The Process of Process Management
Mastering the New Normal in a Digital World
Mathias Kirchmer
BPM-D, 475 Timberline Trail, West Chester, PA 19382, USA
University of Pennsylvania, Organizational Dynamics, Philadelphia, USA
mathias.kirchmer@bpm-d.com
Keywords: Agility, ARIS, BPM, BPM-Discipline, Business Process Management, Compliance, Digitalization,
Execution, Information Model, Innovation, Management Discipline, Process Model, Reference Model,
Standardization, Strategy, Value-driven BPM.
Abstract: Today business strategies and operations are driven by scores of ever-shifting factors: from demographic
changes, capital availability and legal regulations to technological innovations and an all present
digitalization. Static business models are no longer able to keep pace with such dynamic change. Companies
need a management approach that fits to this environment. Organizations need to master the “new normal”
and deal proactively with our “digital world”. In effect, they must know how and when to modify or enhance
their business processes, which processes are optimal candidates for intervention, and how to move rapidly
from strategy to execution. That’s where the Business Process Management-Discipline (BPM-Discipline)
helps. It enables organizations to deal with change successfully and create immediate as well as lasting
competitive advantage. It delivers significant business value by converting strategy into people and IT based
execution at pace with certainty. The BPM-Discipline creates a “strategy execution network”. The BPM-
Discipline is implemented through the “process of process management”. Organizations look for a way to
systematically establish their process of process management efficiently and effectively. This can be achieved
using a holistic framework and reference model for the process of process management. The paper introduces
the BPM-Discipline and how it is implemented through the process of process management, leveraging a
powerful reference architecture in form of comprehensive information models as well as related tools and
templates.
1 INTRODUCTION
In today’s business environment organizations’
strategies and operations are driven by scores of ever-
shifting factors: from demographic changes, capital
availability, legal regulations and customers who
require something new every day to technological
innovations and an all present digitalization. Static
business models are no longer able to keep pace with
such dynamic change. Companies need a
management approach that makes them successful in
this volatile environment. Organizations need to
master the “new normal” and deal proactively with
the opportunities and threats of our “digital world”
(Sinur, Odell, Fingar, 2013). Companies need to
become “Exponential Organizations” who achieve a
significant higher output than peers through the use
of new organizational techniques and related
technologies available in a digital environment
(Ismail, Malone, van Geek, 2014). In effect,
organizations need to know how and when to modify
or enhance their business processes, which processes
are optimal candidates for intervention, and how to
move rapidly from idea to action.
That’s where the Business Process Management-
Discipline (BPM-Discipline) helps. It enables
organizations to deal with change successfully, drive
their growth agenda and create immediate as well as
lasting competitive advantage. Companies
increasingly invest in areas of “intangibles” such as
“business process” (Mitchel, Ray, van Ark, 2015).
The BPM-Discipline delivers significant business
value by converting strategy into people and IT based
execution at pace with certainty to meet the
129
Kirchmer M.
The Process of Process Management - Mastering.
DOI: 10.5220/0005886201290138
In Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Business Modeling and Software Design (BMSD 2015), pages 129-138
ISBN: 978-989-758-111-3
Copyright
c
2015 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
requirement of the “new normal” and benefit from the
opportunities of digitalization (Kirchmer, Franz,
2014) (Rummler, Ramias, Rummler, 2010).
Existing approaches to BPM focus in general on
one or very few aspects of process management, e.g.
implementing a process automation engine or setting
up an enterprise architecture. There is a need for a
comprehensive overarching approach to identify and
establish all process management components
required to form a simple but successful BPM-
Discipline in the context of a specific organization.
This is the topic of the research presented in this
paper.
The BPM-Discipline is implemented through the
“process of process management”, just as other
management disciplines are implemented through
appropriate business processes: human resources
(HR) through HR processes, finance through finance
processes, to mention a couple of examples. The
process of process management (PoPM)
operationalizes the concept of the BPM-Discipline. It
applies the principles of BPM to itself.
This paper defines the BPM-Discipline and its
value. It explains how this management discipline is
further operationalized through the Process of
Process Management (PoPM). Then it gives an
overview over a reference model for the PoPM,
developed to enable a systematic application of the
PoPM approach to build and run a value-driven BPM-
Discipline. Finally the paper will share first
experiences with the practical application of the
PoPM.
2 VALUE AND DEFINITION OF
THE BPM-DISCIPLINE
Research involving over 90 organizations around the
world of different sizes and in different industries has
shown that companies who use BPM on an ongoing
basis get significant value in return (Kirchmer,
Lehmann, Rosemann, zur Muehlen, Laengle, 2013)
(Franz, Kirchmer, Rosemann, 2011). Basically all
surveyed organizations state that the transparency
BPM brings is a key effect. This transparency is on
one hand a value by itself: It enables fast and well
informed decisions which is in the volatile business
environment we are living in crucial for the success
of a company. On the other hand BPM and the
transparency it provides also help to achieve other
key values and enable the management of the trade-
offs between those values. BPM enables four key
“value-pairs”:
Quality and Efficiency
Agility and Standardization
(Compliance)
External Networks and Internal
Alignment
Innovation and Conservation.
Let’s look at an example. A company wants to
improve its call centre process. Only few sub-
processes are really relevant for clients and their
willingness to pay a service fee for them. Hence you
improve those sub-processes under quality aspects.
Other sub-processes are more administrative. Clients
don’t really care about them. Hence, you improve
those processes under efficiency (mainly cost or time)
aspects, using appropriate BPM approaches. BPM
delivers the transparency to achieve both values and
end up with the highest quality where it matters and
the best efficiency where this counts most. Or BPM
helps to identify where it is really worth thinking of
process innovation and where you can conserve
existing good practices. Since an organization only
competes with 15-20% of its processes it is key to
identify where innovation pays off. This is again
possible though the transparency BPM delivers. The
values BPM delivers are shown in figure 1 (Kirchmer,
Franz, 2013).
Figure 1: Values delivered by BPM.
In general all those values are important for an
organization. However, depending on the overall
business strategy, companies focus on a subset of
those values. These values and the underlying
strategic objectives need to be realized across
organizational boundaries within a company and
beyond, while focusing on creating best results for
clients.
In order to achieve those values consistently it is
required to establish BPM with its infrastructure as an
ongoing approach to run an organization (Alkharashi,
Jesus, Macieira, Tregear, 2015) (von Rosing, Hove,
von Scheel, Morrison, 2015). BPM becomes a
management discipline.
We define BPM as the management discipline
that transfers strategy into execution – at pace with
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certainty (Franz, Kirchmer, 2012). Hence, we refer to
BPM as the BPM-Discipline (BPM-D). This
definition shows that BPM uses the “business
process” concept as vehicle for a cross-organizational
strategy execution, including the collaboration with
market partners like customers, agents, or suppliers.
The execution of the strategy can be people or
technology based – or a combination of both. This
definition is consistent with newest findings in BPM
related research (Swenson, von Rosing, 2015). But it
stresses the value that processes management
produces and its key role as strategy execution
engine.
The BPM-Discipline addresses the entire business
process lifecycle, from design, implementation
through the execution and control of a process.
Hence, it handles the build-time as well as the run-
time phase of a business process. The definition of
BPM as a management discipline is shown in figure
2. We refer to it as the BPM-D™ Framework.
Figure 2: The BPM-D™ Framework: Definition of
BPM as Management Discipline to Execute Strategy.
3 THE PROCESSES OF PROCESS
MANAGEMENT TO
IMPLEMENT THE
BPM-DISCIPLINE
While over years many practitioners, especially
executives, questioned the value of BPM, this
situation has changed significantly in the past 5-7
years. Most organizations and their leadership start at
least understanding the value proposition and the
broader dimension of BPM. The challenge has
become how to establish it in an organization in a
pragmatic but systematic way with minimal up-front
investment.
In order to resolve this issue we can look at other
management disciplines and how they are
implemented. An example is the discipline of Human
resources (HR), as mentioned before. How do you
implement the HR discipline? You introduce it into
an organization through the appropriate HR
processes, like the hiring process, performance
evaluation or promotion process.
Consequently, you can implement a BPM-
Discipline through the “process of process
management”, the BPM process. You address the
BPM-Discipline just like any other management
discipline. If you interpret the BPM-Discipline as
process itself, you can apply all the process
management approaches, methods and tools to it –
enabling an efficient and effective approach. You
basically implement BPM using BPM.
In order to identify and address all key aspects of
the process of process management we use the ARIS
Architecture (Scheer, 1998), a widely accepted and
proven framework to engineer processes from
different points of view. This enables the
operationalization of the framework so that it can be
applied to specific organizations. Based on ARIS, the
BPM-D Framework is decomposed into sub-
frameworks. Result are four core frameworks
describing the process of process management:
BPM-D Value Framework
BPM-D Organization Framework
BPM-D Data Framework
BPM-D Process Framework
The decomposition of the overall process of
process management as shown in figure 2 into sub-
frameworks based on ARIS is visualized in figure 3.
The BPM-D Process Framework covers both, a
functional decomposition and aspects of the control
view of ARIS.
The BPM-D Value Framework is shown in figure
1 and has been discussed before. It describes the key
deliverables (values) the process of process
management (PoPM) produces. The use of this
framework enables a consequently value-driven
approach to BPM. This is especially important when
you establish BPM as a management discipline so
that you don’t end up just with another overhead unit
but an organization that drives systematically value
by executing strategy.
The Process of Process Management: Mastering the New Normal in a Digital World
131
Figure 3: Operationalizing the Process of Process
Management using the ARIS Architecture by A.-W.
Scheer.
The earlier mentioned research studies also shows
that organizations who apply BPM successfully have
multiple different process specific roles in place. We
identified over 40. The segmentation of those roles
led to the BPM-D Organization Framework.
There exist two big groups of process-related
roles: Core roles and extended roles. People with
BPM core roles are part of the core BPM
organizational unit, for example a centre of
excellence (Alkharashi, Jesus, Macieira, Tregear,
2015) (Franz, Kirchmer, 2012). People with roles in
the extended BPM organization are part of other
organizational units. BPM roles can be centralized to
achieve best synergies or decentralized to be close to
operational improvement initiatives. Roles can be
permanent or project based, relevant only for a
specific initiative. In most of the cases the roles are
internal roles. However, there is in more and more
organizations a tendency to procure more
administrative roles, like helpdesk activities or the
maintenance and conversion of process models,
externally, as a managed service. The BPM-D
Organization Framework is shown in figure 4.
Figure 4: BPM-D Organization Framework.
Very important is an emergent top leadership role
in the BPM-D core organization: the Chief Process
Officer (Kirchmer, Franz, von Rosing, 2015)
(Kirchmer, Franz, 2014a). This business leader owns
the overall process of process management, hence
leads the overall BPM-Discipline. The empirical
research confirmed the trend of such an emerging top
management position. Successful BPM organizations
report in many cases directly to the board of a
company.
The most important role in the extended BPM
organization is the process owner, responsible for the
end-to-end management of a business process. This
role has to make sure things get done with the
expected impact on the strategic value-drivers, using
the BPM core organization as internal service group.
Other groups of core and enabling roles are shown in
figure 4.
In most of the organizations you don’t have
representatives for all the groups of roles right away
or only part time roles. It depends on your overall
BPM agenda which roles you need when. The
required roles change over time, driven by the
specific value the BPM discipline has to provide to
execute on an organizations strategy. It is important
to have both, core and extended roles in place to be
on one hand able to execute, on the other had avoid to
re-invent the wheel for every new initiative.
Next “ARIS view” to be addressed is the data view.
The information used in or produced by the process
of process management is summarized in the BPM-D
Data Framework. That view helps to plan information
requirements for the process of process management.
This includes business strategy related information to
enable the link between strategy and execution.
Example are strategic goals or value-drivers. But also
operational information, like project related
information, enterprise architecture, organization or
tool and technology related information. The BPM-
D Data Framework is shown in figure 5 in form of a
simplified entity-relationship model.
Figure 5: BPM-D Data Framework.
Most important for the operationalization of the
process of process management is the BPM-D
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Process Framework, covering the function and
control view of the ARIS Architecture. It represents
basically the first three hierarchy levels of a
functional decomposition and a content related
segmentation of the key activities of the PoPM.
The structure of the Process Framework is based
on the principle thinking suggested in Scheer’s Y-
Model to segment the processes of an industrial
enterprise (Scheer, 1995). In order to make the PoPM
happen an organization requires project-related sub-
processes (activities), focussing on improving
specific business processes. On the other had it also
needs to have “assets-related processes” in place to
execute improvement projects efficiently and
effectively. Both, project and asset related sub-
processes require planning and execution. This results
in four groups of BPM-related sub-processes as
shown in figure 6.
Figure 6: Segmentation of BPM-related activities.
The specific sub-processes of the PoPM were
identified based on the analysis of over 200 process
management initiatives. The result is shown in the
BPM-D Process Framework in figure 7.
Figure 7: BPM-D Process Framework.
The BPM Strategy identifies high impact low
maturity processes, BPM capability gaps that need to
be filled to improve those processes and the
development of a BPM Agenda, showing which
processes are improved when to achieve specific
business objectives and which BPM capability gaps
are closed during that specific improvement initiative.
Hence, every initiative delivers immediate business
value while creating lasting process management
capabilities. Improvement projects follow a straight
forward project approach: launch, execution, and
conclusion of the project. BPM-Operations enable the
execution of activities outside specific projects, for
example the value realisation once a project is already
concluded.
The Enterprise Architecture related sub-processes
handle all activities necessary to create and manage
information models, necessary to improve specific
processes or keep them on track. Process and Data
Governance sub-processes organize the way process
management is executed, hence, grant the power to
take decisions, drive action and deal with the
consequences of those actions. Important here is the
integration of process and data governance
(Packowski, Gall, Baumeister, 2014). Insufficient
master data quality leads in many cases also to
ineffective processes. An integrated governance
approach aligns both aspects.
The availability of improvement approaches and
of people trained in those approaches enables
improvement projects which use those capabilities.
People enablement is all about information,
communication and training. Hence it prepares
people to think and work in a process context and deal
with process change successfully. Tools and
Technology related sub-processes handle the
technical infrastructure required for a successful
BPM-Discipline, including for example automation
engines, rules engines, repository and modelling
tools, process mining, strategy execution tools, social
media, the internet of things and other internet-based
approaches, or e-learning applications. These are core
BPM tools but also additional technology required to
increase the performance of a process to the required
level.
While all the sub-processes of the PoPM shown in
figure 7 can be important in a specific company
context, organizations only rarely need all of them in
full maturity. The specific objectives of a company’s
BPM-Discipline determine the importance of a
specific sub-process and the required maturity level.
Once the relevant sub-processes of the PoPM are
selected and their required maturity level is defined,
the necessary roles and information are identified
using the appropriate BPM-D frameworks. All
frameworks need to be configured consistently to a
specific organization, its strategy and business
context. The right application of the BPM-
Framework and its sub-components enables
The Process of Process Management: Mastering the New Normal in a Digital World
133
companies to focus on what really matters, improve
those areas efficiently and effectively as well as to
sustain those improvements. These key tasks of a
BPM-Discipline are visualized in figure 8.
Figure 8: Key Tasks of a BPM-Discipline.
The BPM-D Framework with all its components
is patent-pending. It is a strategy execution
environment helping organizations dealing
successfully with the challenges of the new normal in
a digital world.
4 REFERENCE MODEL FOR
THE PROCESS OF PROCESS
MANAGEMENT
In order to operationalize the BPM-D Framework and
its components further, the framework is transferred
into a more formalized reference model. Reference
models are generalized knowledge, structured and
documented in a manner that enables adaptability to
specific situations (Kirchmer, 2011) (Fettke, Loos,
2007).
Figure 9: Level 1 of BPM-D Process Reference
Model.
Figure 10: Level 2 of BPM-D Process Reference
Model – Process Strategy.
During the development of the BPM-D Reference
Model the BPM-D Process Framework is further
detailed and integrated with the other BPM-D sub-
frameworks. The control flow logic is added to the
functional decomposition. Key functions are linked to
tools, templates or other job-aids supporting their
execution.
Figure 11: Level 3 of BPM-D Process Reference
Model – Targeting Value of the Process Strategy.
The process framework is described on 3 levels of
detail. The top level is represented as value chain
diagram (VCD), level 2 and 3 as event-driven process
chain (EPC). The EPC notation was selected since it
is focusing on the description of the business content
and has less formal requirements than other methods
like the business process modelling notation
(BPMN). It is in general easily understood by
business practitioners. Also people used to work with
other modelling methods can usually quickly adjust
and understand the EPC notation. In order to support
a potential automation of some of the sub-processes
of the process of process management, level 3
processes are also available in BPMN (simple model
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conversion). These BPMN models can be used as
starting point for the specification of application
software supporting the PoPM. While this
redundancy needs to be managed we feel that at the
current point of time it helps to achieve both, easy use
of the content by process practitioners and by
software developers.
Figure 9 shows level 1 of the process reference
model. Examples for levels 2 and 3 are represented in
figures 10 and 11. On level 3 process models, for
example in the model shown in figure 11, it is exactly
described which BPM roles are required, what the
people in those roles have to do, which data
(information) they use and in which logical sequence
they work. Hence, the process is sufficiently
described to be implemented (Kirchmer, 2011).
The reference model is developed in a web-based
process repository tool. This enables the easy access
from all relevant locations and reduces tool
maintenance to a minimum. It can be easily
transferred into all market leading modelling and
repository applications. The reference model
currently consists of 67 individual information
models.
The implementation and execution of the level 3
processes is further supported through the link of the
models to execution tools, templates and other job
aids. The sub-process “BPM Capability” of “Process
Strategy” is, for example, linked to a BPM maturity
assessment tool, based on the BPM-D Framework.
The “Responsibility” sub-process of the “Process and
Data Governance” is linked to job aids supporting the
establishment of a BPM Center of Excellent with its
different roles and the introduction of process and
data governance to a specific end-to-end process. The
reference model includes over 20 tools, templates and
other job-aids.
5 FIRST EXPERIENCES
The BPM-D Framework and Reference Model or
components of it have been applied in 23
organizations of different industries and sizes over the
last two years to implement or apply the process of
process management. This has been done through a
combination of consulting, coaching and educational
activities, combined with appropriate research
activities to continuously improve the process of
process management reference model.
Let’s look at a couple of examples: The CEO of a
medium-size consumer goods company has focused
for several years successfully on a small niche
market. The company offers their products at a high
price enabling high revenues and profits – in spite of
a relatively high cost level. Now competitors entered
that niche market and offer similar products at a much
lower price. The CEO decided to adjust strategy,
reduce their prices in the current market and enter
new market segments with new products. However,
to reduce prices they need to reduce cost. None of the
functional executives sees significant cost reduction
potential in their own areas. They blame other
departments for the cost issues. Also the innovation
related processes are not performing at the level
required. A process repository with its process
models did not really help: the models are outdated
and inconsistent regarding semantic content as well
as modelling format. The only person who is
somehow familiar with the models and the repository
has left the organization. There is no cross-functional
management in place with responsibilities beyond
department boundaries. It is very difficult or even
impossible to identify focus areas for cost reduction
or a consistent approach for the development and
launch of new products.
The situation is addressed through a combination
of defining and establishing an appropriate BPM-
Discipline through the according process of process
management, combined with the immediate
application of the new capabilities to “no regret”
processes. Additional improvement targets are
defined when all high impact low maturity processes
are identified by the new BPM-Discipline. Key areas
of the PoPM addressed in this initial BPM-Discipline
launch are the development of a process strategy,
introduction of a simple process and enterprise
architecture approach, definition of a basic process
governance, outline of a straight forward model-
based improvement approach and some targeted
training.
Another typical example is a large financial
organization. They have invested over the last four
years significant money into what they call “BPM”.
However, none of the top executives has seen any
business impacts or usable results after all that time
and money spent. A stakeholder assessment and BPM
maturity analysis showed that almost all BPM related
initiatives focus on tools and technologies – for all
business units in parallel. There is, for example, a
process repository in place with over 2000 models –
how to get value out of them is unclear. A flexible
process automation is in the works – but business
changes faster than the technology can be adjusted.
And it is impossible to focus on just one area because
business priorities are not or not well enough defined.
The introduction of a value-driven BPM-
Discipline, led by a top manager as Chief Process
Officer” and its use for a simplification of processes
with known issues as preparation for a more focused
and business-driven automation is used here to
The Process of Process Management: Mastering the New Normal in a Digital World
135
address the current issues. Key areas of the PoPM
addressed are the value-driven process strategy with
its prioritization approach, process and data
governance, a process model based simplification and
standardization approach and several people
enablement initiatives. Existing capabilities are
linked to specific outcomes to achieve step by step a
value-driven approach to BPM.
The experience with the first 23 organizations
shows that organizations looking for the systematic
implementation of a BPM-Discipline through the
process of process management fall into three groups:
1. Organizations have launched one or even
multiple process improvement initiatives
but the results are not sustained. Every
new improvement initiative starts from
scratch, not using existing knowledge
about business processes systematically.
2. Organizations put in place many
components of a BPM infrastructure
(e.g. process execution environments)
but have not achieved real business value
through their BPM activities.
3. Organizations launched some
improvement initiatives and built some
BPM infrastructure but both do not really
fit together, it is unclear what the next
steps and priorities are. The produced
business value is limited.
Organizations of the first group establish the
“project-focused” sub-processes of the PoPM but
forget about the activities and infrastructure
necessary to keep the improved processes on track
and to be able to create synergies between different
initiatives over time. In those cases “asset-focused”
sub-processes need to be addressed. In most of the
cases this results in a combination of governance,
enterprise architecture and people enablement
processes, combined with the development of an
appropriate value-driven BPM agenda.
The second group of organizations gets lost in all
the available methods, tools and technologies but
forgets to identify how to create business value
through them. The link of BPM activities to strategic
value-drivers and the launch of initiatives effecting
those value-drivers is key here. Hence, the “project-
focused” sub-processes of the PoPM need to be
addressed. The launch of a process strategy initiative
is here most important: identifying high impact low
maturity processes, the required BPM capability and
based on those the development of the BPM agenda.
This needs to be combined with the launch and
execution of improvement projects and the
consequent value-realization. BPM capabilities can
be adjusted according to the requirements identified
in the BPM agenda.
Most organizations belong to group three. They
have some BPM capabilities and improvement
initiatives in place but the BPM journey is missing
direction, focus and clear business impact. They don’t
have a BPM-Discipline in place but know how to
apply a number of methods and tools, e.g. Six Sigma.
Instead of strategy execution, BPM activities result in
operational fixing of symptoms. Here a combination
of a real outcome-focused process strategy, the
management of the process knowledge in an
enterprise architecture and a well defined (but simple)
governance approach are good starting points to move
towards a value-driven BPM-Discipline.
Here some key lessons learned from first practice
experiences:
Get top management support.
Establishing a value-driven BPM-
Discipline requires the top-down
support, best for the entire company, but
at least for the business unit in scope.
Identify business processes where you
can deliver immediate benefits while
building the required lasting BPM
capabilities. Otherwise sponsors will
lose patience.
Set clear priorities, don’t try to “boil the
ocean”. Organizations who launch too
many initiatives at once often fail.
Keep things simple, “less is often more”.
This is especially true for the use of tools
and technologies.
Encourage innovation and creativity
instead of punishing people for making
mistakes.
A value-driven BPM Discipline is an
enabler of growth and strategic agility,
not just a cost reduction engine.
People are key for success. You need to
treat them accordingly.
A value-driven BPM-Discipline and its
leadership recognizes the business value
potential of technology and
digitalization and makes it transparent to
the organization. It enables real business
value from digital initiatives.
The first experiences with the BPM-D Framework
and the reference model of the process of process
management have demonstrated the business impact
of the approach and enabled the continues
improvement of the reference model. The reference
model allows to identify and establish the appropriate
BPM capabilities in the company-specific context
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quickly and at low cost while applying them
immediately to achieve fast business benefits.
A company can use the adjusted reference model
as basis for the definition of the company-specific
BPM processes. The process of process management
is transferred into an operational business process. It
becomes part of the enterprise architecture of the
company. The owner of the process of process
management, a “Chief Process Officer”, manages this
process.
6 CONCLUSION
Business Process Management (BPM) has become a
value-driven management discipline that transfers
strategy into people and technology based execution
– at pace with certainty. This management discipline
is implemented through the process of process
management. It enables an organization to master the
new normal in a digital world.
The BPM-D Framework with its sub-components
and the reference model for the process of process
management help organizations to establish a value-
driven BPM-Discipline efficiently and effectively.
The reference model and the tools behind it are
continuously improved based on practice experience
as well as newest academic thinking.
While BPM-D frameworks and reference model
have already reached a good maturity level, there are
still improvement potentials left. Here are several
areas we focus our on-going research on: The
reference model in the current level of detail needs to
be continuously updated to include new thinking and
even better practices. Areas where this is especially
important are the integration between process and
data governance, people enablement using
appropriate tools and technologies, e.g. social media
based approaches (“Social BPM”) and the consequent
link to value of the various enterprise architecture,
tool and technology components.
In some areas of the reference model the addition
of level 4 processes (one level of detail more) can be
helpful. This is the case in areas that are less company
and implementation specific, e.g. around the process
strategy.
Most powerful for the practical application has
been the addition of execution tools and templates
related to the PoPM reference model, e.g. the
development of the process prioritization tool, the
capability assessment tool, the weak point analysis
for rapid process simplification and improvement or
the process governance and BPM Center of
Excellence job aids. More of such enablers can be
added.
The PoPM reference model also lays the basis for
the development of an application software system
supporting the management of a value-driven BPM-
Discipline. A design of such a system is developed, a
related patent is pending. Innovative add-on
components are continuously required.
The BPM-Discipline and the underlying process
of process management enables companies to create
an end-to-end “value network” around the existing
organizational structure. This is the basis for
performance and productivity in the new normal of
our digital world. The BPM-Discipline becomes the
strategy execution engine of an organization.
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