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Know Thyself: BPM Success Begins With Internal Analysis

Appian Contributor
August 24, 2016

Investing in business process management (BPM) software positions businessesto refine and reconstructeveryday operations around the digital technologies that are transforming the enterprise. However, engaging in a project aimed at refining operations must begin with understanding the current state of your organization and the various procedural and technological issues that are impacting your employees.

A recent CMSWire exploring the potential impact of BPM on organizations explained that the technology is becoming more important than ever as businesses consider digital transformation. As BPM's potential rises, so does the need to get as much value as possible from the solution.

Self-awareness plays a key role in generating ROI.

Establishing a path for BPM ROI

The news source explained that businesses must be intentional about putting their BPM plans on a solid foundation for success by adjusting the way they think about operational problems and the process of solving them. In providing advice for making this transition, the report emphasized a key theme companies must understand the nuances of how and why they function as they do in order to maximize the value potential created by BPM.

In this process of self-evaluation, the report recommended that organizations consider:

    • What their existing process maps look like

    • If there are any bottlenecks in those maps

    • If process mapping needs to be performed to build a foundation for BPM implementation

    • What root business problems are lead to process inefficiencies

    • Which BPM capabilities are already in place

Performing an internal analysis of these components ensures that an organization understands exactly where it stands from a BPM perspective, allowing it to implement BPM software in a tactical way that creates great potential for value creation. The report pointed out that BPM walks a fine line between technology and operations, creating a situation in which businesses must have a clear knowledge of their current capabilities to identify the best ways to capitalize on process management gains.

Sustaining self-awareness

The big data movement has highlighted the growing need for businesses to understand their limitations and capabilities in the most meaningful ways possible. Modern BPM tools take the self-awareness created by big data and ensure it permeates every part of your operations. At their core, BPM solutions align data and process workflows. Modern tools take that to another level by couching those workflows in app and service models that make information available on any device type. All of this adds up to digital transformation in the enterprise.