I have always been fascinated by the medical profession for the level of specialization they have achieved. I believe the BPX world can benefit from trying to undersatnd their model.
Any youngster with a basic medical degree does not stop with this qualification, he or she moves on to specialize in an area of interest. Other than a headache or a common cold, I do not think any of us would go to a general physician if we had a medical problem. We would look for a specialist because it gives us comfort when we meet the ‘best of the breed'. Today if we have an eye problem we go to an ophthalmologist, a heart problem to a cardiologist, a problem with our kids, a pediatrician etc. God has created the human body and ‘interfaced' the different organs. Doctors during the basic study of medicine have been taught how these interfaces work. The specialists leverage on this knowledge to solve a patients problem.
If I had to go to the ophthalmologist with a problem I may be referred to a neuro surgeon saying it is a problem with my nerves. From the neuro surgeon's basic understanding of medicine he or she understands how the ‘information flow works' and gives me a solution.
I do believe that to get the most effective and efficient business solutions, consultants should leverage on the knowledge of specialists who have the domain and industry knowledge and also have a good understanding of information flow across modules. Technology is only an enabler and I do not think a BPXer should be bothered about whether the interface is done using ABAP, Java or C# It finally boils down to information flow and organizations are looking for solutions for their business. Issues on technology should be solved to achieve the business objective.
In this context, the organization is the patient and the patient is not bothered whether you use a surgical knife, a laser or any other technology, he or she needs a cure!
