Control OBjectives for Information and related Technologies (CobiT) is a rapidly growing framework and set of generic business process for “directing and controlling an enterprise’s information technology.”  As I read through the CobiT Specification it became very clear to me that workflow is (or should be) an essential element of any implementation effort.

One of the nice features of CobiT® is that it provides the framework for control, and leaves the execution of that control to the organization adopting it.  This allows the flexibility of implementation and leaves open the question of just how much an organization will use the framework to its advantage.  Those that invest heavily in it over time, like the Capability Maturity Model, will see great internal rewards (ROI), and help fuel the corporation with information and resources that not only align with the current business strategies and objectives, but lead to further competitive advantage.

For example, it’s one thing to produce a set of documents about the organization of IT assets, policies and procedures (all good unto themselves), but it’s quite another to put those policies and procedures into reproducible, repeatable practice through electronic workflows, which assures control and monitoring of those processes.  So the data managed by the workflows serve the control objectives CobiT® talks about, but the execution of the workflows provides “meta process data” about the efficiency of those workflows that, in turn, provides insight into how to improve those processes.

With a flexible workflow tool, solid data, and an agile corporate governance culture, an iterative and incremental approach to improving the organization (i.e., climbing the CMM levels) can be reached in an efficiently sane manner.

CEOs, CFOs and CIOs of mid- to large-enterprises are now looking at CobiT in order to support COSO as part of Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.  While they are looking at this, they should look one level higher to realize that, how they choose to implement CobiT and COSO can have a dramatic impact on the long term agility and competitiveness of the entire organization.  At a lower level, the workflow tools and overall portal technology that holds the information managed by the workflows, are essential to get right. 

SPS Workflow believes that, while there are many good portal technologies and workflow tools, the power of the SharePoint/ShareVis toolset is hard to match.  But what do you think?  Give me some feedback about how your organization plans to implement CobiT, COSO, or Sarbanes-Oxley, and how they fit into the overall strategy of moving your company forward.

I was struck last week when I picked up “Six Sigma for Dummies” and read the introduction, written by none other than Stephen Covey of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Like me, Covey admires Six Sigma because of “science, the database – and the careful analytic thought processes of problem solving using that data.”

Statements like this never fail to elicit memories of Dr. Deming’s famous quote, “In God we trust, all others bring data.”  He also famously said that, “if you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.”  Six Sigma brings the data, workflow brings the process, but what does Covey bring to the table for business process management?

Covey writing the introduction to a Six Sigma book seemed a bit out of place to me, until I considered one of the most important aspects of business process management:  people.  People, I’ve found, will be your best allies in trying to improve an organization’s operational efficiency, but, alas, they can also be your own worst enemies.  In his introduction Covey states that:

the greatest asset of in any organization is its people—whole people—with their bodies, minds, hearts, and consciences all engaged and contributing, and all receiving benefit in the progress of the organization.

So how does Six Sigma and workflow really provide benefit to all?  Here is a quick list of some things I can think of, I’d like to hear from you about other benefits you can see.

1. An efficiently run organization whose processes and procedures are not only well understood, but executed in a repeatable manner brings assurance and a more stress-free environment to the employee.
2. Employees should be part of the process definition.  This engages their minds and gives them ownership of their own destiny (see the excellently written Stumbling on Happiness by Harvard professor Daniel Gilbert for more about this).
3. As efficiency rises, and more process data is made available for executives, better business decisions can be made.  This leads to a stronger company, hence more job security.
4. As six sigma is implemented--with help from workflows--defects in products, customer services, design, manufacturing, etc., are cut dramatically.  Like efficiency, workers contribute to this improvement and are (or should be) well compensated for improvement through job security and advancement.

These are just a few of many issues I’ll be exploring in the weeks ahead.  I’m fascinated by the interplay between Six Sigma, the Seven Habits, the Capability Maturity Model, and the emerging CobiT (Control Objectives for information and related Technologies) standards.  Implemented correctly, these concepts and standards can have very powerfully beneficial impacts on profitability, morale, and sustainability of organizations as a whole, and IT in particular.