About

AboutBruce Silver2017-10-05T15:06:42-07:00

Bruce Silver Associates

Bruce Silver Associates has been in business since 1994, providing consulting, training, industry analysis, and publishing focused on business process management and, more recently, decision management. Today our work is primarily training end user organizations on process modeling with BPMN and decision modeling with DMN using the Method and Style approach. Our work with BPM technology vendors includes producing reports and videos, speaking at user events, and consulting on product capabilities and positioning.

methodandstyle.com, this website, provides access to BPMN and DMN training and tools, as well as news and commentary on process and decision modeling.

BPMessentials, a joint venture of Bruce Silver Associates and itp commerce ltd of Bern, Switzerland, offers BPM training and certification, both online and in the classroom.

bpmNEXT, a joint venture of Bruce Silver Associates and Nathaniel Palmer, is an annual conference showcasing the latest innovations in BPM and related technology.

Cody-Cassidy Press, owned by Bruce Silver Associates, is the publisher of BPMN Method and Style (in English, German, and Spanish editions), The BPI Blueprint by Shelley Sweet, and (soon) DMN Method and Style.

Bruce Silver’ s Bio

I am a consultant, trainer, and author focused on business process modeling and decision modeling. I am also founder and principal of BPMessentials.com, the leading worldwide provider of BPMN training and certification. I served on the BPMN 2.0 task force in OMG and am the author of BPMN Method & Style, now in second edition and available in English, German, Japanese, and Spanish. I have a new book BPMN Quick and Easy Using Method & Style available soon. I have been heavily involved in putting together the new decision modeling standard, serving on the DMN Revision Task Force in OMG and TCK working group. My book DMN Method and Style tries to do for decision modeling what BPMN Method and Style did for process modeling. Also, together with Nathaniel Palmer I host an exciting annual event, bpmNEXT, a showcase of the next generation of BPM-related technology.

Prior to starting Bruce Silver Associates in 1994, I was Vice President in charge of workflow and document management research at BIS Strategic Decisions (which became Giga Information Group, now part of Forrester Research). I served on the board of directors of Captiva Software from 1995 until it was acquired by EMC in 2006. In the 1980s, I was a principal developer of Wang’s WIIS document imaging system and Wang Office Fax Gateway. I worked on digital still cameras in the early 1980s at Polaroid… way before its time. I hold Physics degrees from Princeton (AB, Phi Beta Kappa) and MIT (PhD), and four patents in electronic imaging.

My hobbies are cycling, gardening, and photography. After 27 years in Boston and then 15 in the redwoods of Santa Cruz, I’ve moved to Los Angeles in 2013. The weather’s good all year long, and I’m finally getting used to the roar of the leaf-blowers. An avid photographer for 35 years, I studied under Minor White at MIT in the 1970s. No longer lugging that 4×5 view camera, I work now with my DSLR, always trying to get better.

I’ve managed to stay married to my first wife Junell for 35 years. We have two grown children, and grandchildren Maia, Kira, and Ryder. My wife and I remain big-time Boston sports fans – Red Sox, Pats, Celtics. Trying to get into the Dodgers, Clippers, and Rams. It’s not so easy.

What Is BPMN?

BPMN 2.0 is the industry standard for business process modeling, defining the flow of activities comprising an end-to-end business process. It is a common language shared by business and IT users, in uses ranging from documentation to process analysis and improvement to execution on an automation engine.

What Is DMN?

DMN is the industry standard for business decision modeling and execution without programming. A DMN model defines the structure of a business decision end-to-end and details the decision logic entirely in diagrams and tables... no programming required.

What Is Low-Code Business Automation?

By combining BPMN and DMN, you can create executable processes and pageflow apps without programming... entirely based on standards.

What Is Method and Style?

The BPMN standard defines a vocabulary of shapes and symbols that is widely used for documenting and analyzing business processes, but does not provide any methodology or guidance for using the language effectively. Method and Style applies additional conventions and methods on top of the BPMN specification to ensure that the process logic is revealed clearly and completely from the printed diagram.

Professionalize Your Business Modeling

Companies waste enormous resources on creating models that cannot be understood by all stakeholders in business and IT. It doesn't have to be that way. Methodandstyle.com helps you professionalize your business modeling with training, learning resources, news and commentary.

Jump-Start Your Digital Transformation

The combination of BPMN and DMN enables Business Automation based on Low-Code - diagrams and tables, not programming. We provide training, consulting and mentoring to jump-start your digital transformation efforts.

“I learned a lot doing this exercise and I iterated many times before I liked it enough to send to you. I referenced the class materials many times while doing the exercise… I bought the 2nd Edition of your book, so now I have both editions. I think I’ve read them cover to cover at least 5 times, and I learn something new every time. It is definitely my BPMN bible!”

Susan Hollingsworth, Merrill Corporation

Thank you for the wonderful BPMN course. I am more excited than ever about how BPMN can bring the business and IT sides together and how it is instrumental in merging business process best practices together with technology.

Matt Lindholm, PDI Ninth House

I am really very glad having accomplished the certification and also very thankful for the insight gained during the 3 days of the course training. Really appreciate the course contents and the effectiveness, looking forward to recommend it to all BPM-ers I know! Thanks again for the extensive coaching and support through the journey.

Tannistha Sengupta, Cognizant Technology Solutions

The class was extremely helpful for me, as was BPMNPro. I’m already mentoring team members that are doing process modeling with BPMN. Your approach to adding the Method and Style on top of the BPMN specification makes a huge difference in making the diagrams consistent and meaningful. I’ve bought fifteen copies of the BPMN Method and Style book for our team and they’ve already been a big help.

Shawn McFadden, Hewlett-Packard