Business Process Management: An Introduction

Change is a constant factor that affects all businesses, and where there is change, there will always be a need to manage those changes. In recent years, Business Process Management has proven to be one of the most effective approaches businesses have adopted in order to adapt to constant changes and emerge as a leader in their respective areas and industries. But what exactly is Business Process Management? In this article we introduce the basic concept of Business Process Management and what steps are commonly involved in the management process.

What is Business Process Management?

Business Process Management (BPM) is a management approach that essentially controls the processes of an organisation in order to make them more efficient and more capable of handling ever-changing environments. In BPM all aspects of an organisation are directed towards the wants and needs of clients and there is a significant achievement of goals while still accomplishing company innovation and technological integration.rnMany view BPM as the link between information technology and business. Through technology, BPM Suites enable stakeholders to fully understand an organisation and its performance. BPM suites are also able to assist in the automation of business activities, integration of systems, collaboration and integration with partners and many other business processes with limited human error and miscommunication.

The BPM Cycle

The BPM cycle consists of 6 main categories, namely:

• Process Design – This includes the identification and analysis of current processes and the design of possible future processes. A sound design will result in a reduced number of problems within the duration of the process.
• Process Modelling – This involves the testing of the theoretical design through the introduction of combinations of variables.
• Execution or Implementation – This is most efficiently performed through software that enables the full business process to be executed by a computer, thus minimising inaccurate or incomplete execution of processes.
• Monitoring – This involves tracking the performance of every process. The business can choose which information to evaluate and how it is to be evaluated.
• Optimisation and management – This involves the identification of possible avenues for improvement based on performance information and then applying and managing the necessary improvements.
• Re-engineering – If the process or the optimisation does not yield the desired outcome, the entire process is re-engineered.

BPM is best used in handling crises situations but can be applied by organisations for the continuous flow and improvement of business processes. Though economic or time restraints often limit its cycle to occur only once, it is often advised that the cycle be continued indefinitely to cultivate a constant transformation of organisational culture.

BPM Consulting Services

If you are in need of a dependable Business Process Management Suite and the services to guide you and your organisation to successful BPM, Rubicon Red can cater to all your needs. Rubicon Red is an innovative IT professional services firm that offers exceptional BPM consultation services. Their services include the design and analysis of business processes, the development of rich web forms, the implementation of automated business processes and the creation of effective business activity dashboards. They also offer OSB Training, SOA Governance and cloud computing services for all kinds of organisations.