What is BPM and How to Decide When You Need It

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Jonathan Kidd

Business Process Management (BPM) is a group of technologies and techniques for managing business processes. BPM helps make the flow of information through an organisation more efficient, which in turn makes businesses more effective and profitable.

BPM can be used to improve customer service, increase quality assurance, or create cross-functional teams. 

The first step in understanding Business Process Management is knowing its definition; “the consistent application of knowledge about best practices across the enterprise with regard to existing processes.”

The software helps to make sure that the right people are using the right tools at the right time to produce the desired outcomes for your company.

In this blog post we will answer questions such as what BPM is and how to decide when you need it, to help you better understand so you can start benefitting from it today!

What is meant by business process?

A business process can include  anything that either has a process or is part of the business’s processes. BPM mainly focuses on comprehensive, interconnected tasks and relates to what each person in an organisation does day-to-day. 

Business processes in an organisation are typically not isolated and happen in a sequence. BPM is the process of designing, documenting, automating (where possible) and improving business processes to make them more efficient

The BPM Process: Planning → Designing → Implementing → Managing 

Planning: This stage includes identifying what needs to be done as well as determining how it will be accomplished.

Designing: This stage  includes mapping out the tasks, assigning resources and detailing how it will be executed.

Implementing: This stage includes executing the detailed design through a pilot or prototype to test its feasibility on an ongoing basis before full deployment 

Managing: This is where BPM stands apart from other business processes in that it addresses change management as well.

Why is process management important?

Process management has become a crucial part of business operations. Business Process Management is a strategic management technology that helps companies to streamline and automate their operational processes in order to achieve better efficiencies.

Process management and process improvement have been a focus for businesses since the 1980s. BPM is something that has revolutionised business operations, and continues to evolve as technology advances. 

There are many reasons why BPM can be beneficial: it improves operational efficiency, helps identify process improvements, and creates an organisational culture of continuous improvement. 

As a part of the digital transformation era, BPM is becoming a critical priority for every organisation (big or small). It helps companies to improve their operational efficiencies, identify process improvements and create a culture of continuous improvement that pays back the effort many times over.

Process management can be done by either people or software tools; it all depends on your needs and how much effort you want to put into deploying BPM within your company. 

A report indicates that companies who implement process management software are earning up to six times more revenue than those without.

The importance of implementing BPM cannot be understated—whether as part of a digital transformation journey or not!

When do you need BPM software?

BPM can make it easier for your business to deliver on strategic goals and objectives as well. But the question is, how do you decide when BPM should be used?

Here are some questions that you should evaluate in your business operations:

Is there room for improvement of efficiency, effectiveness or scale? BPM is the solution to these problems.

Do you need full visibility into all business processes that take place from start to finish? BPM will give it to you as well as manage those processes through automation, orchestration, self service and continuous monitoring capabilities.

Are you having trouble knowing what is going on in business operations? BPM is a popular method to help with this. Not only does it support centralised management of end to-end processes, but also the orchestration and automation that goes along with them. 

Are you having trouble maintaining your business rules and operating procedures?  BPM is a popular method to help with this. BPM not only supports managing end-to-end processes, but also the orchestration and automation that goes along with them.

Implementing BPM solutions can help you monitor project management, workflow, and the system can help you enforce standards.

What is the goal of BPM?

Simply put, it is to provide centralised management of process flows across multiple functional areas within an organisation in such a way where human intervention becomes necessary; BPM can be applied to either automate or streamline operations for maximum efficiency. 

Centralised management means there’s less need for people who are usually pulled from other departments when issues arise because they have their own designated area where all operational tasks are handled by others – freeing up time to focus on high priority projects instead of being bogged down by day-to-day duties. 

Recommendation of Business Process Management Tools 

BPM tools automate the flow of data between individuals and departments. They are used to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and visibility throughout an organisation’s processes by automating manual tasks with pre-built functions in a BPM tool or customising them for specific requirements of a company’s process workflows. 

A new innovation in the industry is the application development of a low code and no code platform, which makes BPM available to companies of all sizes.

Business Process Management software is a strategic investment that can have significant returns on the long-term, but it isn’t a “one size fits all” solution. The best BPM solutions are those that align with your company’s goals and scale as your business grows. 

Supporting your BPM needs with Boombirds 

Boombirds Business Process Management system is a BPM tool that promotes digital transformation of your manual processes. The aim to standardise, digitise, operationalise (for scale) and then optimise your business processes and operations. Boombirds is an all-inclusive BPM platform that is easy to use, no code, that places an important focus on process adherence. 

This workflow management tool has been designed to empower business users, who know their processes better than anyone.

Boombirds platform can be deployed quickly and at a low cost, making it the perfect BPM solution for small to mid-size companies (and enterprises) looking to ensure a predictable monthly expenditure avoiding the risk of expensive software solutions.

Boombirds is an integrated BPM tool that offers customers all of the features they need for efficient workflow management, including:

Business Process Management and Automation – A centralised online workspace where you can manage your company’s processes from start to finish  

No Code Required – There’s no coding required when using our BPM system which minimises custom development time 

KPI and SLA reporting – Monitor employees’ productivity and important business metrics 

Interesting Read: 6 Key Performance Indicators That Matters

Transparency and Visibility for senior management (birds’ eye view of operations) 

Every day, millions of people around the world are working hard to make their companies better. They’re coming up with new ideas and implementing methods that will help them grow into a successful business in the future.