In our last post, we talked about the differences between BPR and BPM. Recognizing that people are integral to the process and not relying solely on technology is one of the main differentiators between the two ñ and is why BPM has become the preferred approach for process improvement.
The Dept. of Homeland Security certainly learned this lesson. After reading this Nextgov blog, you realize that DHS tried to automate HR without getting the right people (i.e. hiring managers) involved in the process. This further proves that technology alone (the BPR approach) is not the answer. Process improvement success requires technology plus active participation by the people involved (this is often called "the human-centric approach").
Many articles have been written around the variety of challenges inherent in Federal HR processes ñ intensive paperwork, perpetually slow and uncompleted hiring steps, poor status visibility, limited error checking, data not captured properly, and poor communication with unengaged applicants due to manual disjointed processes. These barriers slow down the hiring process, make it difficult for an agency to meet its hiring needs, and ultimately prevent the agency from fulfilling its mission effectively.
Business Process Management (BPM) is helping the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) overcome these hurdles. OCC is using BPM to help accelerate the hiring process, provide a new level of manageability and transparency, and increase efficiency and performance. BPM can help your agency, too. Just remember to think about the technology AND the people, and find a vendor with the right methodology for bringing it all together.
For more information on how BPM can help make your agency's hiring process more efficient, check out the Federal Hiring Management datasheet found in our Resource Center.
