When business process, semantics and search collide

As more and more server and desktop applications migrate to the cloud, there is great opportunity to take old, worn metaphors and functionality and re-invent them in lighter, faster, more usable ways.  A few search vendors are already preparing for this evolution by offering architectures and tool sets to build these applications -- Exalead offers a smart take on what they call search-based applications, or SBAs, and Google just announced a business version of their App Engine. And I am sure that others will soon follow.

But something important is missing:

A business process is usually baked, or hard coded, into the application that supports it (with a slight amount of configuration tolerated), so the challenge has always been how to tie disparate applications together into a unique, business-required flow. For example, a process may flow from the SFA app to a pricing spreadsheet to a CRM app, but there is no common connector other than the process or expertise.

Sure, BPM and workflow software can sometimes do this, but it is expensive, complex, time consuming to implement and ultimately only works for processes and flows that are precise and reoccurring. They do little to support "knowledge" or ad hoc processes. And certainly traditional BPM/workflow systems do not offer the kind of flexibility and usability that can fully leverage the benefits of the cloud.

So who can effectively bring a business process sensibility to the cloud and search-based apps? It's a good question, as process folks are too rigid to accept the ad hoc nature of search, and search folks will not like the structure and rules that process requires to be successful. But whoever figures it out will have a killer platform.

The key to this convergence, by the way, will be semantic technology. Think of it this way --  business process, at its essence, is simply a set of rules around how around how words are displayed and connected. The purpose, of course, is so that individuals within a group can come to agreement as to what it is they do, should do or want to do, and agreement to the methods they will use.

I'd like to walk through a example that may provide some insight on how process could be effectively incorporated into search applications.

Let's begin with a simple, traditional process model. What this says, basically, is since a birthday is occurring (the input), there is a need to bake a cake (the activity).  A baker (or actor) will follow a recipe (a guideline or rule), using available ingredients (material) and an oven (a tool or system) to produce a cake (output). This process could be decomposed into its parts, or sub-activities, such as "Select Recipe," "Purchase Needed Ingredients," "Make Batter," and so on.

Traditionally, this representation would be used for reference (here's how we prefer to do it), or it could be automated into a workflow (you cannot bake a cake unless you have a birthday occurring within the next two days).  But try looking at it like this:

Each component of the process is really just a part of a larger entity or repository of common types, that in the case of baking a cake, happen to fit together like this. Certainly each component can play many different roles at different times. This notion of a distributed process environment is exactly what will work in the cloud. Process definitions become metadata and fuel for rich semantic queries that can tap multiple repositories when needed, retrieving and assembling components on demand into an interface that is meaningful to a user at a precise point in time.

What's cool about this is a business process can be enabled from many places -- from a document, from an email, from a user profile on a social network.  Since any component of any process is aware of its role across many processes, users are able to engage in typical ad hoc behavior but will always be a click away from greater process rigor should they want it or the business require it.

This also means that the ability to "model" or define a process needs to fast, easy and human, something most BPM and workflow tools most definitely are not.

The best advice I can give a first time entrepreneur

You will not get venture funding. Stop wasting your time. If you can't come up with an idea that leads directly to paying customers, go get a job. Do not max out your credit cards, do not borrow from friends and family.

The truth is, if this is your first venture, and you have never raised capital before, you will not get funding. While it is especially true today, it was mostly true since the bubble burst. Now, VCs will not tell you this as they like to stay relevant and informed and will indeed take meetings to learn about you. And of course, they are happy to offer all kinds of advice. But do not let them give you hope – they will not ever consider investing in you, at least not until you have more than proven yourself (and no, not one or two customers, but many, and much revenue).

Now ask yourself, do you have the resources to build your product, get someone to buy it the first time (and by buy, I mean pay enough to sustain you, not a token fee for a “pilot”), and stay afloat long enough until that next sale comes along? No? Then forget enterprise software. You'd probably fail anyway, big businesses tend to be risk adverse and rely on trusted relationships. So unless you have a partnership with IBM, Microsoft, Accenture, etc., you'll never close a deal (tho they will waste much of your time as they too are curious about new technology – they just won't buy it from you).

So what's left? How about software as a service? If you're a geek with a good idea (like solving a problem small businesses may have but they cannot afford to hire an FTE to manage), then building a cloud/subscription based service could give you a way to bootstrap. Tho if you are a geek you may not be particularly savvy at sales and marketing. But hell, you can figure out that stuff by reading a book. Watch out for small business marketing consultants and specialists. If they were any good at what they did they would be charging top dollar working for big businesses. Actually, that advice applies anyone who wants to “help” you, particularly if it involves retainers. They can be expensive and distracting, and rarely produce.

So, to summarize – if you really feel you have to start your own venture, save up, aim small, and expect to fail, tho you will learn much along the way. Good luck!

Free the desktop!

While virtualization is all the rage, making your word processor, spreadsheet and other day-to-day tools “virtual” still ain't solving your big problem. While your TCO can certainly be brought down, you aren't going to get a corresponding or greater return on productivity.

A brief history:

In the beginning, the application or program was the primary point of entry for the user. Then, as users installed more and more applications on their desktops (which begat more and more files), the file became the primary means for entry – click the file and the OS generally knew which program to launch. Today, we are in a hybrid environment of desktop apps, network client/server apps, files and URLs/URIs that connect to networked or remote hosted applications. And lets not forget "the cloud."

The problem with the desktop is simply that it is the wrong metaphor for the distributed enterprise. And, as illustrated by the floppy disk that represents “save,” software companies are loath to change “learned” metaphors. Great leaps are only made by taking risks (or at the very least stepping outside your comfort zone).

So how do you build a better desktop? By reinventing how you interact with business content and business process. Business process can provide a crystal clear lens into the enterprise that reflects and communicates exactly what an employee could, should or must do.

Imagine:

No matter where you are, or what device you are using (laptop, smart phone, kiosk, toaster), you log into your “workspace,” where you see the processes and tasks that define your job. As each task is selected, the relevant content, regulations and policies, subject matter experts and yes, the software systems, are exposed. Clicking on any one of them links to, contacts, or logs you into that thing. You in turn print, download or upload work files, enter data and collaborate with peers.

Bottom line – while virtualization is not solving the productivity puzzle, it certainly does provide some critical, enabling pieces. But the rest, well, is yet to come.