I was covering the BPM space for a while before I moved on to Netweaver BPM, The repeat question I get asked is what is the difference between Open BPM Architecture and Netweaver BPM. Most people consider BPM as about process mapping and workflow, actually I mean a much wider scope. An IT system (or framework) that supports the range of general business processes. Specific capabilities include:
- Organizational Structure and People
- Content
- Parameters/Standing Data
- Ledgers
- Collaborations and negotiations
- Process flows
- Scheduling
- Authorization
- Cross organization processes collaboration
- Performance management
Coming SAP’s Strategy on BPM most of SAP Applications like Business Suite, ERP and CRM, already automate the majority of its customers’ core process logic, and in doing so deliver both efficiency and standardization. But BPM is just as much about business-IT alignment, linking strategy to execution and governance to business integration, as it is about process automation.
Coming to the point of Netweaver BPM as an offering to align customers to standardize, Innovate and Integrate their business processes with the use of tools like Process integration which comes with BPEL Process engine and associated design tools to extend the business network, connecting core application processes with those of trading partners and with business services throughout the enterprise, Innovate with composition with use of Composition environment and BPM/BRM tools available.
Net Weaver BPM is a key component of the NetWeaver Composition Environment, which in addition provides tools to compose user interfaces for information display and business services for SOA. NetWeaver BPM is primarily intended for executable modeling of edge processes– outside the boundaries of core application processes – although it has been used successfully to implement local variants of core application processes. NetWeaver BPM, in conjunction with other NetWeaver foundational components –portal, business intelligence, identity management, document management, lifecycle management, systems management, and service and development repositories – actually provides a complete BPM Suite, supporting Human tasks and automated services, business rules, and business activity monitoring.
