastrategicpartnershipwithBPMvendorAppianforfullroundtripmodelingandexecution.
• MegaProcessgeneratesBusinessProcessExecutionLanguage(BPEL)forusebyruleenginesandBPMtools,andMegaModelingSuiteintegrateswiththetoolsofanumberofBPMtoolvendors.
• Mega’sSolManproductallowsforintegrationintoSAPviaSolutionManagerforSAPprocessdiscovery.
Cautions
• MegahasaGartner-estimated3.0%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizemarketshare,MeganeedstodemonstratethatitcanexecuteonitsvisionforimprovingitsbusinessmodeltoimproveitspositionintheLeadersquadrant.
MetastormStrengths
• MetastormBPMandMetastormProVisionisastrongcombinationfororganizationslookingforasingleintegratedBPA/BPMsupplier.
• Metastormisratedaleaderinthe2009EAtoolsmarketMagicQuadrant,makingitagoodsolutionfororganizationslookingforasingletoolabletosupportbothEAandBPA.
• MetastormDiscoveryallowsforthecaptureofas-is,nonsystemprocessknowledgeusingacrowdsourcingapproachusingavarietyofdevices,includingPDAs.
11• Gartnerestimates65%ofMetastormProVisionsalesare
focusedonbusiness/BParchitects,20%onBPanalystsand15%onenterprisearchitects–makingitwell-positionedtomeettheneedsofmultipleBPAroles.
• ThereisahighdegreeofmarketawarenessofMetastormProVision.Metastormisoneofthevendorsforwhichwegetthemostinquiriesbyname(onlyVisioandIDSScheerARISaregreater),andMetastormProVisionappearsonthelargestnumberoffinalistlistsofcustomerswespeakto.
• BasedonGartnercustomerfeedback,MetastormhasoneofthehighestcustomersatisfactionratingsintheBPAmarket.
• MetastormProVisionhasrobustfeatures,suchassimulation,ABCandtheabilitytotakeexecutiondatabackintoitsanalyticsdashboard.
• ProVisionincludesbridgesintomanyoftheleadingBPMSs.ItalsosupportsSAPintegrationviaMetastormProVisionConnectforSAP.
Cautions
• MetastormhasaGartner-estimated3.4%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.
• Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizeofmarketshare,Metastorm must continue to deliver on client success and increase partnerships and distribution channels to improve its positionintheLeadersquadrant.
MicrosoftStrengths
• ThelowcostandeaseofuseofMicrosoft’sBPAtool,Visio,haveresultedinMicrosofthaving,byfar,thelargestnumberofactualimplementationsofanyprocessmodelingtool.GartnerestimatesVisiorevenueintheBPAtoolmarkettobeabout$160million(36%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolmarket).
• MicrosoftVisioisfocusedonenablingthevisualdocumentation,analysisanddesignofarangeofsystemsandbusinessprocesses,andisacorecomponentofMicrosoft’sprocessmanagementdisciplines,includingthoserelatedtoquality,complianceandBPM.
• Visio’sabilitytouseWord,ExcelandPowerPointfilesfromMicrosoftOffice–wheremostorganizationsstoretheirknowledgeabouttheirbusinessprocesses–makesVisioverypopularwiththe“average”businessuser.
• Duetocost,easeofuseandintegrationwithMicrosoftOffice,VisiotendstobethefirsttoolthatarchitectsandanalystsinmostorganizationsusewhentheystarttheirBPIinitiatives,
laterpossiblyaddingamorerobustBPAproduct.Note:GlobalEnterpriseManagers’sGEMWorXandOrbusSoftware’siServeraretoolsthatcanbeusedtoextendVisio(seetheHonorableMentionsectionofthisresearch).
• BParchitects,analystsandBPMSmodelerscantransformVisiodiagramsintoagraphicalfrontendforline-of-businessdata.TheycanvisualizeinformationstoredinVisioinmultipleformats,includingbeingabletoviewKPIsontopofbusinessprocessdiagramsorinthecontextofdata’ssource,andviewprocess and production data in the form of value stream maps, orcause-and-effectdiagrams.
• Visioincludesprebuiltprocesstemplatesforusebybusinessarchitectsandanalyststojumpstartprocessmodelingefforts–suchasthoseforthefactoryfloorprocess,PCassemblyprocessflow,supplychainworkflowandfaulttreeanalysis.
• MicrosofthasastrongpartneringstrategywithVisio,includingBPAandBPMSpartnerssuchasSimul8andAscentn,itp-commerce,BluespringSoftware,K2andGlobal360.
Cautions
• AlthoughVisiocanbealow-cost,easy-to-usewaytogetstartedwithBPA,mostBParchitectsandanalystswillnotconsider it a direct competitor to any of the other market leadersintermsoffunctionsandfeatures.
• IfandwhenVisiocustomersreachthepointwheretheyneedgreaterfunctionalityforenterpriseandbusiness/BParchitectsandanalysts,theyshouldlooktoVisiopartnersorconsideracquiringacomplementaryBPAtoolwithaVisiobridge.
NimbusStrengths
• NimbusControlcanbeinstalledon-premisesandisofferedviaanon-demandSaaSmodel,whichenablesBPanalystsandmodelerstogetstartedimmediately.Nimbusadministration,operationsandmaintenanceareundertakenbyNimbushostingservices.
• NimbusControlallowsforthecaptureofsystemandnonsystemprocessknowledgeusingacrowdsourcingapproach,withimportsfromtheothermodelingtools.
• NimbusControlhasbidirectionalintegrationtoSAPSolutionManagerandcanconfigureandinvokeSAPprocesses.IthassimilarintegrationwithOracleandsalesforce.com.
• NimbusControl’sintegrationtoMicrosoftOfficeandOffice
12SharePointServerallowsforthecaptureofprocessknowledgeusingcrowdsourcing.
• GartnerclientsreporthighsatisfactionwithNimbusControl’sabilitytoscaleandsupportforboththeBPAandnon-BPAcommunities.
• NimbusControlprovidesgovernancewithchangeandapprovalnotificationandworkflow.
• NimbusControlprovidesdirectworkinstructions(eitherlinkingtoexistingdocumentationordirectlyintoBPsteps)andtheinvocationofanyrelatedapplication.
• Datafrombusinessintelligence(BI)productsanddatasources(includingSAPBusinessWarehouse,MicrosoftSQL,MicrosoftPerformancePointandMicrosoftExcel)isdisplayedonprocessesanddashboardsinpersonalizedcollaborativeportals.
• Role-basedstoryboardshelptoprovideanend-to-endviewoftheprocessfromanindividualuser’sperspective–usingwhatNimbuscallsitsIntelligentOperationsManual.
• Self-certificationisprovidedtoidentifyriskandbusinesscontrols, and demonstrate compliance by process instance or onaperiodicbasis.
• Recently,NimbusintroducedaccesstoprocesscontentfrommobiledevicessuchastheNimbusiPhoneapplicationwitha“justenough”approachtodisplayedinformation.
• In2009,costperseatstartedat$150forrole-basedconsumersofcontent,upto$5,000forauthors/modelersresponsibleforthecontent.
Cautions
• NimbushasaGartner-estimated2%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizeofmarketshare,Nimbusmust continue to deliver on client success and increase partnershipsanddistributionchannelstoimproveitsposition.
QPR SoftwareStrengths
• QPRtoolsarewell-suitedtoBPAinsupportofcorporateperformancemanagement,riskandcompliance.
• QPRProcessGuideisintegratedwithMicrosoftOfficeandSharePointtoallowprocessdiscoveryofexistingassets.
• QPRreportingfeaturesallowforthedevelopmentofreusablereportsdynamicallylinkedtophysicalprocesses.
• QPRProcessGuidecanrendermodelsinmanydifferentlanguages,allowingforeasierinternalizationofprocessassets.
• QPRProcessGuideXpressisastand-aloneversionofQPRProcessGuidewithoutsomerepositoryandintegrationfeatures.It’sofferedasanalternativetoVisioandlightweightflowcharterproducts.
• QPRPortalallowsforonlinerepository-basedcollaboration.Comments,actions,reportsandchangeeventscanbecapturedwithinthemodels.
• QPRProcessGuidesupportsstandardnotations,suchasBPMNandArchiMate,butitisalsofocusedondomain-specificnotationsbasedonclientneeds.
• QPRProcessGuideintegrateswithQPRScoreCardtoprovidebusinessandoperationalKPIdashboardsinrealtime.
• QPRProcessGuideXpress’stand-alonelicenseisapproximately$700perseat,andsystemlicenseforsmalltomidsizeenterprisesistypically$30,000.Subscriptionpricingisavailableasanoption.
Cautions
• QPRhasaGartner-estimated2%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizeofmarketshare,QPRmust continue to deliver on client success and increase partnershipsanddistributionchannelstoimproveitsposition.
Salamander TechnologiesStrengths
• SalamanderMooDhasastrongemphasisoncombiningEAandindustryframeworkswithoperationalintelligenceandBI.
• SalamanderhasaproventrackrecordofprovidingBPAtoolingandservicestothedefense,petrochemicalandlogisticsmarkets.
• Salamanderhasstrategicrelationshipswithanumberofprimedefenseorganizationsandsystemintegrators.
• Salamander’sMooDproductsupportsthedevelopmentofbusiness-andtechnology-focused,domain-specificmodelsacrossmultipleviewpointsoftheorganization.
• MooDActiveEnterprisesupportsstrategicplanninganddecision-makingprocessesthrougharangeofprocessautomationfacilitiesalignedwithMooDactivities,inaWebenvironment.
13• IndividuallicenseofMooDcostsapproximately$12,000forasingle
user,$120,000foraprojectand$400,000foranenterprise.
• GartnercustomersreportthattheMooDmeta-modelissimplebutrobust,andallowsforuser-definedextensionstobeaddedquickly.
• MooDallowsforVisiodiagramstobemappedtotheMooDrepositoryandimportedforusewithBPA/BPMprojects.
Cautions
• Salamanderdoesnothaveawidegeographicpresence,withcustomersprimarilylocatedintheU.K.andwesternEuropeancountries.ItneedstogaingreatertractioninNorthAmericaandAsiatoimproveitspositiononthisMagicQuadrant.
• SalamanderhasaGartner-estimated3%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.Likeothervendorswithasimilarsizeof market share, Salamander must continue to innovate and deliveronclientsuccesstoimproveitsposition.
SavvionStrengths
• ThosestartingwithSavvion’sBPMSandwantingtoaddintegratedprocessmodelingshouldviewitsProcessModelerBPAtoolasacomplementaryandnaturalextension–althoughSavvion reports that Process Modeler and its Process Asset Managerarestand-aloneproductssoldseparatelyandusuallyprecedethesaleofitsBPMS.
• SavvionprovidesBPAextendedfunctionalityforbusiness/BParchitectsandanalysts,andwithitsProcessAssetManager,itprovidesfullmodelcollaboration,changemanagementandgovernance.ThisfeaturewillbebeneficialtoBPownersandparticipantswhoareresponsibleforauditsandcontrols.
• SavvionalsoprovidesBPAfunctionalityaspartofitsprocessdesignstudio(automationstudio)forBPMSmodelers.
• Savvionreportsthattherehavebeenmorethan100,000downloadsofitsBPAtool,SavvionProcessModeler,butitisdifficulttotracktheactualuseofthetooloncedownloaded.
• Savvionofferssubscription-based,on-demandBPanalysissupportingfullround-trippingwiththedesktopmodeler.Web-basedmodelingisoptimizedforcollaborativeeditingoftheprocessesinrealtime,includingdiscussionthreads,historyanddocuments.
• TheWeb-basedmodelerincludesafull-featuredsimulationengine.Thegeneratedsimulationreportscanbemadeavailableintheprocesscenterandsharedwiththecommunity.
• ProcessModelercomeswithtabularviewsofprocessdefinitionsforgreatereaseofusethanmosttools,andSavvionBusinessExpertprovidesgreatersupportformonitoringviabusinessdashboardsandmetrics.
• ProcessModelercancreate,manageandprintverylargeprocessmodels(ashortcominginmanytools),andcomeswithgoodtechnologyfeatures,suchasadvancedgoal-basedsimulationandverygranularsimulationforactivity-basedcostingforsystem,human,consumableandnonconsumableresources.
• Savvionhasalsoaddeda“project-orientedprocesses”usagescenariointomodelingthatbringsprojectportfoliomanagementandprocessanalysistogether,andincludesMicrosoftProjectimportandexportcapabilities.
• Savvionprovidesverticaltemplatesandprocessmodelsforthetelecommunications,ITIL,financialservicesandclinicaltrialsdomains.
Cautions
• Savvionhaslessthan2%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• AswithotherBPMSvendorsofferingastand-aloneBPAtool,itmustcontinuetogrowsalesbeyondtheusersofitsBPMS.
• Savvion’sacquisitionbyProgressSoftwarewillintroduceaperiodoforganizationandproductintegration.Currentandpotentialusersneedtomonitorthesituationcarefully.
Sparx SystemsStrengths
• SparxSystems’EnterpriseArchitectisbestknownastheleadingobject-orientedanalysisanddesigntool,withgooddatamodeling/databasedesigncapabilitiesinsupportofapplicationanddataarchitects,analystsanddevelopers.
• ExistingEnterpriseArchitectcustomersshouldviewextendingthe use of the product into business architecture and process modelingasacomplementaryandnaturalextensionoftheirobject-orientedanalysisanddesignprocess.
• Business/BParchitectsandanalystswhoarenotcurrentlyusingEnterpriseArchitectwillfindSparxSystemsofinterestasalow-costproviderwithgoodtechnology.Thecostis$239perseatfortheCorporateEditionofEnterpriseArchitect,$599perseatfortheBusinessandSoftwareEngineeringEdition,whichincludesallBPAandSOAfunctionality.Twohundredlicenseswouldcostabout$37,000fortheCorporateEditionand$83,800fortheBusinessandSoftwareEngineeringEdition.AllsoftwareisdownloadablefromtheSparxwebsite.
14• Sinceitwascommerciallyreleasedin2000,EnterpriseArchitect
hasmorethan200,000licensedusersworldwide.Sparxreportsthatover60%ofthetop100globalfirmshavevolumelicensesofEnterpriseArchitect.
• DespitethelowcostofEnterpriseArchitect,SparxSystemsisknowntodeliverhigh-performance,scalabletoolsthataresuitedforenterprisewidedeployment.
• Sparx’sModelDrivenGeneration(MDG)technologyprovidesEnterpriseArchitectwithlinksintoMicrosoftVisioandVisualStudio,aswellasEclipse(Java)open-sourcetools.Itsupportsnumerousstandardsandframeworks,includingCORBA,Zachman,DDS,ArchiMateandOMGspecificationsforSysML,SoaML,DoDAF/MODAF(UPDM).
• EnterpriseArchitectisalsoabletomodel,documentandrestructureprocessesandinformationflowsusingindustry-standardBPMNandUML,andtheprocessdesignsandmodelscanbeusedtodrivesoftwaredevelopment,includingreverseengineeringoflegacycodeanddatabasemodels,androundtripsynchronizationwithC,C++andJavacode.
Cautions
• SparxSystemshaslessthan1%revenueshareoftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• Aswithotherapplicationanddataarchitecture,analysisanddesignmodelingtoolvendorswhoalsoofferBPAtoolcapabilities,SparxSystemsmustcontinuetogrowsalesbeyonditsexistingbaseofEnterpriseArchitectcustomerstoreachtheLeadersquadrant.
Tibco SoftwareStrengths
• TibcoBusinessStudioisanEclipse-based,open-sourceBPAsolutionwithBAMcapabilitiesandsupportforrulesandanalytics.
• ThosestartingwithTibcoSoftware’sBPMSandwantingtoaddintegratedprocessmodelingshouldviewitsBusinessStudioBPAtoolasacomplementaryandnaturalextension.
• TibcoSoftware’sfocusforBusinessStudioisonBParchitectsandanalystsandBPMSmodelerstodevelopexecutableprocessmodels.
• TibcooffersBusinessStudioCommunityEditionwithnoformalsupport, but users can use the community forum to post questions.TheforumismonitoredbyTibcoengineers.Business
StudioEdition(afullBPMSsuite)isavailablefor$500,plusassociatedmaintenance(18%to24%range).
• Tibcoreportsthattherehavebeenmorethan50,000downloadsofits BPA tool Business Studio, (more than 10,000 in the past year), butitisdifficulttotracktheactualuseofthetool.Tibco’sentireproductsuite(includingBusinessStudio)offersanend-to-endBPMsolutionintherangeof$150,000to$300,000.
• Tibcohasbuiltanextensivesupportnetworkthroughitsdeveloper site for Business Studio, and provides periodic webinars,tutorialsandwhitepaperstoencourageuserstogetfamiliarwithallaspectsoftheproduct.
• BusinessStudiosupportsdiscreteeventsimulationwithreportingforcost-timeanalysisandprocessoptimization.
• Gartnercustomerfeedbackgivesahighsatisfactionlevel,witheaseofusebeingthemostcitedfeature.
• EnterprisearchitectsuseBusinessStudiotodoservicecomponent architecture (SCA) composition and to develop Java and.NETservices.Thedevelopmentof.NETisdonethroughplug-instoMicrosoftVisualStudio.NET;.NETassembliescanbeimportedintoBusinessStudio.
• BusinessStudiosupportsUnifiedModelingLanguage(UML)2.0andUMLprofiles,andcomeswithbridgesforMicrosoftVisio,IDSScheer’sARIS,XPDLandXML.
• BusinessStudiohastheabilitytocreateandimportmethodologytemplates,suchasthePrince2methodologyfromtheU.K.,andprovidesbestpracticesinalibraryofBPMNfragmentsandmodelingpatterns.
Cautions
• TibcohasaGartner-estimatedrevenueshareoflessthan1%oftheBPAtoolsmarket.(Inclusionisduetoinquiryfrequency.)
• AswithotherBPMSvendorsofferingastand-aloneBPAtool,itmustcontinuetogrowsalesbeyondtheusersofitsBPMS.
Vendors Added or DroppedWereviewandadjustourinclusioncriteriaforMagicQuadrantsandMarketScopesasmarketschange.Asaresultoftheseadjustments,themixofvendorsinanyMagicQuadrantorMarketScopemaychangeovertime.AvendorappearinginaMagicQuadrantorMarketScopeoneyearandnotthenextdoesnotnecessarilyindicatethatwehavechangedouropinionofthatvendor.Thismaybeareflectionofachangeinthemarketand,therefore,changedevaluationcriteria,orachangeoffocusbyavendor.
15
Evaluation Criteria Definitions
Ability to ExecuteProduct/Service:Coregoodsandservicesofferedbythevendorthatcompetein/servethedefinedmarket.Thisincludescurrentproduct/servicecapabilities,quality,featuresetsandskills,whetherofferednativelyorthroughOEMagreements/partnershipsasdefinedinthemarketdefinitionanddetailedinthesubcriteria.
Overall Viability (Business Unit, Financial, Strategy, Organization):Viabilityincludesanassessmentoftheoverallorganization’sfinancialhealth,thefinancialandpracticalsuccessofthebusinessunit,andthelikelihoodthattheindividualbusinessunitwillcontinueinvestingintheproduct,willcontinueofferingtheproductandwilladvancethestateoftheartwithintheorganization’sportfolioofproducts.
Sales Execution/Pricing:Thevendor’scapabilitiesinallpresalesactivitiesandthestructurethatsupportsthem.Thisincludesdealmanagement,pricingandnegotiation,presalessupport,andtheoveralleffectivenessofthesaleschannel.
Market Responsiveness and Track Record:Abilitytorespond,changedirection,beflexibleandachievecompetitivesuccessasopportunitiesdevelop,competitorsact,customerneedsevolveandmarketdynamicschange.Thiscriterionalsoconsidersthevendor’shistoryofresponsiveness.
Marketing Execution:Theclarity,quality,creativityandefficacyofprogramsdesignedtodelivertheorganization’smessagetoinfluencethemarket,promotethebrandandbusiness,increaseawarenessoftheproducts,andestablishapositiveidentificationwiththeproduct/brandandorganizationinthemindsofbuyers.This“mindshare”canbedrivenbyacombinationofpublicity,promotionalinitiatives,thoughtleadership,word-of-mouthandsalesactivities.
Customer Experience:Relationships,productsandservices/programsthatenableclientstobesuccessfulwiththeproductsevaluated.Specifically,thisincludesthewayscustomersreceivetechnicalsupportoraccountsupport.Thiscanalsoincludeancillarytools,customersupportprograms(andthequalitythereof),availabilityofusergroups,service-levelagreementsandsoon.
Operations:Theabilityoftheorganizationtomeetitsgoalsandcommitments.Factorsincludethequalityoftheorganizationalstructure,includingskills,experiences,programs,systemsandothervehiclesthatenabletheorganizationtooperateeffectivelyandefficientlyonanongoingbasis.
Completeness of VisionMarket Understanding:Abilityofthevendortounderstandbuyers’wantsandneedsandtotranslatethoseintoproductsandservices.Vendorsthatshowthehighestdegreeofvisionlistentoandunderstandbuyers’wantsandneeds,andcanshapeorenhancethosewiththeiraddedvision.
Marketing Strategy:Aclear,differentiatedsetofmessagesconsistentlycommunicatedthroughouttheorganizationandexternalizedthroughtheWebsite,advertising,customerprogramsandpositioningstatements.
Sales Strategy:Thestrategyforsellingproductsthatusestheappropriatenetworkofdirectandindirectsales,marketing,serviceandcommunicationaffiliatesthatextendthescopeanddepthofmarketreach,skills,expertise,technologies,services,andthecustomerbase.
Offering (Product) Strategy:Thevendor’sapproachtoproductdevelopmentanddeliverythatemphasizesdifferentiation,functionality,methodologyandfeaturesetsastheymaptocurrentandfuturerequirements.
Business Model:Thesoundnessandlogicofthevendor’sunderlyingbusinessproposition.
Vertical/Industry Strategy: Thevendor’sstrategytodirectresources,skillsandofferingstomeetthespecificneedsofindividualmarketsegments,includingverticalmarkets.
Innovation:Direct,related,complementaryandsynergisticlayoutsofresources,expertiseorcapitalforinvestment,consolidation,defensiveorpre-emptivepurposes.
Geographic Strategy:Thevendor’sstrategytodirectresources,skillsandofferingstomeetthespecificneedsofgeographiesoutsidethe“home”ornativegeography,eitherdirectlyorthroughpartners,channelsandsubsidiariesasappropriateforthatgeographyandmarket.
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