Friday Deep Thoughts

Friday is supposed to be the day when you catch up on email for the week, make calls to the people you missed or avoided during the week, maybe update your blog, and occasionally even take stock of your performance strategy...read the reports in your email, drop from your dashboard to do ad-hoc analysis, bother finance to explain why they have not approved or paid whatever was already approved and supposed to be paid. Friday is also the time to review the gaps in your performance strategy and what to do about it. To that end, a couple of musing to consider from the cheap seats.

The rise of Dynamic Applications
This is Forrester's new term that encompasses their view about the next generation of business applications that are "designed for people, and built to change." While the internal camps at Forrester are not aligned on this position, their entire technology leadership conference last week was built to the theme and exceed expectations for attendance. If you want the snapshot, check out Sandy Kemsley's overview for Intelligent Enterprise of Connie Moore's keynote here.

The net is that Forrester talks about the intersection of process management (BPM - the real one), business rules, Business activity monitoring (BAM) and information workplace. In real life, both the conference and reality of this approach is all about rapid development of business solutions. This is process management with customized interfaces. The top tier of BPM vendors already have all this capability in their product. Bolt on to Windows, add a mash-up, customize and you are off to the races. Did I mention it works with the stuff you own like ERP and CRM? The insight here is that you can and should be able to build something specific to your business needs quickly, make sure the interface does not suck, and be able to use it to operate your business. Sounds like what all the tech folks have been talking about for years may finally have arrived.

Look mom, we do SaaS too. Or, I will see your acronym and raise you one
In the same week in late September on opposite coasts, Salesforce.com and SAP roll out the NEW future of applications and platform on demand. Coincidence? I think not. In the red corner, the always allegedly revolutionary team Benioff rolled Force.com, to be an on-demand platform for application development. This was accompanied by a George Lucas sighting, which always gets a certain segment of the tech community (namely those with storm trooper outfits and action figure collections) especially hot and bothered. They also added in new whizzy "build your own interface" capability called Visual Force. The fully quote compliant Benioff referred to SAP as "innovation free". Score one point for team, "no software, but we are introducing an on-demand platform to build applications and yet another new branding scheme".

In the blue corner, team SAP introduced new SaaS Business By Design, which was formerly code named A1S at Hassofest and early press and AR briefings. Among the things of interest here is that Deputy CEO Leo Apotheker taking direct shots at Salesforce in public and comparing SAP's SaaS offer to a three star meal and Salesforce to hors d'oeuvres. So SAP is full course menu and Salesforce is pushing pigs in a blanket?

Apotheker in eWeek:

"Our attempt is to get rid of all the acronyms. Businesses don't buy acroymns, they buy process flow, a business model...we provide a complete suite - lock, stock and barrel."

Among the things to consider here; if SAP is Business By Design is 3 star, what does that imply about all the other things in their offering? Are they going jargon free? What do they actually do about process? Why are people calling it B2D? I thought we were done with acronyms. At least the blue squad now has someone else prepared to talk trash, a capability missing since Shai Agassi decide clean cars, clean energy and venture money were more fun than software. Check Shai's blog to get an update on animal life and family vacation in the Galapagos.

Performance Management - Got Game?
Think you have the skills to lead a global organization and take control of a leading brand? If so, try your hand running McDonald's here. While there is an obvious political slant to the game, the are also some obvious real world realities to consider in management of this sort of global operation. Don't be surprised if you don't win the first time you play. Or at all. You aren't supposed to win.

Have a good weekend.