What's Your Baseline? Enterprise Architecture & Business Process Management Demystified

To implement AI (and processes) correctly, you need good data. But what does that mean? Well, firstly it means that you can define your data product and to achieve that you need good data governance.But are we now in a super-nerdy topic? No, this is what we all do in some form or another … but in different fidelities and maturities.To shed some light on the topic of data governance, we invited Angelika Rinck for this episode. She started her career studying public administration and then served in the German federal police before switching to the regular industry (in the aerospace industry, and while that might not be enough, she studied economics in parallel).Somehow she found her way into consulting and is working now in digitalization and IT projects. Her main focus here is product lifecycle management and data governance.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Angelika’s career journey: from e-commerce working student in Hamburg to aerospace, engineering, and ultimately major IT and data governance initiatives.Her first agile project—complete with a physical Kanban box—sparked her love for IT project management and structured delivery.A detour into underwater orienteering reveals surprising parallels to data work: precision, navigation, and making decisions in the dark.Defining data governance: the framework of rules, processes, and responsibilities that guide how organizations create, use, secure, and improve data.Why it matters: Governance drives clarity, accountability, and value creation—not just control or compliance.Understanding the difference between data governance (framework and value creation) and data management (the operational “doing”).A common failure pattern: organizations naming “business data stewards” without training, tooling, or understanding the expectations.Governance only works when decentralized experts feed real issues into a central team—not when policies are pushed top-down in isolation.Data products demystified: they’re the outcome of well-governed data—reusable, high-value information assets that improve processes, decisions, speed, or cost.Real examples: using historical field data instead of simulation data to accelerate engineering calculations or using decades of bird-flight video to predict weather with AI.Risks of bad data with AI: incorrect system guidance, support tickets exploding, contradictions between outdated documents, and misplaced trust in “the easy button.”Governance foundations: critical data identification, metadata transparency, ownership, RASCI clarification, and understanding who creates, changes, and consumes data.The messy reality: access rights often don’t match process needs—leading to shortcuts, bypasses, and unintended process redesign opportunities.Final takeaway: data governance isn’t bureaucracy—it's a structured path to value, clarity, and safer AI adoption, but it requires real effort, definitions, ownership, and cultural change.You can reach Angelika on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelika-rinck-b93a7019b/.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

In this episode, we welcome Finnish enterprise architect and author Eetu Niemi to explore what it means to make enterprise architecture (EA) “lightweight”—practical, collaborative, and relevant in the real world. From frameworks to fiction writing, from ivory towers to coffee-fueled collaboration, this conversation dives into how to make EA actually work for organizations.With over 16 years of experience in architecture consulting at CGI, Coala, and Accenture, Eetu has guided more than 45 private and public organizations in transforming their business and IT landscapes. He specializes in enterprise and solution architecture, helping organizations align technology with strategy, improve EA practices and tools, and strengthen information security.A published author and recognized thought leader, he wrote the first EA book in Finnish and two bestsellers on IT consulting and frequently shares insights through blogs, newsletters, and speaking engagements. Holding a PhD in enterprise architecture benefit realization and an MSc (Econ.), his cross-industry work spans finance, telecom, manufacturing, and the public sector—delivering results in EA modeling, governance, and tool implementation with platforms such as BiZZdesign, Ardoq, and Sparx EA.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Eetu’s background — Author, architect, and advocate for democratizing enterprise architecture so it’s accessible beyond the ivory tower.Rethinking EA’s relevance — Success comes when EA shifts from being “nice diagrams” to being indispensable guidance that helps organizations plan, adapt, and reduce risk.Defining “lightweight EA” — It’s all about communication and cooperation, using models as tools for dialogue, not as ends in themselves.Avoiding EA’s common traps — Filling every box in a framework or modeling everything down to cables and servers misses the point. EA should focus on solving real business problems.Where to draw the line — Model at the logical level (applications, processes, data) — not every internal detail. EA is the layer above IT and process modeling, not a replacement for them.Kickstarting EA right — Start small, plan with stakeholders, and document goals and methods early. Collaboration beats over-engineering every time.Who to talk to first — Don’t wait for the C-suite; start where you have access, build trust, and work your way upward.Quick wins matter — Focus on tangible outcomes like system maps for upcoming projects — those early wins open doors and earn invitations “to the next party.”Light tools for light EA — Begin with approachable modeling tools instead of overcomplicated platforms. Save the big systems for when you truly need them.Governance without the grind — Keep EA blueprints current but concise. A handful of well-maintained diagrams is better than hundreds of forgotten files.Collaboration is key — EA succeeds through engagement: creating models with people, validating them with people, and helping those people make better decisions.Selling the value — Show how EA helps others succeed — whether that’s IT planning, compliance, or transformation — and you’ll overcome “I have no time for this” resistance.EA + AI = opportunity — Complexity is growing, not shrinking. AI can help classify, visualize, and assist — but architects still provide the judgment and storytelling.Making EA stick — Keep the practice alive through persistence and visibility. Even when budgets tighten, lightweight EA thrives by staying practical, connected, and useful.You can reach Eetu on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eetuniemiphd/ Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Welcome to a very special episode of What’s Your Baseline? — where we demystify enterprise architecture and business process management. In this milestone 100th episode, we are joined by fellow BPM podcasters from Prozess Philosophen and BPM360 to celebrate, reflect, and talk about the wild ride of creating content in this niche space.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Milestone celebration — 100 full-length episodes! A look back at the journey and what's ahead.Origin stories — How each podcast got started: from Munich restaurants to airport lounges, and "anonymous alcoholics for BPM enthusiasts."The evolution of podcasting — From rough first episodes to polished productions (or intentionally unpolished ones).Video vs. audio debate — The pros, cons, and time costs of adding video to podcasts; why some stick to one-take recording.Editing realities — 10 minutes vs. 8 hours: wildly different approaches to post-production and what works for each team.Authenticity over AI polish — Why staying real and soulful matters in an era of AI-generated, hyper-polished content.Community-driven content — Listener feedback shapes episodes; the power of niche audiences and recurring themes.Lessons learned — Top advice for aspiring podcasters: just start, don't overthink, make guests comfortable, and embrace imperfection.Underrated vs. Overrated — Change management (underrated), AI hype (overrated), process models (underrated), BPMN notation alone (overrated).The future of BPM podcasting — Where the medium is headed, from knowledge lexicons to safe spaces for authentic discussion.Listener challenge — What content do you consume? How do you consume it? What resonates with you and why?Gratitude and reflections — A heartfelt thank you to the audience, guests, and the BPM community for four years of support.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Last week we took a deep(-er) look at what BPMN is today and pointed out the scope, difficulties, and misconceptions in the current specification. But what are ideas for improvements?I am glad that you asked, because this episode is exactly about this (with a slight twist to the business side of things). In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Today’s topic: What should BPMN 3.0 look like? Spoiler—it's more than just dots and arrows.The hosts unpack the missing hierarchy in BPMN—why we need clear distinctions between high-level, process, and task models. Roland argues for flexibility and “N levels of process”—from value chains down to sub-processes.J-M pushes for decision levels—models as tools for making decisions, not just communication artifacts.Call activities: misused, misunderstood, and overcomplicated. The guys agree—most analysts don’t touch them right.A deep dive into lanes and pools—why they’re conceptually fine but practically messy. (Stop naming your pool after your process, people!)Both want organizational elements as first-class citizens—RACI, org roles, and system links built right into the spec.Execution vs. documentation: the eternal BPMN dilemma. Should the spec drive engines, or help humans? (Hint: both.)J-M dreams of BPMN models training AI agents. Roland gets heartburn just thinking about it.“Lanes need intelligence.” The duo agree that automation, RPA, and AI will force clarity in BPMN sooner rather than later.Roland throws shade at the spec’s quality control—gateways aren’t decisions, folks! Read the fine print.The conversation drifts into data, risks, and controls—areas where BPMN could learn a lot from EPC and real-world practice.We are discussing other objects: “page connectors” (process interfaces), groups, milestones, etc.Closing thoughts: BPMN 3.0 should unify the best of documentation and execution, EPC’s expressiveness, and OMG’s rigor—with a bit more consistency, please.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

BPMN—”the” standard for process modeling and also the foundation for process automation using BPMS tools—is currently in its version 2.02, and that version was published in early 2014.Since then? Crickets.So, why haven't we seen an update of the standard? That is a big question and since we had such a blast talking about this topic we went wayyyyy overboard time-wise so that we are splitting the episode into two (well, Episodes 99 and 99 1/2) ;-)Part 2 will be published in a week from now, on next Monday.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Today’s topic: the complaint episode — what’s wrong with BPMN 2.0 and why we need a BPMN 3.0.A quick refresher: what BPMN is, where it came from, and why it became the lingua franca of process modeling.The promise of BPMN — a vendor-neutral, universal standard that was supposed to be “the last one you’d ever need.”The architecture perspective: balancing human understanding with machine execution — and why that balance got lost.A trip through history — from BPMN 1.0 (2004) to BPMN 2.0 (2011) and the last official update way back in 2013.The big question: why has BPMN stagnated for 12 years despite widespread use and clear pain points?Misconceptions and limitations — why BPMN isn’t truly hierarchical and struggles with multi-level process design.The missing pieces: business context, data models, organizational links, and real-world process hierarchies.AI and automation — how BPMN 2.0 fails to address adaptive, probabilistic, or dynamic process behavior.Tool vendors’ workarounds — how they “extended” BPMN to make it usable for analysts and automation implementers.The call to action: OMG, it’s time to evolve the standard — let’s build a BPMN 3.0 for the next generation.Listener question: how do you use BPMN 2.0? What frustrates you — and how have you worked around it?Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

There is a thing that I have not seen managed well in today's organizations: business rules. Typically, they are an “afterthought” in implementations (because you have to feed the business rules engine and control the process flow).But how many organizations rationalize the underlying business rules on a larger scale? When was the last time the magic “above $50 and below $50” rule was looked at? Remember $50 in 1979 is $222 today. And how do we check business rules and compliance when we don't even know what AI agents even do in detail?Today we are speaking with Tony Phillips, an experienced consultant, business architect, and business systems analyst with a focus on improving business efficiency and effectiveness. He covers strategy planning, capability modeling, process reengineering, systems analysis and design, data modeling, business rules engineering, and project management.Tony's experience, skills, and versatility allow him to excel as an architect, analyst, designer, mentor, trainer, and methodology implementer. He has a track record of providing critical services to and maintaining excellent relations with a wide range of clients, including government and financial services companies worldwide.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Defining Business Rules: Tony defines a business rule as a simple “if/then” statement that determines an output based on an input. He argues that business rules are a critical part of the “why” column in the Zachman framework and that they change more frequently than processes.Rules in Action: The hosts and guest discuss how business rules often change, using examples from the insurance and mortgage industries where the process remains the same, but the rules for approval constantly evolve.Separating Rules from Process: The discussion highlights the importance of managing business rules separately from processes and data. Tony notes that rules can apply to various aspects, including data types, data entities, and the relationships between them.DMN and Process Flow: The conversation touches on the Decision Model and Notation (DMN), a standard that connects an external rules table to a decision task within a BPMN diagram. This approach helps avoid complex, unwieldy decision trees.The Challenge of Complexity: The hosts and Tony discuss the complexity of modeling decisions, noting that a single, massive spreadsheet is typically not the most effective approach. Instead, they suggest using smaller, more focused decision tables that feed into one another.Governance and Maintenance: The podcast raises the critical question of who governs and manages business rules. Ideally, rules should be stored in a central, reusable repository where changes can be made and updated everywhere.False Positives vs. False Negatives: Tony explains the difference between false positives (a rule approves something it shouldn't have) and false negatives (a rule rejects something that should have been approved). He notes that false negatives are particularly difficult to spot and often require a manual audit or comparison to old methods.Business Rules and AI: The conversation transitions to the role of business rules in the age of AI. Tony proposes that business rules act as algorithmic “yes/no” decisions, whereas AI is more goal-oriented and based on probabilities.AI's Guardrails: The hosts and Tony agree that business rules are essential “guardrails” for AI, ensuring that AI's outcome-oriented behavior doesn't lead to unintended negative consequences. They also emphasize the need for human oversight and governance of AI-driven processes.Tony can be found on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonynphillips/.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Process Mining—a technology and technique that Gartner just called “early mainstream” in one of their last reports.But many people still don’t know exactly how to approach this thing. They listen to the vendors talking about technical integrations and all the fancy features, which—to be honest—can be pretty overwhelming for someone who is just looking at it.That is why Roland wrote his second book about “Successful Process Mining Projects,” which will be released in a bit more than a week from now on Sep. 15. It is full of real-life experiences and advice for the newbie who tries to make sense of all the new terms and possibilities.To introduce you to the content and approach, we recorded an episode talking about the book while J-M tried to be the tough investigative journalist that he wants to become—spoiler alert, there were still some softball questions 😉In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Roland’s second book, “Successful Process Mining Projects,” is a follow-up to his first, “Successful Architecture Implementation.” It focuses on the measurement and analysis phase of the process and solution lifecycle.The book was written to address the need for guidance in process mining, as Roland observed that many large organizations have dabbled in the technology without widespread adoption or success.It aims to serve a wider audience, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and provides a neutral, experience-based perspective on the topic.Roland presents a six-step process for successful process mining projects, which he recommends doing in short, five-week iterations to build momentum and demonstrate value quickly.The six steps are: 1) Develop a strategy, 2) Extract data, 3) Create a data model, 4) Create a reference model, 5) Perform the analysis, and 6) Define process improvements.The book uses a fictitious case study about a medical device company called “Heartbeat” to demonstrate how to apply these steps in a real-world scenario.A key aspect of the process is the “aha moment” when a client sees their discovered process for the first time, which can reveal surprising truths and lead to an emotional reaction.Included with the book are free resources, such as all the graphics from the book, a checklist to guide projects, and the data and project files from the case study.These freebies are intended to act as an “accelerator” for readers, helping them get started with their projects.The book will be available on many marketplaces (Amazon, Apple, Google, etc.) but is also available in our webshop at whatsyourbaseline.gumroad.com.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

We are hundreds of years into thinking about how we do work (insert your philosopher of choice here: Smith, Marx, Plato, etc.), but I get the impression that the most common style is “muddling through.”But why is that? Why has the concept of an Integrated Management System (IMS) not taken hold in many organizations? Is it too complicated? Too much effort? Not worth it?Even though I doubt that anyone will deny the benefits of an organized, integrated, and streamlined way of producing your product and value for your customers, it requires a certain amount of maturity to stand up an IMS.Vassiliki built her experience through numerous operational excellence projects that she has led or participated in. Her strongest competencies include identifying opportunities, specifying and managing customized optimization initiatives within large organizations, usually including specialized process analysis to raise BPM awareness, proposing digitization interventions, and applying change scenarios.She has invested in building her expertise in enterprise architecture methodologies and practices, facilitating process performance-based optimization, optimal systems & data strategy implementation, and compliance with GRC frameworks & practices.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Vassiliki's backgroundWhat is an Integrated Management System (IMS)?Benefits of an IMS for an organizationWho needs to be involved?IMS in the era of AIKey topics of an IMS exploredReal-world project examples (telco and banking)Success factors when implementing and operating an IMSVassiliki can be reached via LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilikispentzou1/.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Having lived in two cultures, it is so interesting to see how people cope with big problems. Climate change and sustainability are some of the biggest issues that we have to deal with in our lifetimes, and I see reactions from denial to aimless “do-gooder” activity.But how do you improve this situation and solve the problem to get to more sustainable business practices? Well, process management (and especially the flavor of “Green BPM”) to the rescue.This week we are speaking with Katharina Paulick, who is a creative, engaged, and dynamic professional in life sciences, lab automation, and machine learning. She works in a Green BPM consulting firm and is the right expert for our topic.Katharina’s objective is to help create a sustainable Industry 4.0, and she stumbled (and then dove deep into) process management a few years ago.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Katharina’s backgroundThe topic of “Green BPM” and why it is important from economical, ecological, etc., up to regulatory requirementsThe dimensions of Green BPM from economical, ecological, etc., up to regulatory requirementsThe limitations of regulatory approvals of processes and how they can limit process executionWhy is there resistance against green practices?Katharina’s approach to process analysis and figuring out the needed changesThe challenge (and benefits) of working as an external person without the detailed background of the processWhat are the recommendations when you want to implement your sustainable BPM program?If you’d like to reach out to Katharina, simply connect with her on LinkedIn or on Mastodon (@katharinaxxx@social.tchncs.de)Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

We are back with our first episode of the brand-new season 9 of the podcast—and we are starting right into the topic of these days: AI … well, the AI hype that is out there. And we are discussing what you can do to avoid falling into the trap of falling for that hype.Our guest today is Maxwell Smith, who I had the pleasure of working with in a past life. He has years of experience in product management and product marketing in the BPM space with an IT background.Max is a detail-oriented analytical thinker who enjoys empathizing with customers' problems and bringing solutions to market through products and positioning. The attention to detail is always contextualized with the larger vision of the product. The key success factor is his passion for tech and understanding of people's perception of it.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Max' backgroundA look at the different forms of AI (and their benefits and drawbacks)How to see through "AI-washing"Guiding questions to help folks to see if the vendor is really using AISecondary questions/guidelines to consider if AI seems to be legit in a vendor's pitchOther concerns to look out for when implementing AI-supported technologyMax can be reached on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-smith-1b612b83/.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Soooooo … We're a grown-up adult podcast now, and we're approaching our season 9. (Oh, so you claim.) If season 8 was great, will season 9 just be fine? More than fine. The world might be in chaos, but we are a safe harbor. Come join us, full of good friends, good cheer, and excellence in BPM and EA. And of course, even we are changing. So we resisted, for example, the AI topic for long enough. And I think it matured to a point where it's actually worth talking about. Get ready to hear our thoughts and best practices from our rogues gallery of guests. So join us as we continue our journey together, kicking off season 9 of What's Your Baseline? next Monday, July 28, 2025. And we'll see you… in the next one.

Today we have our last “What's Your Baseline?” short during our little summer break. And this time we're looking at something special.This is a Shorts about APQC and we had a long episode with Moritz Berger about what that framework is and all of those things. Moritz put in the APQC reference framework into a tool called The Brain. What I really like with that and the short is mostly a demonstration of what he did and we're talking about what to take in care of when using APQC. What he did was, the tool is not linear; it's not folders and models, etc., but it's connected nodes. And this is where I think the process modeling tools should go. Anyway, enjoy the show. (And here are the show notes from the initial release)This is another What's Your Baseline? Shorts episode and we are following up with the guest from our last episode, Moritz Berger.Moritz took the APQC Process Classification Framework and imported it into “The Brain” to visualize the breakdown and connectivity of processes to each other. Since this Shorts consists mostly of a demonstration, you might want to watch at it on Spotify, YouTube, or on our website. And if you like to click through the Brain for yourself, please go here: ⁠⁠https://bra.in/3qzgr6⁠⁠.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to ⁠⁠⁠hello@whatsyourbaseline.com⁠⁠⁠ or signing up for our newsletter and getting informed when we publish new episodes here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe.⁠

The world is changing faster than one might think, or at least it appears this way … and nobody seems to do solution architecture anymore.And plenty of organizations seem to have given up on planning what they are doing and changing in their system landscape, organizations, processes, etc. But that is wrong. You need to describe the changes so that you can agree on things and everyone is on the same page (and understands the direction, goals, and measurements going forward).In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:A quick review of Season 8, and what happens here at What’s Your Baseline?What is solution architecture?How does it fit into the solution lifecycleBenefits of having a solution architectureWhere in the organization should solution architects be located?The network of solution architectures and how to manage thoseWhat do you need to do solution architecture in your organization (tools, approach)?Elements/steps when creating the solution architectureHow do you implement this capability (waterfall, agile, devops)?Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

Some folks go to work and are drained before they even turn on their computer, and they cannot figure out why that is when all the aspects of the job seem to be fine — the tasks, the title, the money. What they don't see is that the managers might be the reason, and that the managers miss emotional intelligence — the ability to “read the room” — and cannot adjust their behavior (and therefore are “off”).This challenge is why we speak with Steve Ponting, who is thinking hard about this topic and is a great advocate for org change management and the way how we as humans behave (and he gives us a brief intro into the three major professional steps that brought him there at the beginning of the episode).Steve is a strategically minded go-to-market leader at ARIS, and he guides cross-functional teams to position our capabilities with enterprise clients across multiple regions. He is recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and featured across leading publications and major platforms including CNBC, Steve combines strategic vision, operational acumen, and industry insight to deliver lasting impact.He's passionate about helping organizations adapt, scale, and lead through change. Having gathered over 10 years' experience in direct and in-direct leadership (managing managers), Steve fosters high-performance cultures, promotes innovation through a fail-fast mindset, and enables cross-functional collaboration.As a technology generalist, Steve's career spans senior roles across both industry and enterprise software. From serving as an IT Director to leading technical sales teams at portfolio software firms, he has developed a practical understanding of how to connect business needs with technical solutions. In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Steve's backgroundWhat is Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and why is it important?Is EQ still needed in these times of advanced technology (AI)? What happens with the people, and what are the impacts on the organizations and their customers?How to recognize/measure emotional intelligenceHow to get people to develop EQ and the positive benefits — purpose, belonging, and autonomyWhere will the future go?Steve can be reached via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-ponting/.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here:

Have you noticed transformation fatigue in your organization? The feeling that you run faster and faster, and have to do more with less, while you don't accomplish the results of the changes that you were out for?Well, one aspect of that might be that you haven't “picked up” the folks in your organization where they are, and now they are working silently against the positive change that you want to instill. In the past, this was a simple concept, but today it is difficult to manage. That is why we invited Neelesh to our show so that he can share his years of org change management experience with us.Neelesh is an Operational Excellence Leader with 18+ years of experience driving enterprise-wide transformation, automation, and performance optimization for Fortune 500 firms in financial services, banking, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and high-tech. He's a proven expert in end-to-end process improvement, digital transformation, intelligent automation, and large-scale operational strategy, leading global teams to streamline workflows, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs. Neelesh specializes in scaling process excellence initiatives, integrating AI, process mining, and automation to drive sustainable business impact.In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Neelesh's backgroundThe resistance to change — the “why” … and the lack of a “change muscle” in organizationsDid the approach to OCM change over the years?The change curve and the “never-ending change” today — take a break and celebrate milestonesHow can change be decelerated to a more “human pace”? (Spoiler alert: not likely)Best practices in OCMSetting up communities / safe spaceThe role of managers in change — bottom-up vs. top-down changesNeelesh is active on LinkedIn and can be reached here: linkedin.com/in/neeleshharmalker.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

In many minds, legacy is “everything that works”. And even if that is not always true, many organizations look at their legacy systems and get a headache. How do you replace or update a set of systems that have served you so well over years or decades?That is why we are speaking with our guest Kastin Deal about legacy modernization in this episode.With over 8 years at Hitachi Rail, Kastin's expertise lies in spearheading IT strategy and digital transformation, aligning with the company's mission towards sustainable technological advancement. At Hitachi, the role involves balancing application, infrastructure, and data project investments and ensuring their alignment with our overarching IT strategy. Kastin's commitment to innovation and process excellence contributes to evolving business models and driving success within a global framework.Most recently, as the Global Business Architect Lead, Kastin designed and executed the digital revamp of Hitachi Rail Group's business management system. This initiative encompassed strategy execution, process excellence, and enterprise architecture, harmonizing 50 global processes. The responsibilities also extended to product rationalization and the integration of sustainable IT practices, which have been instrumental in enhancing operational efficiency across multinational IT services and lines of business.In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Kastin's backgroundDefinition of “legacy”Benefits of legacy modernizationAlignment of Enterprise Architecture, Business Architecture, and Solution Architecture as key playersHow to get to the desired outcomes in legacy project and what architects contribute to thisDifferent views needed when defining the legacy replacement solutionUse of ArchiMate as notation for solution designYou can reach Kastin via LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kastin-deal-1b22b4203/ and email at kastindeal@gmail.com.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to ⁠hello@whatsyourbaseline.com⁠ or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: ⁠https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/⁠.

Having the “Oracle of BPM” on the show? Yes, please.Even though our guest, Zbigniew Misiak, denies that, the role he is playing is an important one for our little industry. He is one of the few who bring together the different ideas and trends that are hot every year. We were genuinely interested in speaking with him about what he learned over the years and where he sees the ship sailing. And on top of it, he turned around the roles and interviewed us for parts of the show …Zbigniew is a BPM consultant at the BOC Group, where he also takes care of the community of their free Business Process Analysis tool (the “Community Edition”). As a part of his job, he is also working with other BPM vendors in BPMN Model Interchange Working Group. You can learn more about that effort in the “Making BPMN a true lingua franca” article on BPTrends. Zbigniew has the privilege of working with a team of great BPM experts creating a new version of the OMG Certified Expert in BPM exam and participating in BPMN, CMMN and DMN task forces. From time to time, he also runs BPM courses at various universities in Poland. I also offer courses on Udemy such as BPMN for business analysts.And since he doesn't have other things to do in his spare time, he is also currently co-authoring a book about BPM, which will come out later this year.In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Zbigniew's backgroundThe history of the BPM Skills questionnaire since 2016Some topics from this year's versionThe “state of BPM” — trends and patternsInvolvement of people and staging of ideasThe example of a logistics company / InPost (also in the “additional information” section)You can find Zbigniew's blog at bpmtips.com and reach him from there.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

We have spoken about Task Mining in the podcast before (see the “Additional information” section in the full show notes), but I haven't seen a lot of adoption of this technology in organizations — for multiple reasons that we will discuss.However, when we got into contact with Tuhin Chakraborty from Mimica, we could not say “no” to speaking with him about their AI-driven approach to Task Mining.Tuhin grew up in the Bay Area, which means he was exposed to technology and the changes that we all see today his whole life. This led to positions at Pandora and LinkedIn, before he started Mimica Automation in 2017. Since then, he has perfected the AI technology behind this Task Mining tool to make it a “process improvement tool, not a performance measurement tool” (I love this attitude :-).In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Tuhin's backgroundWhat is Task Mining?How does Task Mining work?How Mimica captures the data and processes itHow is Task Mining deployed?Using Task Mining to support changes in systems and monitoring the changesThe data management/surveillance problem with Task Mining (that creates trust problems if not handled correctly)An outlook on the use of mining technology in the futureCase studies and how can a customer prepare for their first projectYou can reach Tuhin and take a look at the tool over at mimica.ai.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

BPM is important because everything that we do in organizations are processes.So, why don't we agree on a common nomenclature, and educate people with a standardized curriculum? Oh, it is because the players have a vested interested in coming up with “the next best thing” and selling it to your customers?But there is the need for a basic training for everyone (?) in an organization about process management, and the guest in this episode, Matúš Mala, is working on creating the foundation for this.Matúš is a BPM philanthropist & coach, podcast host, independent [Business] Process Management & Automation advocate, organizer of the BPM-Munich, meetup, trainer, mentor, servant leader, career advisor, solution architect, agile developer … or to say it in other words: a busy man.He is currently fascinated by all aspects of modern BPM, including hyperautomation, citizen development, automation fabric and other hot trends. As a lecturer at the TH Augsburg, I have the opportunity to pass on my knowledge and passion for these topics.In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Matúš' backgroundImportance of education in BPM topics — do we need it, or is it enough to learn on the job?Is the current education status good or bad?Gartner predictions for Digitalization / BPM / Hyperautomation / AI / Low-Code / … areasDo we need to change something? And how?Matúš can be contacted via LinkedIn and you can find him at the Process Academy and SCR Consulting.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.

We are trying something new here at What's Your Baseline? — J-M turns his focus on investigative journalism and starts asking the “hard questions” (and not just the softballs that I get from him at other times) :-)But in all seriousness — this episode of the podcast is a conversation between the two of us, while I play the guest role and did not cheat and did not look into our Notion outline while recording.So, what is it all about? Well — some of you might have heard — I wrote a book, which will be officially published soon (this month!). And since it is about the first and second most popular topics of all What's Your Baseline? podcasts, I think it is highly relevant for our audience.In this episode of the podcast, we talk about:Why a book, why me, and why this book?How was the book writing/creation process? What does it take to become an author?Self-publishing versus an established publisherWhat is the book about? Who is it meant for?What is next for the book, the next thing, and What's Your Baseline?Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.