I was just reading OMG’s Case Management Process Modelling RFP. I thought the following statement was interesting: ”E-mail is probably the most used tool for many case management processes. Davenport (2005) states that 45 % of information processing by knowledge workers is done by e-mail.”

So,  just like with GRC, emails and documents are the way case management work is done in the real world.  Email is far from a perfect case managment solution – but people use it because it is familiar, flexible, pervasive and  under their control.

So, as a first step, why not just enhance email as a case management tool? Later on, as actual process execution is understood, you can decide to move on to more structured tools if needed. I am not convinced that what the world needs right now is more complexity in BPMN (since even most of the current BPMN spec isn’t used). There is value to the IT community in having single standard across vendors – but it isn’t going make a dent in the use of email for case management.

In a nutshell, that is our thinking at ActionBase – lets start supporting people through tools they already use, and  in the way they really work – providing immediate value to the users and ROI to the business. Then use that as the basis for a more structured approach to case management if needed.