The “Package versus Project” Dilemma: is anything changing?

Released on = May 24, 2005, 8:55 am

Press Release Author = Veronica Fredriksen, DeveloperEye

Industry = Software

Press Release Summary = DeveloperEye interviews Donato de Philippis, the VP of Product Development of ProcessFrame International, which claims to have a new approach to the Package versus Project” Dilemma

Press Release Body = London, UK, 24th May 2005 - Would you rather get a reliable and proven package that might fit only marginally to your requirements or start a project for an ad hoc solution that takes time and money and might be inadequate by the time is ready?

The question sounds the old “Make” versus “Buy” dilemma, but new tools offer a “third way” that allows combining the benefits of the package and those of the project, and avoid their pitfalls. DeveloperEye have interviewed Donato de Philippis, the VP of Product Development of ProcessFrame International, which claims to have a new approach to the dilemma.

Q: Why do you think the dilemma is different now from 10 years ago?

A: There is no doubt that packaged solutions are becoming more and more powerful in the whole range, from Word processors up to ERP systems. Unfortunately adding plenty of features and options creates a new problem: the feature you need is available somewhere, but it’s very complex to configure the system and to learn how to use it.
So you have long tuning processes and long user learning curves. Also development tools have improved over time, and make the life of the designer much easier, but they tend to address the “development stage” more than the adaptive life cycle that the market requires. So after few changes in the user requirements you find yourself with a misfit between the functionality you have built and the new business conditions.

Q: Are you implying that ProcessFrame has solved the dilemma?

A: There is no way to solve the dilemma with a unique technology that covers all solutions in all markets. The only realistic approach is to target one segment of the solution spectrum and create a new class of systems. This has happened many times in the industry: Business Intelligence and Groupware are examples of technologies that have improved by an order of magnitude the implementation process
of Data analysis and Collaboration solutions. ProcessFrame is a tool that provides Business Governance solutions a quantum leap in productivity of the implementation and ease of adaptation to changes, while using the same unique software package.

Q: What exactly is Business Governance?

A: By Business Governance we mean the set of processes that control and manage the life of the enterprise: a business governance solution must support managers and employees in sharing knowledge, making decisions, tracking key indicators, setting and controlling schedules and objectives. All companies must deal with compliance to rules, from Corporate governance to Quality, Safety and Environment, must manage on going activities as well as projects, must share information. But you are unlikely to find two companies the deal with such issues exactly in the same way: so ProcessFrame allows the implementation and evolutionary deployment of Business Governance solutions that are all different from each other while sharing exactly
the same binary code.

Q: What are the key features of a Business Governance tool?

A: We believe that a tool for Business Governance requires a mixture of features that you find in other systems: some document management functionality (sharing, approvals, versioning, search...), some business intelligence (user driven queries and graphics), some process management (easy to design forms, workflows, deadlines) all in a web based architecture. The uniqueness is not so much in the features, but in the mixture of them in a tool that allows the creation of a solution in few hours
without any coding. And even more important, you can adapt almost instantaneously the solution over time to the changing business requirements.

Q: Haven’t we heard about “zero coding” too many times to believe it?

A: You are welcome to test it yourself…. Model driven design has not been invented by us: we have developed a tool that uses model driven design to allow zero coding development if your requirements fit into the Business Governance paradigm. We also
have interfaces that allow “traditional” development of add on modules to extend the core functionality: but if your needs are too far apart, we will simply suggest you to use something else. And we expect our partners to adopt the same behaviour.

Q: How do you plan to sell the tool?

A: Customers look for solutions, not for tools: so we sell uniquely through a network of Value Added Resellers which understand governance in its various flavours and are capable of putting their knowledge in the solution. We also understand that the world is multicultural: we have done our best to make the tool multi-language and cultural neutral, but we expect our partners to understand their countries and their markets. Obviously we will not refuse to sell the tool to corporation than plan to build multiple solutions around it: in all cases the business will go through our VAR channel.

Q: What advantages/benefits will an ISV receive from utilising ProcessFrame?

A: The key is competitive advantage: an ISV would be able to offer tailor made solutions with the cost and the timing of a shrink wrapped package. This advantage could be even leveraged during the selling cycle, because it is very easy to build a sample prototype that implements a prospect governance process. Not only you can build the prototype, but you can import data from various sources, such as Excel
spreadsheets, text files and Access databases and show how real historical data appears in ProcessFrame statistics and reports.

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