The terms 'Business Process Management' is certainly a current buzzword, but what exactly is this BPM and why is it seen as being so vital for businesses, especially in light of the recent economic downturn?
Well in fact BPM systems have evolved so dramatically over the last twenty years, but in a nutshell they are the technological tools and techniques to not only design business processes and manage them but also to improve business processes throughout any organisation. It is therefore a technologically advanced way of ensuring that the needs of the client are met by businesses, because business processes are as efficient and as improved as they can be!
This may not sound revolutionary or radical, but it is because the amount of time that a BPM system saves companies is not just substantial but it is enormous. Moreover collaboration is a key feature of BPM systems, which means that they are ideally placed to help businesses operate efficiently and effectively within the global market place.
Features OF BPM Systems
One aspect of BPM systems is that any BPM suite will feature multiple types of technology to ensure a generic approach to managing business processes.
There are basically two different types of BPM, in very broad terms and these are Front Office BPM and Back Office BPM.
The Front Office BPM systems are mostly focused on person-to-person business processes, where items or products may be devised and then the associated documentation will be created to support the business processes.
Back Office BPM systems are less person focused; instead they concentrate on system-to-system processes, where integration between systems can take place with the minimum of effort.
Benefits Of Business Process Management
The benefits of a good BPM system are enormous. But in order to ascertain the benefits, it is necessary to go 'back to basics'. A business process is something that is done to achieve a goal or objective of a business. Historically businesses operated independently and as one isolated company. However, now many businesses operate on a collaborative basis, with business processes crossing the boundaries of different companies.
This can often be confusing or can involve substantial resources to manage. The Business Process Management system will enable business processes to be defined and created or improved where necessary, but it will also enable the processes to be shared and managed, with data being produced as required by management.
So it becomes easy to integrate the business processes of one company with another, which in itself is a radical concept. Thus suppliers or partners can share information and data with ease.
Due to the fact that the BPM system will be completely automated, the data that it generates will also enable processes to be monitored as they happen or in 'real time', which means that any blips or hiccups in a process can be quickly identified and rectified before causing disruption.
This flexibility alone makes a BPM system worth far more than its weight in gold.
Historically the management of business processes was labour intensive and it was also reliant on vast levels of documentation, with no system-to-system integration and no ability to quickly monitor, analyse, improve or alter the processes. However, it is now a case of being able to execute all these functions within a matter of a few minutes, not the days or weeks that it would have taken in days gone by.
In fact, the business case for a Business Process Management System is so great that there is no reason not to invest in a good quality system to ensure that businesses process management is no longer a time consuming process in itself, but rather it is completely automated!