BPM uncovers business challenges

By Alex Kayle for Global360

Johannesburg, 27 Oct 2009

Technology needs to be able to solve business problems, but should also be kept on a tight leash.

So said business process management (BPM) independent industry analyst and Lean Six Sigma black belt, Mark McGregor, who is working with BPM firm Global 360, to help businesses derive value from BPM.

McGregor presented BPM workshops for analysts and process practitioners, hosted by Global360 at Microsoft's offices, in Bryanston. The training sessions provided insight for local business leaders on how to make BPM work effectively in their organisations.

Thinking out the box

McGregor said companies are struggling in tough economic times to find innovative ways of doing business. “If a company doesn't know what problems the business is facing, then how will it know how to solve it? The biggest challenge, particularly in SA, is that we are faced with an extremely disjointed industry with no one focusing on the issues in the boardroom.”

According to McGregor, business problems can be identified through BPM. Organisations need to use information in an intelligent fashion in order to get a return from their IT investments.

“The problem is, in my opinion, most of the people in consulting solutions are selling their solution, and top management are never going to buy in when everyone is pushing their own agenda.”

McGregor believes the BPM owner should not necessarily be the CIO, but rather, buy-in and drive needs to come from top management and the CEO.

Up-skilling staff

McGregor noted that staff training is key for successful BPM, and also a way of cutting costs by reducing the number of costly external consultants. “Companies looking to reduce their reliance on external consultants cannot do so if they are unwilling to invest in up-skilling their own staff. If you want to reduce the amount of consultants you have, then train your staff and have faith in them.”

Tim Stanley, Global 360 sales director, said BPM can help with productivity, especially if it is introduced with a specific focus on people and change management. “Such approaches are proven to improve not only the processes themselves, but the ability of the people who work within the processes to execute their tasks more effectively.”