Managing processes

• Process Management refers to aligning processes with an

organization's strategic goals, designing and
implementing process architectures,
establishing process measurement systems that align with
organizational goals, and educating and
organizing managers so that they will
manage processes effectively.
What is Process Management?

• Process Management or Business Process Management (BPM) is the

organizational discipline that provides tools and resources for
analyzing, defining, optimizing, monitoring, and controlling business
processes and for measuring and driving improved performance of
interdependent business processes.
Key Capabilities

• Analysis
• Business analysts review current workflows, interview participants and discuss
desired outcomes with management. The goal is to gain an understanding of
how things are done and if the results are aligning with the business
expectations. For instance, "What is the current method for handling customer
merchandise returns and what has the impact been to revenue and profit?"
• Definition
• Process definition is a significant undertaking and involves scoping, prioritizing
and mapping business processes. Some efforts will simply begin defining the
future, desired state while others, depending on the situation, will map current
state processes first.
• Monitoring
• Key performance indicators need to be established (often in the process
definition phase) so metrics can be tracked against them. This can be done
through reports or dashboards and can focus on macro or micro indicators (an
entire process vs. process segments).

• Optimization
• With effective tracking in place, an organization can effectively steer operations
toward optimization or process improvement with agility. This means
identifying process bottlenecks, resource issues, etc. and finding ways to
improve the process on a regular basis. Business Process Optimization (BPO) is
the redesign of processes to foster efficiency and strengthen the alignment of
individual processes with a comprehensive strategy and goals. A BPM initiative
may include BPO efforts but it also provides a robust framework for driving the
organization through the major changes that arise from regulatory policies,
adoption of new technologies, restructuring, growth or marketplace dynamics.
The Role of the Business Analyst (BA)
• The goal of any process management framework is to deliver improved results while
ensuring the best use of existing resources. Process analysts are skilled at modeling future
state business processes by conducting interviews, analyzing data and using process
modeling tools. These models are then used when using workflow management tools to
automate tasks (human or machine) that need to be performed during a process.
• Change Management
• Because process improvement often requires new behaviors and technologies, change
management is a critical part of the framework and individual process management
projects. A great process rolled our poorly is likely to fail. Training, coaching and ongoing
involvement with the process design among stakeholders and those affected by the
changes helps ensure the new process is adopted upon implementation.