FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
John Colbert
BPM Partners
(203) 359-5639
jcolbert@bpmpartners.com

BPM PARTNERS EXPANDS THE BPM IMPLEMENTATION ALLIANCE

-- Unique Network of Performance Management Experts Continues to Grow --

STAMFORD, CT — May 5, 2004 — BPM Partners, the leading independent authority on business performance management (BPM) solutions and one of the most trusted sources of BPM information and expertise, today announced the addition of three companies to the global network of performance management implementation experts called the BPM Implementation Alliance (BPMIA.) The three new partners are:

• Aster Group (Concord, NC, www.astergroup.com), a leading provider of BPM and ERP solutions.

• TopDown Consulting (San Francisco, CA, www.topdownconsulting.com), a recognized leader in the deployment of high-quality business performance management solutions.

• US-Analytics (Carrollton, TX, www.us-analytics.com), a leading-edge information technology and software solutions consulting firm that enhances business performance across any organization.

"The high level of interest we've seen in the BPMIA on both the customer and prospective partner side points to a market-wide understanding of implementation as a major pain point in the life cycle of a BPM initiative,” said Craig Schiff, president and chief executive officer of BPM Partners. "Starting with choosing the wrong product, there are dozens of things that can go awry during the implementation; from budget over-runs and end user rejection to finding you've been chasing the wrong metrics. The experts in the BPMIA help companies design and implement BPM projects that achieve specific goals. Our new partners bring a unique additional set of skills to further increase the likelihood of success for BPM end users."

"Aster Group is encouraged with the BPM Implementation Alliance's value proposition," said Joe Mastro, vice president, BPM Practice, Aster Group. "Prior to the creation of this alliance, prospective clients had to sort through the various BPM solutions on their own and then figure out how to implement those solutions. The BPMIA helps prospects define, select, manage and stage the implementation of the right solution for the company, while educating prospects on the myriad of solutions that are available for them."

"Working with the BPM Implementation Alliance is a unique opportunity for us to expand our BPM business," said Juan Porter, president, TopDown Consulting. "The work BPM Partners has done researching and defining the BPM market should help educate clients and prospective clients who had previously considered trying to deploy solutions on their own."

"Companies demand a proven approach when implementing BPM applications — one that ensures success and minimizes interruptions to daily business operations," said John Utley, chief executive officer, US-Analytics Solutions Group, LLC. "Leveraging best practices to reduce implementation time and costs will also help companies get quicker benefit from their BPM solutions."

As IT projects have become more specialized and complex, organizations are more likely to need the services of a consultant with a specific set of knowledge and skills. This is especially true in corporate-driven initiatives such as Performance Management. There are significant risks in starting down the BPM road without a proven methodology or the guidance of someone who truly understands the options and has proven to reduce the risk of project failure.

The BPMIA's approach to performance management is based on the collective expertise of its membership and the vendor selection tools, methodology and organizational skills provided by BPM Partners. All members of the BPMIA have extensive experience deploying successful BPM solutions and are incorporating additional tools available from others in the network. The organization offers one-stop shopping for BPM starting with needs analysis and requirements definition through successful implementation of the selected solution. In addition, the organization has a unique level of access to vendor product roadmaps and future development plans due to the relationships developed by the BPM Partners team.

The new members of the BPMIA join the charter members of the organization:

• ITEC Corporation (White Plains, NY)

• ISA Consulting (Blue Bell, PA)

BPM is a combination of business processes, select measures (metrics, key performance indicators) and systems that enable an organization to understand, act on and influence its business performance. Budgeting, planning, consolidation, scorecards, dashboards, business intelligence (BI) and analytic applications all fall under the BPM umbrella. In addition, regulatory issues such as Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II, and IFRS compliance are often business drivers for today's BPM applications.

The Business Performance Management Implementation Alliance can be contacted at www.bpmpartners.com/bpmia.shtml

About BPM Partners

BPM Partners is the leading independent authority on business performance management (BPM) solutions and a founding member of the BPM Standards Group. BPM Partners' vendor-neutral consultants guide companies through their BPM initiatives from start to finish, helping companies attain the maximum value from their business performance management initiatives.\ This is done through hands-on services that provide insight on how to collect and analyze the right information to address specific business goals.\ BPM Partners leads clients through vendor selection, evaluation and implementation of departmental or enterprise-wide BPM systems.

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