Recently I read a new Gartner Magic Quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is titled: Magic Quadrant for BPM-Platform-Based Case Management Frameworks (12 March 2015).
It is a new Magic Quadrant relating to a subset of the Case Management market. Case Management frameworks is a growing market, which is important enough for producing a Magic Quadrant. The Magic Quadrant was written by Gartner's analysts Jannet B. Hill, Kenneth Chin and Rob Dunie.
What is a Case Management Framework?
It is possible to build a solution based on Model Driven tools or on Coding tools or COTS (Commercial Of The Shelf).
if you need less flexibility COTS are better fit then modeling tool.
Case Management Use Case is exactly the opposite of a fixed solution. It is management of complex and less structured Processes performed by Knowledge Workers. A Case Management Process include ad hoc decisions based on Knowledge, Content and interaction with other experts.
The Decision Centered subset requires even more flexibility than the other subsets of this market, therefore CMFs are Model Driven. Actually, they are Patterns, which should be adapted for specific Processes.
The simple illustration above this line, depicts five layers of a CMF.
The lower basic layer is a BPM solution. The BPM solution could be a BPM product, a BPM suite or a complete IBPMS suite.
The second layer "General Purpose" is the only required layer in addition to basic BPM layer. It is Architectural Pattern for casework handling.
The third and fourth optional layers are cross-industry and industry specific business domain logic.
The fifth (optional) is a complete executing solution.
Vendors positioning
Only two vendors, Pegasystems and IBM are positioned in the Leaders part of the Magic Quadrant. Appian is the only Challenger.
EMC and Eccentex are the only Visionaries.
The Niche Players are: Opentext, Newgen Software, K2, Kofax, Hyland and Micropact.
My Take
I have two reasons for not discussing CMFs beyond the limited discussion in previous sections.
The first reason is that you can read Gartner's Magic Quadrant. The analysts know better than me.
The second reason is that the CMF market is very immature. I repeat my comment on the IBPMS market in a post I wrote two and a half years ago: "Expect Challenges in Immature markets like IBPMS". Replace the acronym IBPMS by the acronym CMF and you will know exactly what I think of the Maturity level of the CMF market.
However, My Take includes some remarks:
It is a new Magic Quadrant relating to a subset of the Case Management market. Case Management frameworks is a growing market, which is important enough for producing a Magic Quadrant. The Magic Quadrant was written by Gartner's analysts Jannet B. Hill, Kenneth Chin and Rob Dunie.
What is a Case Management Framework?
It is possible to build a solution based on Model Driven tools or on Coding tools or COTS (Commercial Of The Shelf).
if you need less flexibility COTS are better fit then modeling tool.
Case Management Use Case is exactly the opposite of a fixed solution. It is management of complex and less structured Processes performed by Knowledge Workers. A Case Management Process include ad hoc decisions based on Knowledge, Content and interaction with other experts.
The Decision Centered subset requires even more flexibility than the other subsets of this market, therefore CMFs are Model Driven. Actually, they are Patterns, which should be adapted for specific Processes.
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| The illustration is based on text retrieved from Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Case Management Frameworks |
The simple illustration above this line, depicts five layers of a CMF.
The lower basic layer is a BPM solution. The BPM solution could be a BPM product, a BPM suite or a complete IBPMS suite.
The second layer "General Purpose" is the only required layer in addition to basic BPM layer. It is Architectural Pattern for casework handling.
The third and fourth optional layers are cross-industry and industry specific business domain logic.
The fifth (optional) is a complete executing solution.
Vendors positioning
Only two vendors, Pegasystems and IBM are positioned in the Leaders part of the Magic Quadrant. Appian is the only Challenger.
EMC and Eccentex are the only Visionaries.
The Niche Players are: Opentext, Newgen Software, K2, Kofax, Hyland and Micropact.
My Take
I have two reasons for not discussing CMFs beyond the limited discussion in previous sections.
The first reason is that you can read Gartner's Magic Quadrant. The analysts know better than me.
The second reason is that the CMF market is very immature. I repeat my comment on the IBPMS market in a post I wrote two and a half years ago: "Expect Challenges in Immature markets like IBPMS". Replace the acronym IBPMS by the acronym CMF and you will know exactly what I think of the Maturity level of the CMF market.
However, My Take includes some remarks:
- IBPMs Leaders are the the best candidates for leading the CMF market.
The two Leaders (Pegasystems and IBM) are also leaders of the IBPMS Magic Quadrant. The only Challenger (Appian) is the only Leader of the IBPMS Magic Quadrant, which is not a CMF Leader. I would not be surprised, if Appian will be a Leader in the next CMF Magic Quadrant.
- It is not a coincidence: CMF functionality is included in IBPMS
- Do not expect pure BPM vendors to be CMF Leaders
- Gartner's CMF model is still immature and the evaluation criteria and the requirements could be changed in next CMF Magic Quadrant
- I never heard of some of the Niche Players
It is exactly like the IBPMS Magic Quadrant of 2012. Whitestein Technologies is an IBPMS Visionary I never heard of. Mr. Dominic Greenwood, its COO, commented that it is not surprising, due to the company's low profile outside Europe.
- Who is missing from the CMF magic Quadrant?
Missing BPMS Leaders and IBPMS significant market players such as Oracle, Tibco and Software AG is another indicator of market immaturity. Expect to find some of them as Visionaries, Challengers or even Leaders in an updated CMF Magic Quadrant.
Oracle is a giant which could survive without IBPMS product, but why should not Oracle attempt to lead the IBPMS market, as well as the CMF market?
It can afford acquiring an IBPMS or CMF vendor, same as it already did in the BPM market, the SOA market and the ERP market.
Software AG and Tibco Software are large companies, but the BPMS/IBPMS Business Line is their main Business Line. They have no choice but to try to close the gap in the CMF market.
They can extend their products functionality or acquire a CMF vendor.
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