With Gartner's latest article, Extreme Collaboration Will Be BPM's Greatest Legacy, Not Process Improvement, it was a case of "'we couldn't have said it better ourselves".

In the article, Gartner state that successful Business Process Management is all about collaboration.

"...collaboration will be the major enabler of gleaning process improvement benefits. Collaboration is a necessary part of process management. In fact, as collaboration improves, processes tend to improve."

Some time ago, we recognized the importance of collaboration in driving organizational improvement.

Not coincidentally, our recently launched product Modelpedia is specifically designed to help people collaborate on improvement. Its ability to capture people's feedback directly onto business models using a browser interface enables you to record and leverage the ideas and interactions of your staff.

Subject matter experts do not need modeling expertise to get involved, broadening your ability to leverage your human assets.

Because Modelpedia captures your people's collaborative efforts into a managed repository, you can build up a cimplete picture of how your organization works. This in turn encourages further collaboration, because your people can use it as a single source of reliable information around which to base future collaboration.

Gartner go on to say that:

"...the ability to communicate, engage and guide all involved parties to a stated goal is critical. Therefore, while process improvement will remain a goal, collaboration should become a goal and not just remain an end to the process improvement goal. In fact, this is such a critical necessity that we believe companies will make it one of their key success indicators."

Managing these collaborative interactions within Modelpedia's repository means you can determine how effectively different groups work together.

Indeed, Gartner believe that by 2012, greater than half of BPM projects will be measured according to successful organizational collaboration rather than business process improvement.

We're excited about Modelpedia's ability to facilitate and leverage collaboration and glad that Gartner recognizes what we've been thinking for a long time - collaboration is the key to correction.

Modelpedia could well be your greatest ally in helping your people cooperate and improve the way your organization works.

(the full reference is Daryl C. Plummer, Janelle B. Hill, "Extreme Collaboration Will Be BPM's Greatest Legacy, Not Process Improvement", Gartner Research, 26 May 2009)