- Organizations shy away from Business Process Management (BPM) because they don’t have a clear understanding of what it is and how it can help them.
- BPM can be implemented with low, moderate, and high investment levels. Organizations don’t always know what level of BPM is appropriate for their purposes. Knowing what level to start at and how to grow over time needs to be part of the BPM strategy.
- Most organizations have difficulty identifying current processes that are appropriate for BPM, and modeling them towards their desired end-state. Process selection criteria must be built into the BPM strategy.
- End users are not receptive to changes in their processes, particularly if they have not been involved in the planning of the change itself. End-user change management must be built into the BPM strategy.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- BPM is process-based, not technology-focused. Keep IT involved in BPM to maintain control over the technology aspects of strategy and implementation
- Not all organizations are suited for BPM, and many that are still need to take steps to create a stable foundation before being ready. Assess the maturity of people, process and technology in the organization to ensure you are on the right path before starting a strategy.
- Don’t take the Business out of BPM: engage key business stakeholders or risk delivering “just another IT strategy.”
Impact and Result
- IT is essential to engage business stakeholders to drive the BPM initiative. IT needs to be a support mechanism and to assist with technology, but otherwise, needs to facilitate the business with managing their own processes.
- Before you can begin BPM, assess the organization for appropriateness and readiness through people, process and technological maturity.
- Don’t just dive in: identify the appropriate organization level (team, departmental, business unit, or enterprise-wide) for which you should initiate your BPM initiative.