The Process – Keep Your Eye On the Ball (Part 1 of 3)

BPM stands for Business Process Management so the key focal point for any BPM solution based initiative should always be placed on the process. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as some projects place emphasis elsewhere and essentially take their eye off the ball. As BPM solutions aim to transform the business it’s absolutely necessary that these three fundamental questions be addressed, keenly understood, and continuously communicated to all:

In this first of a three part blog, I will concentrate on addressing current state process analysis.

It’s imperative to have a deep and comprehensive understanding of the current operational processes within your company. This detail lets you know how work is currently executed, what are the problems, and what are the opportunities. From past experience, most companies lack strong understanding in this area. Typically, processes aren’t fully documented if at all and usually understanding of the process resides within only a few individuals.

To be most successful in your BPM implementation, you must clearly define your current state processes and understand present limitations and issues as well as best practices. The best way to do this is to go directly to the end users and observe what they do first hand. Chair sharing with end users provides you the opportunity to see the process, identify how your users interact with the customer, how they interface with technology, etc. As the end users perform the process daily, they are the best resources to learn how the work really gets accomplished.

Once observed, the current process should be formally documented in flow and narrative formats. These documents should then be verified with the end users and management. Also, while documenting, metrics and relevant data should be notated. Information such as current cycle times, average work volumes (daily, weekly, monthly), total headcount, etc. should be captured and included with the formal documentation. This data can later be used as a baseline to track future success following the implementation.

Focusing on your current state processes will set the foundation and understanding for your entire BPM roadmap and related projects. By keeping your eye on the process your BPM solution will have a much higher rate of being successfully implemented and delivering measurable value to your business, your end users, and most importantly your customers.