Process simulation key to stemming slowdown, says Lanner

That's one of the key findings of a study by business process analysis software firm Lanner, which concludes that process simulation is key to stemming the impact of the slowdown. It also reveals 37% of respondents stating that boosted productivity and greater efficiencies are their primary concerns for the coming year, followed by improved customer care (33%), and maximising use of data (20%). Lanner's findings appear to support a recent report from analyst IDC, whose survey of IT decision makers across 500 European organisations found that almost half felt that investment in IT process automation was a likely response to the current financial pressures. Yet Lanner CEO David Jones worries that, despite the evidence in favour of simulation modelling as key to creating leaner organisations, many companies are reluctant to adopt it. He points to the study's finding that 57% still perceive it to be complex and too difficult to use, while almost a quarter (24%) of IT professionals consider it too time consuming and 19% too expensive. "Process simulation technology is increasingly viewed as a tool that can radically improve a company's efficiency gains, and the survey results reflect this," says Jones. "Through mapping out business process change in a virtual environment, organisations can ascertain the most effective approach, de-risk decisions and drive down costs, while boosting productivity… The industry has some work to do to address the lack of understanding at an IT and business level and to encourage more mainstream adoption of simulation modelling.