Lets look at some process development that can benefit your company. First, like many other companies, you might be stuck in a loop or rut. Often, one of several things happen in large companies and organizations. Your projects are funded without a business case or business need and go ahead because someone with enough power thinks it should happen. Or you have an established investment in large scale, enterprise solutions and there is no connection between what the business actually needs and what you have the capability to offer, or the technology is readily available to provide the solution and is not realized. Another problem that I see is that there is no seizing of opportunities because there is nothing in place to define and action it. In another words, you have a competitive advantage unfold in the market and you lack the business processes to address the problem that will allow you to implement the technological improvements to succeed in the new opportunities.
There are some key parts to the process development life cycle. The are process design, process modeling, process execution, monitoring and optimization. In reality, this may not be followed in the same order or even do every part. It is often up to the company or business to decide what steps it needs and this is usually constrained by either budget or time.
The process design phase is simple and I have talked about it previously. It is simply the phase where you define where you want to be. You will also need to document or already have documented your current state and current procedures and process flows. A good design will improve the longevity of the plan and reduce the number of re-writes that happen often in a time-constrained, rushed, design. The next phase, modeling, takes in to account the variables that can affect your processes. This phase usually involves scenario handling and cost cutting exercises, more like a "what-if" this or that happens and how the process will be able to handle the changes.
One of the biggest steps in a process development program is the execution. This is where the automation comes in. How can you make it run on it's own without manual intervention. This automation will self-trigger events that can initiate other processes to start or complete. This almost always involves some sort of BPM software or tool to do the job well. Yes, you can probably write your own code and system to handle the automation part, but in reality, it will not be able to handle changes and adapt. I often see custom made automation software, scripts and tools get developed in house, only to end being replaced by a quality BPM suite later down the road. So, don't waste your time and money, just invest in the proper software or Business Process Management suite now. Without it , automation is just plain difficult.
The monitoring phase is rather simple, compared to the process execution implementation. The implementation phase is traditionally the hardest and where many companies spend most of their money and time. The monitoring and an existing process is again handled the best by the BPM software. Management always wants to see statistics and progress. These can easily be seen from the right software. There should be a quick way to see the status of all activities in a process and all process as whole. It should be easily identifiable is something is not working so that it may be corrected immediately. The business usually defines the level of monitoring needed. Business activity monitoring can be real-time, ad-hoc or timed reports. Either way, it is usually a business driven phase.
The last part of the business process development is the optimization phase. This phase is in my opinion one of the most important phases. I usually see most organizations develop new process with an attitude of, "this should work great" , but in reality, this is not often the case and adjustments need to be made. The optimizing of processes is an on-going phase and ties in well with monitoring. With a good monitoring process , you can quickly identify bottle necks and use that information to improve and modify the processes on the fly to improve efficiency. This usually leads to higher profit margins, and we all know that management, owners and the share holders love to hear that.
Showing posts with label Business Process. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Process. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
The business process management solution
Business process management is a field that has been gaining ground in the last 10 years and even more so recently. With more and more companies, businesses and enterprise class corporations all looking for ways to save time and money to increase profits in the short and long run. So what is a business process management solution and how can you make one work for you? I hope this will help you answer that question whether you are a small, large or worldwide business.
As this process management system is developed or looked at, you will find that it heavily involves technologies that you will need to acquire or develop, usually with the aid of an external source. Process modeling and integration into your business is no easy task either, especially if there is nothing already in place that you can build on. The system not only uses the base work flow pattern from the past management system but also integrates the person-to-person, system-to-system and the interaction and communication between the people and the systems, as well as any combination of all of them. Business process management solutions include many features that would include simulations, testing, process planning and execution, process modeling, monitoring and real time adjustments. The modern process management solutions available can be fully running out of the box for many industries with full support from the vendors, these would include customized industry specific processes and modeling. You can think of the business process management solutions and software as a kind of next-generation work flow.
This can get a bit confusing and will involve a lot of research, I mean, I don't fully understand all the concepts, mostly because people keep making up new ones. We have all the business process management tools and services being offered to thank, I guess they have to compete with each other or something like that. There really is no standard, yet. So, each and everyone one of the vendors on the market are trying to be that leader that everyone follows and uses as the standard. Kind of how IBM lead the computer industry for a very long time and almost all computers were IBM based, and still are today.
So, what is the solution? It is really going to depend on what you are looking for and what problems you are trying to solve. Business process management systems are not a catch-all for all businesses or application needs. What the business management process suites and systems really help is when you have a lot of activities that are repetitive and can be pre-determined and done in the same order all the time. You must have a clear picture of your current situation and processes before you can make a decision on what business process management solution will work for you.
Other considerations for the type of business process solution that will meet your requirements is if your processes are human oriented or back-end office and application oriented... this will make a difference on what tools you will need to make the communication and work flow. Humans need the visual and usage, where the back end just needs good code and no visual references.
You can always just program your own process flow in a flow chart too, but will that suffice? Depending on your business, that might be one very large flow chart ( many businesses do do this ). Full business process management solutions bundle a lot of capabilities and functions that you might not know about and could greatly increase your companies efficiency, but until you look into your options, you will never know. If you or your business is struggling with the management and/or integration between all the processes in your organization, then you might need a process management tool to help you.
Before you can choose a process management tool or solution that will meet your needs, you must first understand those needs. The more detailed you can define your business needs and existing processes then the easier it will be to find an integration solution to meet those needs and exceed them.
As this process management system is developed or looked at, you will find that it heavily involves technologies that you will need to acquire or develop, usually with the aid of an external source. Process modeling and integration into your business is no easy task either, especially if there is nothing already in place that you can build on. The system not only uses the base work flow pattern from the past management system but also integrates the person-to-person, system-to-system and the interaction and communication between the people and the systems, as well as any combination of all of them. Business process management solutions include many features that would include simulations, testing, process planning and execution, process modeling, monitoring and real time adjustments. The modern process management solutions available can be fully running out of the box for many industries with full support from the vendors, these would include customized industry specific processes and modeling. You can think of the business process management solutions and software as a kind of next-generation work flow.
This can get a bit confusing and will involve a lot of research, I mean, I don't fully understand all the concepts, mostly because people keep making up new ones. We have all the business process management tools and services being offered to thank, I guess they have to compete with each other or something like that. There really is no standard, yet. So, each and everyone one of the vendors on the market are trying to be that leader that everyone follows and uses as the standard. Kind of how IBM lead the computer industry for a very long time and almost all computers were IBM based, and still are today.
So, what is the solution? It is really going to depend on what you are looking for and what problems you are trying to solve. Business process management systems are not a catch-all for all businesses or application needs. What the business management process suites and systems really help is when you have a lot of activities that are repetitive and can be pre-determined and done in the same order all the time. You must have a clear picture of your current situation and processes before you can make a decision on what business process management solution will work for you.
Other considerations for the type of business process solution that will meet your requirements is if your processes are human oriented or back-end office and application oriented... this will make a difference on what tools you will need to make the communication and work flow. Humans need the visual and usage, where the back end just needs good code and no visual references.
You can always just program your own process flow in a flow chart too, but will that suffice? Depending on your business, that might be one very large flow chart ( many businesses do do this ). Full business process management solutions bundle a lot of capabilities and functions that you might not know about and could greatly increase your companies efficiency, but until you look into your options, you will never know. If you or your business is struggling with the management and/or integration between all the processes in your organization, then you might need a process management tool to help you.
Before you can choose a process management tool or solution that will meet your needs, you must first understand those needs. The more detailed you can define your business needs and existing processes then the easier it will be to find an integration solution to meet those needs and exceed them.
Monday, May 11, 2009
BPM business management process
As I mentioned in a previous post, the abbreviation BPM stands for Business Process Management. So I guess my title is a little confusing, if you expand it, it says Business Process Management Business Management Process. Confused now? This topic is something that I am interested in, I do not know everyone about it, but I have been gathering lots of information and resources on the topic, as well as involved from the IT point of view from the business that I am in. Lets start with a little history on the subject.
History of Business Process Management ( BPM )
Business Process Management is basically a management style or approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency. But it was not always like this. In the early 1900's as management styles, theories and ideas started to flow and be developed among different industries, they were basic management ideas. By the mid 1900's, people started to find that leadership and management were directly related and motivation of workers helped a company thrive. That further developed into organizational development, were not only were the people, but the entire organization was viewed. Different management styles evolved over time, from performance based, and other management styles, none really took on the role of integrating all aspects of the company or enterprise. My about 2000, the Business Process Management evolved from early work flow solutions several years earlier. People discovered that not only can you map and show the flow of work, but also every other business process. The BPM focus became enveloping of all aspects, such as human interaction, system interaction, process flow , input, output and then tying them all together. This was a revolutionary concept and very few people understood it. Now, many years later we are seeing a huge increase , almost explosive increase in business and companies looking for and using these theories and tools to help improve their business.
Early modeling was based mostly on the business, or enterprise alone, known as enterprise modeling... Guess what, it did not go far, it was only a piece of the puzzle. These models were nice on paper, but did not work in practice. One of the big reasons is that it was a static model that took far too long to develop and by the time they were "ready to implement" , the entire business or enterprise had changed. The enterprise models were built and architected to integrate system and improve cross-function processes across the business, however, all the data was static and did not evolve as the business did. In the end, it never does work, something has to give and process tend to be re-written to follow the business as it grows and changes. This is where the business process management tools come into play and where you will need to develop or find your business process solution.
Today, we have business process management, not enterprise modeling. Not to be confused with business process modeling. Although that term is still applicable in today's market, it is not what I am discussing here. Business process modeling is basically a process that is used to review, improve and implement more efficient process of an existing business. This is used as part of the process management suite. The term business process management is more a system and all-covering system. This system is the management of the processes, people, tools, services and more. The management system needs to be able to adapt to the on-going changes to a business or market. The processes themselves will change or be replaced as part of this evolution, but it is still the management system that keeps it all together. This management of change is really what you doing. So , from an early view of management as being just the people, we now are into a reality where everyone and everything is managed together as part of a system. A change in one part of the system can affect the rest and that is there the need for a business management system comes in.
History of Business Process Management ( BPM )
Business Process Management is basically a management style or approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency. But it was not always like this. In the early 1900's as management styles, theories and ideas started to flow and be developed among different industries, they were basic management ideas. By the mid 1900's, people started to find that leadership and management were directly related and motivation of workers helped a company thrive. That further developed into organizational development, were not only were the people, but the entire organization was viewed. Different management styles evolved over time, from performance based, and other management styles, none really took on the role of integrating all aspects of the company or enterprise. My about 2000, the Business Process Management evolved from early work flow solutions several years earlier. People discovered that not only can you map and show the flow of work, but also every other business process. The BPM focus became enveloping of all aspects, such as human interaction, system interaction, process flow , input, output and then tying them all together. This was a revolutionary concept and very few people understood it. Now, many years later we are seeing a huge increase , almost explosive increase in business and companies looking for and using these theories and tools to help improve their business.
Early modeling was based mostly on the business, or enterprise alone, known as enterprise modeling... Guess what, it did not go far, it was only a piece of the puzzle. These models were nice on paper, but did not work in practice. One of the big reasons is that it was a static model that took far too long to develop and by the time they were "ready to implement" , the entire business or enterprise had changed. The enterprise models were built and architected to integrate system and improve cross-function processes across the business, however, all the data was static and did not evolve as the business did. In the end, it never does work, something has to give and process tend to be re-written to follow the business as it grows and changes. This is where the business process management tools come into play and where you will need to develop or find your business process solution.
Today, we have business process management, not enterprise modeling. Not to be confused with business process modeling. Although that term is still applicable in today's market, it is not what I am discussing here. Business process modeling is basically a process that is used to review, improve and implement more efficient process of an existing business. This is used as part of the process management suite. The term business process management is more a system and all-covering system. This system is the management of the processes, people, tools, services and more. The management system needs to be able to adapt to the on-going changes to a business or market. The processes themselves will change or be replaced as part of this evolution, but it is still the management system that keeps it all together. This management of change is really what you doing. So , from an early view of management as being just the people, we now are into a reality where everyone and everything is managed together as part of a system. A change in one part of the system can affect the rest and that is there the need for a business management system comes in.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Business Process Management Tools
Business Process Management Tools
If you don't already know, Business Process Management is also referred to at BPM. I would like to cover what is part of the business process management tools you can use to help your business or enterprise processes. The role of the tools and resources you select should be geared towards the problem you are trying to solve. A business process by definition can be many different things, and often means something different to people from various business types and fields. There is usually a requirement to have a base model to use for your process and if you don't already have something like this, you will need an analysis and modeling tool to help you map out your existing processes in order to optimize them.
Who Offers Business Process Management Tools
Some of the major vendors of process management tools include Wipro, Microsoft Sharepoint, IDS Scheer, Appian, Oracle, Lombardi Software, Metastorm, Pegasystems, Savvion, Ascentn, Bluespring, Tibco Software, Ultimus and Cordys. They offer suites and packages for modeling, asset tracking and management, process management, process deployment tools, business rules and more. There are also plenty of business process management tool vendors that offer out of the box, industry specific, solutions. These out of the box management solutions allow any business or company to immediately get up and rolling with very little problem.
Purpose of the process management tools
The reason more and more businesses and enterprise companies are implement full process management suites is to improve operations, thereby boosting business performance and efficiency. This is translated to someone like you and me to be cost saving and profit increase. Something that all shareholders like to hear, hence the huge increase in the vendor market for full process management suites. A business process management tools brings work flow to the business with checks and balances that help the process improve itself and react to customer and client needs. It promotes efficiency while still being flexible. Most BPM suites integrate fully with technology as it's base of operations. The management tools bring all the related processes together into a structured service provided to the end user or client.
Other Business process management tool considerations
When you are a stage where you need to select the tool for the job you should involve your companies IT department as early on as possible. This is necessary in the early stages to balance both the business and technology factors. All the tools are technology based and require only single server or machines, to multiple servers, backups and configurations to implement. Small scale deployments can involve as little as a single server for the full suite ( Business Process Management engine, Application server and Database repository ). For large scale, enterprise class deployments you will likely need to have multiple servers and systems dedicated to each part of the process management tool suite that includes clustering, redundancy, load-balancing, fail-over, disaster recovery plans, secure backups and all the support staff around that. The size of the implementation is usually directly proportionate to the company size and number of staff, the more processes and users on the system, the bigger it will need to be.
If you don't already know, Business Process Management is also referred to at BPM. I would like to cover what is part of the business process management tools you can use to help your business or enterprise processes. The role of the tools and resources you select should be geared towards the problem you are trying to solve. A business process by definition can be many different things, and often means something different to people from various business types and fields. There is usually a requirement to have a base model to use for your process and if you don't already have something like this, you will need an analysis and modeling tool to help you map out your existing processes in order to optimize them.
Who Offers Business Process Management Tools
Some of the major vendors of process management tools include Wipro, Microsoft Sharepoint, IDS Scheer, Appian, Oracle, Lombardi Software, Metastorm, Pegasystems, Savvion, Ascentn, Bluespring, Tibco Software, Ultimus and Cordys. They offer suites and packages for modeling, asset tracking and management, process management, process deployment tools, business rules and more. There are also plenty of business process management tool vendors that offer out of the box, industry specific, solutions. These out of the box management solutions allow any business or company to immediately get up and rolling with very little problem.
Purpose of the process management tools
The reason more and more businesses and enterprise companies are implement full process management suites is to improve operations, thereby boosting business performance and efficiency. This is translated to someone like you and me to be cost saving and profit increase. Something that all shareholders like to hear, hence the huge increase in the vendor market for full process management suites. A business process management tools brings work flow to the business with checks and balances that help the process improve itself and react to customer and client needs. It promotes efficiency while still being flexible. Most BPM suites integrate fully with technology as it's base of operations. The management tools bring all the related processes together into a structured service provided to the end user or client.
Other Business process management tool considerations
When you are a stage where you need to select the tool for the job you should involve your companies IT department as early on as possible. This is necessary in the early stages to balance both the business and technology factors. All the tools are technology based and require only single server or machines, to multiple servers, backups and configurations to implement. Small scale deployments can involve as little as a single server for the full suite ( Business Process Management engine, Application server and Database repository ). For large scale, enterprise class deployments you will likely need to have multiple servers and systems dedicated to each part of the process management tool suite that includes clustering, redundancy, load-balancing, fail-over, disaster recovery plans, secure backups and all the support staff around that. The size of the implementation is usually directly proportionate to the company size and number of staff, the more processes and users on the system, the bigger it will need to be.
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