What Are Business Process Management Professionals?

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Business process management (BPM) is an excellent way for organizations to transform their operational efficiency and production. The combination of software tools and human innovation can create a BPM system that successfully automates processes and improves results.

Implementation of BPM, however, presents many challenges to organizations, regardless of size. BPM expertise is crucial to successful implementation, whether that expertise comes from an internal or external source. BPM professionals offer their particular expertise and experience, making BPM more accessible and more successful for more organizations.

Definition of BPM Professional

The title BPM professional means different things to different people. Some automatically assume this term means an outside consultant or specialist whose services are contracted to assist an organization with some phase(s) of BPM development and implementation. Others see it as describing a person or persons within an organization, whose role it is to develop, implement and monitor the progress of BPM.

The challenge arises in defining the expertise and determining the skills necessary for a BPM professional to indeed be qualified to perform necessary functions. Some BPM professionals are generalists whose skills can be applied to all phases of BPM, whereas others are specialists in specific areas. The most common areas of expertise for BPM professionals include:

• General BPM consulting
• BPM software and technology development
• BPM Research
• BPM support functions
• BPM system development
• BPM implementation

These descriptions can be applied both to internal and external sources of BPM expertise.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Which is better – internal or external? Neither option is inherently better or worse than the other, but each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, as outlined in the table below.

	Internal BPM Professional	External BPM Professional
Advantages	• Long-term strategy to ensure convenient access to expertise • Opportunity for customized training and development to suit organizational needs • Establishes a BPM “champion” who can help drive implementation and change management • “Go-to” person for questions, concerns, problem solving and other issues related to BPM • Can facilitate BPM implementation for departments, groups or work teams • Loyalty to and passion for the organization • In-depth knowledge and understanding of the organization	• Short-term involvement, no lengthy contract or commitment required • Ability to jump start BPM implementation in a relatively short period • Provides expertise and experience that do not exist within the organization • Can guide organization through the process and help avoid common obstacles or mistakes • Can train and mentor the development of internal BPM professional(s) • Variety of services available, from comprehensive BPM implementation to focus on specialty areas • Can better challenge assumptions and behaviors of people at different levels of the organization
	Internal BPM Professional	External BPM Professional
Disadvantages	• Might not be entirely objective • Subject to internal politics and obstacles • Might not be as qualified as external BPM professionals • Cost of salary, benefits, etc. can be prohibitive for smaller organizations • Might be uncomfortable challenging assumptions or behaviors of people at different levels of the organization • Can be the target of dislike and negative feelings as organization deals with change • Limited effectiveness if BPM is only part of job description rather than the sole purpose for the position	• Might not be cost effective for implementing BPM across a very large organization over a long period • Requires thorough briefing and overview of organizational structure, culture and other issues • Not available for ongoing BPM monitoring or handling of emergent issues • Might not spend enough time in the organization to become fully trusted and accepted by employees dealing with change • Might not have expertise in your industry, field or profession

Whether to use an internal or external BPM professional depends on many factors that affect an organization. The advantages and disadvantages of each option should be carefully considered, as should a third possibility: combining options and using both internal and external sources.

Becoming a BPM Professional

How does a person become a BPM professional? There is currently no standard development path for BPM professionals, but several BPM associations and professional groups are actively pursuing training and certification programs. They also offer workshops, seminars and classes to teach BPM and expand the knowledge of BPM professionals. In the absence of an established standard, there are several qualifications that a BPM professional should have:

• Hands-on experience implementing all or part of BPM systems
• Demonstrated expertise and results in stated areas of qualification
• Experience across a range of industries
• Experience across a range of organizational types and sizes
• Professional integrity and honesty
• Certified training and education in the field of BPM

In addition to the minimum qualifications listed here, the best BPM professionals should also demonstrate credentials such as:

• Continuing education in the field of BPM
• Active membership and participation in professional BPM associations
• Current knowledge of BPM trends, research and concepts
• Networking and information sharing with other BPM professionals

Titles for BPM Professionals

BPM professionals can assume many different job titles, depending on the industry in which they work, the scope of their BPM expertise and whether BPM is their focus or simply a responsibility added to their regular duties. A short list of some typical job titles found among BPM professionals in different industries follows:

• BPM/Improvement Consultant
• Business Process Engineer
• BPM Software Developer
• BPM Software Consultant
• Business Process Analyst
• Business Process Modeling
• Business Process Improvement Manager
• BPM Technical Specialist
• BPM Facilitator/Trainer
• BPM Coach
• BPM Communications Specialist
• BPM Change Management Coordinator/Specialist
• BPM Services Account Executive
• BPM Project Developer
• Principal Architect, BPM Workflow

These titles are often used either as stand-alone titles or as adjunct titles to other positions. As the BPM profession continues to work toward development, training and certification standards, BPM titles will become better defined and more consistent.

Practical Applications: How to Find and Select a BPM Professional

Finding and selecting the right BPM professional for a given organization is a critical step to creating successful results. The selection process varies, depending on the size and type of organization, but some basic questions should be considered along the way. Those in charge of the selection of the right BPM professional should ask themselves the following questions:

• At which level do we want to implement BPM – for a single process, across a department or group or enterprise-wide?
• Do we have the internal expertise to implement BPM?
• If not, do we have the right people and sufficient resources to develop that expertise?
• If not, are we willing to hire an external BPM professional?
• Which aspects of BPM do we want the external BPM professional to handle?
• Do we want the external BPM professional to train internal people for ongoing BPM needs?
• What is our budget for BPM development? Implementation? Ongoing support?
• What is the time frame for our BPM implementation?
• Which other organizations might be willing to share their “lessons learned” with us?
• Do they have a recommendation for a specific BPM professional whom we should consider using?

It can take several months to determine the answers to these questions and others that are pertinent to the situation, so it is important to be patient and gather as much information as possible before finalizing a decision.

BPM Professionals and the BPM Industry

BPM is much more than just a software application, software suite or enterprise-wide system. BPM is a philosophy and a practical application, as well as a rapidly emerging discipline of research, experimentation and academic study. All indications are that BPM continues to grow in importance and sophistication, creating many opportunities for BPM professionals to find their own niches within the industry.

So how do BPM professionals fit within the larger BPM industry? As it stands now, BPM professionals fit into BPM as a whole in many ways, such as real-world practitioners of BPM concepts, developers creating new BPM applications or systems and consultants helping organizations adopt BPM as part of ongoing business operations. New roles will continue to emerge as BPM matures and expands into new business models. The challenge for BPM professionals is to develop their expertise, hone their skills and find innovative methods of improving and applying BPM strategies.