Extract from http://www.bpm.com
“They say the true test of character is how you perform under pressure. The same can be said of application development—in this case, how a development team from two firms performed under pressure developing a BPM-based application that had to function flawlessly in the aftermath of an unfolding disaster.
Scenes of Devastation
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike made its final landfall over Galveston, Texas, cutting a swath of destruction as a Category 2 hurricane with a Category 5 equivalent storm surge and hurricane force winds extending 120 miles from the center of the storm. All told, Ike was the third costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, causing $15 billion in damages, mostly in the state of Texas.
In the aftermath of the devastation caused by Ike, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)—along with various agencies within the state, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas General Land Office, Galveston County, and the City of Galveston—was faced with restoring a state of normalcy to the region by facilitating the quick and efficient disposal of debris. All told, there were seven projects that required attention and, in addition to debris removal from roads and state parks—which included damaged structures, vehicles, boats, and hazardous materials—eco-sensitive areas needed to be contained and monitored for environmental impact.
The TxDOT and the affiliate agencies needed to re-engineer their automated debris management system that had been previously implemented. The project would entail customizing and enhancing the system to systematically handle all aspects of the operation, and make adjustments as requirements and circumstances on the ground changed…”, http://www.bpm.com/emergency-bpm.html, July 2010.
Read the full article here: http://www.bpm.com/emergency-bpm.html