Enterprise software is expected to boost business capacity, enhance operational efficiency, and unlock new opportunities. Yet not all software innovations succeed. What if the very software designed to empower businesses ends up frustrating users, increasing inefficiencies, and stalling growth? Using an ill-suited platform and expecting it to work is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—it simply doesn’t work.
This challenge is particularly pronounced in case management software due to two primary reasons:
- Dynamic Business Requirements: Industries like healthcare, insurance, and governance that rely on case management software are subject to frequent regulatory changes and evolving business contexts. If their software is not dynamic, case management is ineffective.
- Complex Case Management Needs: Cases are not processes; they are unstructured by their very nature. Traditional process automation or BPM-based extensions cannot automate and streamline cases. Fixing such inadequacies with workarounds is expensive and inefficient.
To overcome these challenges, enterprises rely on dynamic case management platforms to build solutions that can evolve to fit their business needs.
What if we Use Inappropriate or Non-Dynamic Case Management Platforms?
Not all case management platforms can successfully support dynamic business processes. The solutions built using a wrong platform can lead to:
- Scalability issues
- Widening business-IT gap
- Difficult and costly maintenance
- Expensive modernization
- Steep learning curve
- Disparate software systems
- Insufficient or complex security configurations
Challenges of Building Dynamic Case Management Solutions on Non-CMMN Platforms
Let’s explore real-world examples of how a wrong case management platform can create significant business challenges with regard to scaling and access control.
Case Study 1: Scaling Issues in Insurance and Healthcare
Consider an enterprise that embarks on developing a case management solution. The enterprise could be an insurance company or a hospital. Or it may be a software company building solutions for insurance companies and hospital management. In fact, case management solutions are relevant for a business in any domain with workflows that involve two important combinations – one, of structured and unstructured processes and two, of automated decisions and the ones that require human intervention.
The development follows these phases:
- Identifying Cases: Start by recognizing the cases and unstructured processes that need management. A case is a building block in a case management solution.
- Choosing a Platform: If you choose a platform that is not CMMN compliant, initially, the platform will still work well for simple use cases.
- Automating Processes: Structured processes are automated, and unstructured workflows are handled with code.
- Scaling Up: As more cases and unstructured workflows are added, the complexity increases. The system becomes unmanageable due to excessive API calls and tangled code.
- Hitting a Roadblock: Even if the platform is well-known, easy to use, and has an attractive UI, the project fails due to its inability to support true dynamic case management.
What went wrong?
It all started in ‘phase 2’, with the wrong choice of platform. The mistake is not evident in phases 3 and 4. But, they impede the project, and phase 5 becomes inevitable. If the platform doesn’t support dynamic and unstructured processes, a great UI, simple notations, or the platform’s popularity can’t rescue a solution and make it work.
A simple pilot project or just a few cases can be managed by a static case management solution. As cases or unstructured processes increase and processing leaves the solution and resides in code, it makes the code complex, heavy, and mangled up with data transfers and API calls, resulting in a solution that cannot be scaled up or even maintained.
CMMN is essential for the dynamic nature of case management. It provides a design pattern for orchestration layer that makes a Case Management solution interoperable. Adhering to the design pattern might seem complex. But it is not made simple for a reason – to support unavoidable complexity. Choose a CMMN based Platform to build Dynamic Case Management Solutions.
Case Study 2: The Perils of Choosing Wrong Access Control in Healthcare
Now let’s look into the issues with access control. Consider a hospital management system built by an enterprise for a chain of hospitals. The software has been deployed across multiple departments. Initially, it functions well, but as the system scales, a legal non-compliance issue arises: confidential patient data becomes visible to unauthorized users. Health information of a patient that should be confidential and visible only to the treating doctor was visible to other doctors.
Where did it go wrong? The platform supported case-level and role-based access control but lacked granular access control at the task, sub-task, and individual levels. A case-level access control for generic roles is insufficient in many real-world situations. A well-designed case management solution should include multi-layered security and access controls to ensure compliance and confidentiality.
The Real Problem: Choosing the Wrong Platform
The issue in both cases was not with the platforms themselves but with selecting an inappropriate one. Platforms that work well for structured processes may fail for dynamic, unstructured workflows. Businesses must avoid forcing unique needs into rigid IT infrastructures.
So, how does one choose an effective dynamic case management platform?
For a truly scalable and flexible case management solution, businesses should prioritize platforms that offer:
- CMMN support for interoperability
- Scalability and adaptability
- Flexibility for evolving business needs
- Granular access control for security and compliance
The Way Forward
Choosing the wrong case management platform can lead to operational failures and compliance risks. Instead of selecting a platform based on popularity, businesses should assess how well it aligns with their specific needs. A well-chosen platform ensures efficiency, scalability, and long-term success.
Don’t let a wrong choice stall your growth! Invest in a CMMN-compliant platform that helps you build truly dynamic case management solutions. Such solutions can be integrated with your existing IT infrastructure and empower your business to evolve with the fast-changing business landscape. For more details, please visit www.casefabric.com or write to us at info@casefabric.com to discuss your specific case management needs.