Business process management (BPM) is no longer an IT-focused single-step project but rather a continuous business-centric project.
This was announced by John Hayden, MD of John Hayden and Associates, at the Southern Sun Hotel in Grayston during the Global 360-sponsored ITWeb event, the Free Process Transformation Executive Forum.
Strategising the business
Hayden says BPM takes commitment and without the right people with the right attitude, BPM will not be the silver bullet: “BPM is a philosophy, mindset and management discipline. According to a Harvard Business Review, a firm's competitive success depends on transforming its key end-to-end processes into strategic capabilities that consistently provide superior value to the customer.”
Hayden notes that business process automation will improve customer service, cost-reduction, compliance and business agility. However, he adds that any change is always a headache and businesses have to go through some rigorous risk analysis to determine if it is viable to turn to BPM.
Analyse before acting
Hayden says before companies automate, they need to first redesign and reengineer their processes: “BPM is a multi-step process, with multiple predefined routing options and many role players. There are times that I believe you don't have to rush into technology.
“Businesses should not underestimate the change management challenges in implementation from a staff point of view. Put in place a formal change-management and communications strategy. Make sure you know exactly why you want to automate the process and what the business is trying to achieve. Focus on customer-interfacing, revenue-generating processes.”
Hayden adds: “The single most important skill in BPM is analysis, interpersonal skills and the dialogue of sharing and understanding what's going on. It's about a collaborative debate with IT colleagues and business custodians on what the real benefits are.”
Related stories:
BPM in economic storm
Share