- Business Process Management (BPM) must be implemented as a business discipline first and a set of technologies second.
- Most organizations have difficulty identifying current processes that are appropriate for BPM, and modeling them towards their desired end-state.
- Organizations encounter difficulties with end user buy-in. End users are not receptive to changes in their processes, particularly if they have not been involved in the planning of the change itself.
- BPM is not just an IT project nor just a business project: both teams must work collaboratively as neither party has enough expertise to successfully implement BPM alone. Coming to this realization can be a challenge.
- Organizations sometimes spend too much or too little on BPM software because they are not sure what class of process management technology suits their level of BPM maturity.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Many organizations fail to recognize the benefits of streamlining their processes using BPM methods. These organizations often have unrecognized inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
- The majority of small and mid-sized organizations limit their BPM to modeling, simulation, and minor process improvement. They use existing in-house tools like Visio and Excel, as well as whiteboarding and collaborative brainstorming to identify areas for improvement. This type of BPM works well for many organizations.
- Larger and more complex organizations typically have more mature processes and are thus usually prepared to bring in a full BPM suite. These organizations can allocate more funds and staff resources to full-blown BPM software implementation.
- Organizations often associate benefits of BPM primarily to reduction of cycle times in business processes; however, research uncovered that benefits from compliance with applicable regulations far exceeded improved cycle times.
Impact and Result
- Regardless of organizational size, assess the following four characteristics to determine the organization’s level of BPM maturity to guide implementation and technology decisions:
- Organizational Culture
- Process Maturity
- Technological Maturity
- Business Support
- Implement BPM with a five-step lifecycle to maximize your chances of success:
- Modeling
- Simulation
- Streamlining
- Automation
- Management
- Be ready to accommodate more processes in BPM as the business begins to see the benefits; by preparing your team, your BPM optimization, and the implementation methodology for continued success.