The Power of Process: Unleashing the Source of Competitive Advantage (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Barry Attwater, CEO of Consolidated Enterprises, emerged from his office and stepped over to his secretary's cubicle..." (more)
Key Phrases: organizational synergy, master black belt, business process management, Six Sigma, Key Points, Jeffrey Sterllings (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This gripping, fast-paced book is changing how America does business in the twenty-first century. Not since Eliyahu Goldratt's 1984 breakaway book, The Goal (2 million in print), has such an intriguing business message been presented at the intersection of business and entertainment. This book is an engaging novelette and, at the same time, a thought-provoking business book about how to harness the power of process management to unleash new sources of competitive advantage.

Kiran Garimella separates the hype from the reality of process management, arguing for the new mindset and corporate culture necessary to sustain a true process-oriented organization. Process management can enable innovation, address compliance, increase controllership, manage risk, improve customer-centricity, and ensure agility. Dr. Garimella reinforces his message through fictional situations and engaging dialog. He turns the inevitable alphabet soup of business and technology terms into a gourmet's delight with true business substance.

Required reading for anyone wanting to succeed in the brave new world of total global competition.

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In a business world so overrun with technical mumbo jumbo, this book is a welcome relief. Every business person challenged with organizational design, systems deployment, process improvement, or profit maximizations should give The Power of Process a read.
--Cameron Krueger, Vice President, Capgemini US LLC

I got so caught up in the story that I didn't realize I was being educated at the same time! Dr. Garimella weaves a compelling tale that reinforces the principles of process management that every business leader needs to know --and he makes it fun and interesting at the same time.
--Tom Murphy, SVP and CIO, Amerisourcebergen

The Power of Process is a highly informative book that cuts through the jargon and alphabet soup to give the readers a true perspective of what business process management truly is.
--Dr. Mark Pendergast, Associate Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University

You'll be itching to make changes to your business by the time you finish reading this book.
--Rajeev Jain, Head of Quality at a leading Financial Services company

This book should be required reading for IT professionals who wish to enter into meaningful business conversations with their executives.
--Andrew Spanyi, Author of More for Less: The Power of Process Management

In simple and interesting terms, this book presents all the complex concepts in process management, including the latest buzz words. Every IT and business manager needs to read this book.
--Prof. Hemant Jain, Professor, University of Wisconsin

Dr. Garimella's real life analogies are both familiar and amusing, thus allowing business professionals the opportunity to grasp technological solutions, while being entertained during the discovery process.
--Michael Kuhbock, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Integration Consortium

While enjoying the trek of the main characters is definitely entertaining, you soon find yourself developing a deep understanding and appreciation for the nuances and challenges of pragmatic business modeling, and service oriented architecture.
--Jason Matthews, CEO, The Voyant Group

This is an essential reference for directors and executives trying to navigate the alphabet soup of the BPM and SOA worlds. Kiran breaks technical topics down into plain, everyday language, which is essential to communicating effectively with a broad audience.
--Scott Mark, Enterprise Architect, Fortune 250 medical technology company

This book uses novel approaches to clearly articulate what BPM really is and how it can increase quality while reducing costs acro

About the Author

Dr. Kiran Garimella has over twenty years of experience at the intersection of management and technology. A former Chief Architect and CIO at a GE company, his industry experience ranges from healthcare finance, telecommunications, credit cards, banking, marketing, and general finance. Kiran holds a BS in Chemistry, an MS in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida. He is a GE-certified Six Sigma Green Belt. He also has served as an Assistant Professor of Business at Central State University in Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Meghan Kiffer Pr (August 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929652061
• ISBN-13: 978-0929652061
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #891,418 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cutting Through the Fog of Business Process Management (BPM), January 22, 2007

By	Scotto "Scotto" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

As a graduate student with significant work experience, I was enlightened and entertained in reading The Power of Process. The book was used as one of the staples in an IT/eCommerce Course. The different approach of relaying knowledge and information via a story-telling format was refreshing and different.

The book lays the groundwork in the beginning with definitions and clarifications, then progresses to organization-wide, cultural changes in business process that is needed to give your organization a "leg up". Good comparisons are made to other methodologies such as LEAN and Six-Sigma. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and its context with BPM are explained. Another good thing, is that each chapter provides key take-aways to reinforce concepts and facts.

Recommended for students and professionals alike to digest something that has taken hold and is emerging as a value-added force and sometimes a "must-have" in business today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting approach to explain BPM, February 5, 2008

By	John Bierman (Orlando, Fl United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read the Power of Process as part of my MBA program. This book has an interesting approach to communicating concepts in Technology. Rather than having a list of technical concepts, Dr. Garimella tells a story. With this approach you find yourself relating to the characters. This book does not try to sell you on one approach vs. another. Dr. Garimella shows how BPM is related to Six Sigma and LEAN. As most of us have learned, these methodologies should be viewed as tools in a tool box and there is a time and place for each of them. I recommend this book for the technical community and non-technical people a like.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Demystifying BPM for Your Peers, January 19, 2007

By	George B. Van Antwerp "VP, BPM" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kiran followed the style of The Goal by Goldratt and Cox and The Choice by Russell Roberts in creating The Power of Process. It takes a popular management and technology trend - Business Process Management (BPM) - and walks the reader through it by using a story.

The reader experiences and learns about BPM theory, its link to Six Sigma, the technology, and technical frameworks such as SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) by listening to a mythical conversation between a consultant and his client. The client in this case is a typical company struggling with the pressures of sustaining growth, compliance, and organizational dynamics.

I would recommend the book for anyone looking to learn more about BPM and how to sell it or explain it to their peers. BPM offers a lot of value to companies, but its link to technology often pushes it towards the CIO. The Power of Process makes BPM a CEO level conversation and sheds different perspectives on the value.

From working with several clients in this area, I found the book to accurately represent the typical questions and present compelling and simplistic descriptions and analogies for the answers.