Guest post by Ken Burns

It was December 2005. For the enterprise content management world, it was the point at which the ideal of a single, comprehensive ECM suite had reached its peak of inflated expectations.

While I'd like to take credit for this observation myself, what opened my eyes to it was the Forrester Research report, "Transactional, Business and Persuasive Content: A Better Way to Look at Enterprise Content."

At this point in history, integrated combinations of ECM technologies had been used in production for some time. But, the report asked the big question: Do relevant use cases exist that justified integrating the full range of content management technologies in a single ECM suite or platform?

The real game-changer went beyond this question. The report eschewed abstract notions of ECM platforms by tangibly explaining where, how and for whom ECM component applications were optimally designed and proven to support.

In so doing, Forrester reminded us that even seemingly straightforward product categories like document management could be segmented according to use cases. At long last, someone pointed out that the strain of document management that brought fame to Documentum in big pharma and Hummingbird in legal (collaborative document management) was quite different from what was driving the success of FileNet, IBM and Hyland in insurance (transactional content management).

Fast forward to 2010-2011: Defining adaptive case management

Much of what Forrester, and more recently Gartner, describes as core elements of TCM is now being repackaged by ECM, BPM and CRM vendors alike with a new catch phrase, "adaptive case management." There's been plenty of discussion on what it is, so I think it's about time we set some defining terms.

Usage scenarios:

• Patient records management
• Insurance claims handling and underwriting
• Mortgage loan processing
• Benefits eligibility determination

Product capabilities:

• Managing all the documentation related to a case
• BPM for handling structured and repeatable elements of the process
• Correspondence management
• Data-centric application layers for ad hoc tasks and human interaction management
• Presentation of all documents and data related to a case in a single interface

We all know there are plenty of trends in the content management market. But adaptive case management isn't a new trend--it's an evolution of how content management is developed and delivered, and it definitely has some meat behind it.

A key goal of adaptive case management solutions is to enable knowledge workers to capture and learn from the non-routine decisions, tasks and human interactions that drive the flow of their work. As such, adaptive case management helps to crystallize and better explain the data-centric, interaction management applications that some TCM offerings layer on top of their core capabilities to replace email and spreadsheets. With respect to Hyland's OnBase, this applies to our packaged solutions for patient chart deficiency management, RAC audits and accelerating monthly close practices.

'Combinatorial innovation'

To me, adaptive case management represents what some call a 'combinatorial innovation.' Adaptive case management situations are driving combinatorial innovation, simply because they demand a blend of capabilities available in existing technologies.

These include:

• Transactional and collaborative ECM
• Business intelligence and analytics
• Pure-play business process management suites (BPMS)
• Niche vertical-applications built atop customer relationship management (CRM) platforms
• Dedicated case applications such as CourtView, Curam Software or Epic

I am not bemoaning this fact. In fact, I believe this is a much-needed evolution for the ECM industry. Vendors will be able to better serve their customers by recognizing that adaptive case management is about creating systems that fall outside the standard processes for which TCM and BPM systems are best known to support.

Buyers beware: Understand your objectives

But while adaptive case management is filling a gap, it's also going to create market confusion--if it hasn't already. The combinatorial innovation required of adaptive case management has already driven TCM, BPM and CRM vendors to develop capabilities that are spilling over into their respective adjacent markets. This will result in partnerships in some instances--and, more likely, competition in others.

Vendors in each of these markets can legitimately position their offerings as being able to support one or more elements of adaptive case management. Vendors and analysts use positioning--albeit not very well at times--to frame a set of problems in buyers' minds.

Naturally, we vendors understand that the manner in which buyers frame their business problems usually influences which technology they choose as solution to that problem.

Simplify not simpler

Bear in mind, however, that frames are simplifications. Perhaps vendors and buyers alike should heed the wisdom of Albert Einstein when he said, "We have to make things as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Forrester's 2005 report taught us that not all ECM or document management systems were meant to address the same use cases. More than five years later, that advice has mutated, as ECM, BPM and CRM vendors are all framing their solutions as adaptive case management. What's a buyer supposed to do?

Akin to the days of the one-size-fits-all ECM suite, buyers would be well served to really understand what they are trying to accomplish, and take time to understand what tools would best help them reach their objectives. In order to do that, it is critical that buyers go beyond learning what vendor offerings can do (if you throw enough money at the system) and understand what they are optimally designed to do at a reasonable cost.

Adaptive case management represents a crossover of ECM, BPM and CRM technologies and disciplines. Vendors from each market will retain a tendency to frame problems in the manner in which they are accustomed. When most of your career has been spent selling hammers, it's only natural that you perceive everything as a nail.

Ken Burns is manager of competitive and market intelligence for Hyland Software. He has more than 11 years in the information technology industry, nine of those specific to ECM and Burns has held various management roles, including four years as the U.S. marketing communications manager for an ECM suite provider (Gauss, now a division of Open Text) and two years managing a technical support team at a Novell systems integrator.

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