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