Introduction To Business Process Management (BPM)

Getting Started With BPM An Introduction To Business Process Management
Product Marketing Lombardi Software June 2006 Lombardi White Paper: Getting Started with BPM
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 3
BPM Distilled................................................................................................................................................. 3
The Evolution of Process Technology............................................................................................................ 4
What Do the Analysts Say About BPM ......................................................................................................... 7
Where Does BPM Fit ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Where Do You Start ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Success Stories ............................................................................................................................................. 11
For More BPM Reading ............................................................................................................................... 13
About Lombardi Software............................................................................................................................ 14
Copyright © Lombardi Software 2006 2 All Rights Reserved. Lombardi White Paper: Getting Started with BPM
Introduction The importance of having an efficient system of business processes to drive an organization may seem like basic principle. If a business isn't running efficiently, it may not be realizing or maximizing its financial, market coverage or other strategic goals. In a recent survey of 1,400 CIOs by Gartner Executive Programs, 1the top business priority identified by CIOs was business process improvement . For individuals or organizations that are being asked to investigate process improvement, Business Process Management or BPM is a term that frequently associated with the process improvement. Unfortunately, BPM sometimes seems to have as many different meanings. Which definition is correct and how can BPM be applied to help achieve process improvement goals?
There are many sources of information about BPM and how it can be applied in organizations. These articles span all industries and address many different business processes. Finding, understanding and applying this knowledge is an evolutionary process. In this paper, we will summarize the key BPM concepts relevant to early discovery and point readers to more in-depth concepts that build on BPM basics. Initial discovery topics include:
. A history of business process management, both as a discipline and as a technology offering
. How BPM is being positioned by market analysts
. Where BPM fits in today's dynamic organizations
. How organizations can start to apply BPM to improve their processes
. Success stories an organization can use to understand how BPM can be applied to deliver business value
BPM Distilled 1Business Process Management (BPM) is the understanding, visibility and control of business processes. . A business processes represents a discrete series of activity or task steps that can span people, applications, business events and organizations. Based on this definition, the reader could logically relate BPM with other process improvement disciplines. That assumption is valid - there is certainly a described process (or methodology) that should be followed to help an organization document their business processes and understand where they are being used throughout their business. During discovery, everyone agrees on how the current process is defined. The 'as-is' process' is then used as a basis for determining where the process
1 "What is BPM", Lombardi Software, 2005
Copyright © Lombardi Software 2006 3 All Rights Reserved. Lombardi White Paper: Getting Started with BPM
can be improved However, simply documenting what the process look like does not g... [download for more]