The Fundamentals of Business Process Management
The concept of BPM, or Business Process Management, is considered extremely difficult to implement, and its terminology can confuse even a trained specialist. However, the management of business processes can significantly increase the efficiency of the company and modernize the management system.
The daily activity of a company can often be described as a group of employees who participate in the execution of business processes. Privileged instruments for creating value at the service of customers, process management is therefore a key area, and for which a whole series of approaches and techniques have been developed over the years.
Business Process Management (BPM):
BPM (Business Process Management) or management of business processes is today positioned as a global approach which combines analysis, execution and supervision, in a desire for strong integration with information systems, will only be successful, according to Marlon, Senior Chef Consultant at Cheap Assignment Writing Service, One of these major axes is the automation of processes and their controls, based on a set of tools and techniques. However, this is not without difficulties and knowledge of technologies is not a substitute for the necessary mastery of business aspects. This requires a minimum of method and structuring, in order to better control its complexity. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
What is a Business Process?
This is the first question to ask, even if it may seem trivial. Too often, the term “process” is transformed into a catch-all, including both high-level structures, the description of a sequence of screens and even a computer algorithm.
Basically, a business process is a transformation that produces tangible added value from an initial request. It is divided into activities (or tasks), carried out by actors (human or automatic) with the help of suitable means, each of which contributes to the achievement of the expected result. The “business” nature of the process is expressed by the nature of the result, which must have meaning for a client (client in the broad sense, internal or external) and measurable.
Example:
In the construction of a building, the business process includes defining and organizing the tasks assigned to the different participants. The problems to be solved relate to coordination, availability of resources, exchange and synchronization. Conversely, we will be less concerned with the way in which the mason will go about building his wall or the carpenter to mount the roof. On the other hand, the order in which these two tasks will be carried out is typically a question of process.
A process is by nature transverse to the functions and entities of the company: it is made up of the various stages which are linked in a more or less complex way starting from the initial solicitation until obtaining the final result. We speak of an “end-to-end” process, carrying fundamental indicators (KPI or Key Performance Indicator), which measure the quality of the service provided. This vision has the advantage of emphasizing the actual functioning of companies, but requires good coordination between the different entities involved. The implementation of an adapted governance based on the notion of “process pilot” becomes a key factor for the success of the work.
Priority to “Core Business” Processes
We propose to distinguish 3 levels of description of business processes: identification, qualification and actual modeling. This approach is justified by the following observation. Too often, the rush to model the processes in detail leads to a paradoxical situation: the proliferation of models that are difficult to grasp and whose delicate updating accelerates their obsolescence. It is preferable to proceed in stages and finally have very distinct reading plans, depending on the type of information sought and the point of view.
Identification:
The identification of the processes can take several forms: a simple inventory or an organized cartography. Of course, care will be taken to respect the principles set out above, so as to maintain a high degree of homogeneity. For each process, a set of fundamental information is gathered in the process identity sheet: the triggering event, the input-output, the participants, the resources used, the key indicators (KPI), etc. Easily accessible, this sheet is the entry point to the process, providing a global and synthetic view.
Qualification:
The purpose of the qualification is to better understand the processes, and to facilitate decision-making. This starts from a simple observation: we cannot put on the same level a fully automated process, executed 200 times per minute, with another supported mainly by human actors, and executed 2 times per year . The constraints exerted, the skills mobilized, the range of solutions vary greatly from one case to another and must be adjusted to each situation. The characteristics grid will enable each process to be qualified in a homogeneous way using directly exploitable criteria: frequency, complexity, duration, observed malfunction, typology, number of participants, etc.
Modeling:
Models based on graphic notation are essential for this type of representation, like the BPMN standard (Business Process Modeling Notation). Long used in many industries, models are used to understand, develop and communicate. They also constitute a major instrument for the conservation of the company’s heritage. They require specific skills and a certain know-how: choice of the degree of detail, collection and consolidation of information, communication. Depending on the goal, the type of modeling will be different: general description, detail of the process, and support for automation. It is recommended to define these types of model and to always specify it during a communication.
In practice, the goal is not to fix all of the company’s processes in a “big bang” operation. Priority will be given to “core business” processes, or according to opportunities for renovation or business modification. Generally, the number of “identified” processes is greater than the number of “qualified” and “modeled” processes, and it is advisable to clearly justify the passage from one level to the other, particularly for modeling, taking into account the necessary investment.
Wrapping UP:
To conclude, whatever the target from a technological point of view, it is necessary to take care of the analysis part of the BPM. From a structuring framework and associated rules, the success of this type of operation also requires a dose of pragmatism and maintains a clear vision of the business objectives.