10 Frequently Asked Questions

about
Business Process Management
Is BPM a methodology or a tool? What are its real
costs and benefits? Who should be driving BPM
implementation? 10 key FAQs and 10 clear answers.
WHITE PAPER

10 FAQS ABOUT BPM

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Business Process Management Overview ................................................................................................................... 3
1. How is BPM able to improve my organization's efficiency? ................................................................................ 4
2. What are the benefits of using BPM in my organization? ................................................................................... 4
3. Is BPM a methodology or a technology? ..................................................................................................... 5
4. Is BPM only for mission-critical tasks in my organization? ................................................................................. 5
5. What are some examples of applications that can leverage a BPM solution? ..................................................... 5
6. What are the benefits of open source BPM over proprietary alternatives? .......................................................... 6
7. Is BPM for business people or technical people? ........................................................................................ 7
8. How is BPM related to application development? .............................................................................................. 7
9. What is BPM-enabled process automation? ................................................................................................... 8
10. How can I start using BPM? .......................................................................................................................... 8

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10 FAQS ABOUT BPM
Business Process Management Overview
Many common business practices, once analyzed, can be understood as being a series of
relatively simple processes that interact with each other to accomplish a larger result.
Although these smaller processes are essential to daytoday business activity, many
businesses only consider large and complex aspects of their operations to be processes.
Refining and simplifying even simple current business practices can often improve
efficiencyandqualitywhilereducingcosts.
BusinessProcessManagement(BPM)isawaytoplan,implement,andultimatelyimprove
the processes that make up the aspects of your business. BPM offers a useful and clear
view into business processes by allowing you to model existing (and planned) processes
andrunindepthanalysisandsimulationscenarios;processescanbetestedandimproved
priortoactualimplementationsothatpotentialflawsorinefficienciescanberesolved.
BPMistheendresultofutilizingseveralfullyformedprocesses(processesthathavebeen
modeled, simulated, and debugged) working together in a realworld environment. These
processes often govern human interactions, allow multiple systems to work together, or
facilitatetaskautomationinyourorganization.
Intraditionalapproaches,BPMisappliedinatopdownapproachwherearelativelysmall
numberofpeopledefineaprocess,proceedtoreengineerexistinginformationsystemsto
work with the process model, and then inform end users how it is to be implemented.
Furthermore,manyorganizationsimplementBPMonlyfortheirmissioncriticalprocesses.
However,youcanuseBPMwithanyprocess,regardlessofsizeorcomplexity.Thereason
BPM is often not used has more to do with the cost and complexity of traditional BPM
solutionsthanwiththenatureoftheprocessesitcanbeappliedto.
Open source solutions are now enabling BPM everywhere strategies at lower cost and
withhigherversatilitythanoldertraditionalalternatives.ThisallowseveryonetouseBPM
regardless of budget, which means that bottomup process improvement is possible.
Furthermore, the open architecture of BPM software like Bonita Open Solution allows
extensive customization and adaptation of the process for a variety of projects and
situations, rather than having to reengineer or adapt existing external systems. Bonita
Open Solution even provides the capability to create processbased applications that
interactwithmanydifferentdatasourcesandhandlethevitalinformationyourprocesses
relyon.

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10FAQSABOUTBPM

1. How is BPM able to improve my organization's efficiency?

ApplyingBPMcanensurethatstandardproceduresaredefinedandfollowedforcommon
daytoday activities, and can help manage the soft resources (information, data, labor
assignment)andhardresources(equipment,material)thatarerelevanttothoseactivities.
BPMcanalsohelpautomateroutineyetrepetitivetasksorsupporttheindividualswhose
expertiseisrequiredfornonroutinetasks.Forexample,organizationsoftengeneratelarge
amounts of paperwork from routine internal activities since data must be generated,
shared, and stored on a regular basis. The processes involved can be quite complex and
add yet another complication to new employee training. BPM can help alleviate this
problembyprovidingclearlydefinedprocessesforemployeesandmanagerstofollow.This
allowsyourpeopletospendtheirtimemovingyourbusinessforwardinsteadofrunningin
circleslookingfortherightpersonortherightinformationtheyneed.
2. What are the benefits of using BPM in my organization?
Improving your processes will quickly result in reduced costs, increased efficiency, and
faster timetomarket. Implementing BPM helps ensure that key individuals involved in a
process are notified when action is required, ensures that they have access to the
resources they need to do their jobs well, and that their actions help make downstream
activitiesmoreeffectiveaswell.
BPM also helps to establish a clear chain of responsibility within your organization. For
example,individualdepartmentsmaycreateprocessesthatautomaticallydelegateworkto
(or share work with) the appropriate people in case of another employee's absence and
establishclearescalationproceduresforcertainsituations.Thiscanreducetimelostdueto
employeeconfusionandtheneedformanagerialinterventioninsuchinstances.BPMcan
also simplify getting a new employee up to speed by clearly defining what must be done
before, during, and after the hiring process and by whom. With an automatic delegation
andescalationprocedureinplace,themainprocessdoesnotgetheldupifsomeoneisout
sick,onvacation,oroverloaded.Ifoneofyour processesreliesonanexternalapplication
andBPMis usedtomanagethatprocess,anyotherusersoutsideyourorganization(such
assuppliersorclients)willreapthebenefitsaswell.

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10 FAQS ABOUT BPM
3. Is BPM a methodology or a technology?
Both. BPM is used as a methodology for modeling, testing, deploying, and improving
business processes within a company or organization. Likewise, BPM is applied as a
technology when a tool such Bonita Open Solution is used to systematically apply this
methodology.
The methodology of BPM also facilitates a clear understanding of how a process actually
works,movingtowardshowaprocessshouldwork,thenmovingfurthertooptimizeboth
individual processes and the superprocessesthat reply on multiple smaller processes to
accomplish the results that management objectives are aiming for. From a technological
perspective, BPM takes the form of executable software that is applied to manage a
process.
Forexample,anapplicationcannotifyanyindividualsthatareinvolvedinaprocessofany
tasks they must perform and then link them to the resources they need to do their jobs.
Such a program may automatically delegate up or down the management chain when
appropriate to perform automatic tasks such as KPI (Key Performance Indicator) data
collectionanddataarchivingwithouthumaninterventionordisplayKPIinformationtothe
peoplewhoneedit.ITspecialistsuseBPMtodesigntheseactionsintotheprocessmodel
withthegoalofturningtheprocessmodelintoanexecutableapplicationtobedeployedin
thefield.
4. Is BPM only for mission-critical tasks in my organization?
BPM is ideal for both missioncritical and routine tasks. The benefits of applying BPM to
smaller, routine processes can multiply quickly throughout an organization since it is
typically easy to implement changes to smaller processes. However, it is important to
remember that complex, missioncritical processes are often built on simpler ones.
Maximizing the efficiency of minor processes will likely improve overall efficiency of the
missioncriticalonesaswell.OneofthebestwaystoleveragethepowerofBPMistostart
smallandbuildupfromthere.
5. What are some examples of applications that can leverage a
BPM solution?
Many organizations use some form of BPM in their processes. For instance, any
manufacturerhaslikelyestablishedaclearprocedureforassemblylineproduction.Thisis
essentialsincethevariouscomponentsthatmakeupacaroranyothermachinemustbe
installed in a certain order (and sometimes rely on other parts having been installed

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10FAQSABOUTBPM
beforehand) if the finished product is to work properly. Similarly, an auto repair shop can
use BPM to track orders, manage inventory, track the repair process, etc. Insurance
companiescanuseBPMforonlineclaimfiling,tracking,andresolutionwhilebankscanuse
BPMtomanageloanprocesses.
BPM is also useful for helpdesk processes. Requests must be logged, tracked, resolved,
documented,andforwardedtoothersupportengineers.Whenusedinahelpdesksetting,
BPMisdifferentfromothercommonapproachesthatrequireemployeestoreadascript.A
BPM process clearly establishes how situations should be handled rather than simply
telling the employee what to say. Integrating BPM capabilities into software designed to
assist in helpdesk roles can enhance this process. New employees can be trained much
more quickly if they have easy access to information related to their position (clear
procedurestofollow,previousrecords,etc.).
6. What are the benefits of open source BPM over proprietary
alternatives?
Traditional BPM solutions are proprietary applications generally intended for
implementation from the top down within an organization. These tools are often quite
rigid in their design, and thirdparty extensions tend to be unsupported by the original
softwarepublisher.Thebasiccharacteristicsofopensourcesoftware(suchasBonitaOpen
Solution) actually help to spread BPM to organizations worldwide; there is a minimal cost
of ownership (compared to proprietary solutions) yet all essential features are included,
alongwithgreaterflexibilityforbothmanagement(design)andIT(implementation).
Open source software is inherently communityoriented. Open source solutions can fully
leverage the combined power of the user community to improve the overall product.
Software users know what works best for their particular situations and many have the
skillsrequiredtoadapttheproducttotheirneedswithcustomextensions,resources,and
even translations of the core software. These improvements are then shared with
everyone, so it is not always necessary to start from scratch to deal with a particular
situation. For instance, Bonita Open Solution allows users to create their own connectors
andtoreusethosemadebyotherpeopleinthecommunity.Theusercommunitycanalso
provideadditionalsupportchannelsthroughonlinesharingtoolssuchaswikis(specialized
encyclopedialike websites that everyone may contribute to) and forums. In this way, an
open source product can be extended and modified to satisfy many diverse needs and
implementations.

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10 FAQS ABOUT BPM
7. Is BPM for business people or technical people?
Both.Onceimplemented,BPMcanbeequallyusefultouserswithdifferentskillsatmany
levelsinanorganization.
Those in management can use BPM to establish clear processes for routine business
procedures,sincetheyneedtobeabletomodelprocesseseasilyusingstandardnotations
like business process management notation (BPMN). Managers also frequently need to
identify key performance indicators to implement business activity monitoring. With the
process model in place, a manager can test alternative process versions using process
simulation; once the actual process has been deployed in the field, data collected can be
used for continuous improvement or process modification. Should a process need more
thanaminoradjustment,aflexibleBPMsolutionwillallowcomplexmodificationsandre
testingwithoutincurringfurtherdevelopmentcost.
IT specialists need an effective development environment that allows fast and agile
application development. A flexible BPM tool provides a means for nearly codefree
application development, allows easy connectivity with external information systems or
data sources, and includes an integrated test and simulation environment prior to
deployment.
Advanced BPM solutions like Bonita Open Solution provide business and development
features allinone, which not only supports both types of users but also encourages
ongoing collaboration between business and IT in process design, development, testing,
anddeployment.
8. How is BPM related to application development?
BPM has the potential to revolutionize your web application development practices.
Developing a custom inhouse application from scratch using conventional methods is
expensive and it can take months (or longer) to bring a solution from concept to
production. Furthermore, manually coding a software solution requires employees with
specializedknowledgeortheuseofoutsidecontractors.BonitaOpenSolutionprovidesthe
tools for easy, simultaneous application and process model development. Applications
builtonprocessescanthenbedeployedintypicalproductionenvironmentsordistributed
in the cloud. When you want to modify an application, BPM (as implemented by Bonita
Open Solution) allows you to simply change the underlying processes instead of manually
recodingtheapplicationitself.

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10FAQSABOUTBPM
9. What is BPM-enabled process automation?
In addition to its application for modeling and improving business processes, Business
ProcessManagementenablesausefulformofprocessautomation.
As noted in BPM as a technology, executable software applied to a process can be
applied to perform automatic tasks such as KPI data collection, data archiving, sending
notifications,orfetchinganddisplayinginformationtousers.
While you are analyzing a process during the design phase, (or even when it has been
deployed and is being monitored) you may notice certain aspects that would be more
effective if they were automated. For instance, routine data entry would be far more
efficient if a process could automatically retrieve data from its source , process it, and
forwardittotherightchannels(performingallstepssimultaneously)insteadofrequiringa
clerk to do all the steps manually for each entry. Process automation can also help your
organizationinteractmoreeffectivelywithyourbusinesspartnersandcustomers.
10. How can I start using BPM?
Agoodplacetostartistoidentifyaprocessinyourorganizationthatisalreadyworkingbut
could be improved. If you are looking to validate the value of BPM, consider choosing a
process that, if improved, could result in demonstrable reduction in cost, time, or some
other measurable result. It may be tempting to choose a minor, isolated process to
experimentwithtominimizerisk,yetyouwouldalsosacrificetheopportunitytoimprovea
process that is more likely to be noticed and could potentially open the door to further
improvementswithBPM.
Start by modeling the way a process works without any sort of BPM enhancement. Next,
adjust this model to the way the process could be improved once BPM has been added.
Findingcurrentpracticestoimprovemayseemdifficultatfirst,butopportunitieswilllikely
materialize after some investigation. Many important (and often routine) business
practices are never documented in detail or discussed verbally. This is the time to
documentwhatiscurrentlybeingdoneandthenconsiderwhatmightbedonedifferently
andthebenefitsthatsuchchangesmightbring.
Next,doathoroughanalysisofhowyouremployeesconductthemselveswhiledoingtheir
jobs.Whydotheyfunctionthewaytheydo,whatresourcesdotheyneedtouse,andwhat
bottlenecks do they experience? Have they ever asked for specific changes? What would
help them do their jobs more effectively? Not only does this increase your awareness of
thecurrentsituation,butitalsohelpsyoulearnhowtocreateacomfortableandefficient

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10 FAQS ABOUT BPM
work environment that utilizes your employees' strengths instead of forcing them to
adheretoothermethodsthatareunnaturalandcumbersome.
Involve the process stakeholders in the process design. This means including the people
whoareresponsibleforimplementingthetargetprocess,thosewhoareinterestedinthe
results or outcome (management), and those who will be responsible for taking the
process design into its execution (IT staff). Involve the end users in the testing phase
wheneverpossibleandusetheirfeedbacktofurtherrefinetheprocessdesign.
BPMisnotallornothing.ItisunrealistictostartwithnorealBPMusageinanorganization
andsuddenlyexpecttoreceivemaximumbenefitsonyournextproject.Simplystrivingto
increase efficiency is an ambiguous goal, so set concrete, measurable expectations and
monitortheprocessbeforeandafterimplementationofBPMtodocumentprogress.
LookforsmallwaystoimplementBPMinyourorganization,butchooseaprocessthatwill
feed its improvements into downstream processes. Once small, influential aspects are
measurablymoreefficientduetoBPM,itbecomeseasiertobringpeopleonboardtoapply
BPMtoimproveefficiencyinotherareasofyourbusiness.

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