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The Dos and Don’ts of BPM Software

The Dos and Don'ts of BPM Software

The Dos and Don'ts of BPM Software

Enterprises across the world benefit from Business Process Management (BPM) software because of the automation capabilities BPM tools bring to the table. Automating manual, tedious processes can free up time for business leaders and individuals within an enterprise to focus on the bigger picture and other crucial business tasks. As a result, BPM software manages to reduce errors, lower company expenses and improve revenue.

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Generally, BPM is defined as the discipline of managing processes to continually improve agility and business performance outcomes. In its simplest form, BPM software enables the design, execution, management and optimization of a business process by connecting people, systems and data while simultaneously providing the analytics necessary to measure and improve processes.

So, with a BPM solution in your organization, what could go wrong? Well, it’s a common mistake thinking that BPM software itself can solve all your business problems. It’s important to understand and really know what your BPM system does for your important business processes and organization as a whole. In this light, below are the dos and don’ts when it comes to BPM software.

DON’T Ignore User Adoption

Sure, you may have implemented a great BPM solution, one that does everything you need it to do. But not paying close enough attention to the people who are using it after it’s been successfully implemented is a big no-no. Unfortunately, this happens too many times – assuming everyone will adopt to the new system right away is one of the biggest mistakes you can take with a BPM solution.

TJ Coyle, Chief Learning Officer at Alphanumeric Systems Inc., explains, “While initial planning definitely covers the topic and points out a schedule needing to be implemented, practical project steps often end up making the requirement a low priority. This is because IT end user training is also often treated as a squish factor, something that can be shortened or reduced in terms of project resource demand when the project goes awry and needs to get back on schedule. ”

DO Train Users and Encourage a Continuous Training Environment

Before you even begin implementing the BPM tool, it’s important that your staff/employees know what they’re getting themselves into. A good BPM system will have an easy to use interface with an intuitive look and feel, but making sure end-users are aware of the desired outcomes is important. Everyone in the organization should feel comfortable using the BPM system on their own, so continuous training of the BPM system is recommended. This way, if any upgrades are made to the system, people are aware of how (or if) it will impact them.

To start, make sure you have a detailed outline (or map) of all your daily operations and business processes – nothing critical should be left out or taken for granted. This is usually done with flow charts or diagrams and will give you a better understanding and a better idea of which processes you should improve on and which are OK as is. After all, the purpose of BPM software is to optimize whatever processes are already running. Although process mapping is a component of BPM software, it’s helpful for you to do it manually with a pen and paper too.

The most important thing about BPM is continuous improvement, which BPM software can provide by automatically monitoring, analyzing and optimizing your already existing business processes. Regardless, it’s a good practice for end-users to keep track of which processes are running through the BPM system so they can focus on improving the ones that aren’t.

DON’T Forget to Review Results of BPM Software Implementation

Another common mistake people make when they’ve finished a successful implementation of BPM software is leaving it alone afterwards. They think once it’s implemented, deployed, and running within the organization’s computer system that “that’s it, nothing left to be done!” This is far from the truth. BPM projects should never be approached as a a one-and-done endeavour.

Enterprises implement BPM software for a variety of reasons, some of which being: higher efficiency and productivity, improved agility, more transparency, and lower costs. Initially, you will most likely see these benefits within the first year or so after the implementation – but if you are not seeing them after a while of having the BPM system then thats a big red flag.

DO Annually Measure the Effectiveness of Your BPM Platform

That’s why reviewing the effectiveness of your BPM system is so important. While the platform will need software updates every now and then, it’s crucial for you to review the results of the system so you can gather the correct information about where the system has succeeded and where it’s lacked or even failed. Software updates are another reason to keep up with the platform, it’ll require some fine-tuning every now and then to make sure it can handle the upgrades.

A BPM investment doesn’t come cheap, so why waste it? Since BPM is all about continuous improvement, annual reviews of the system’s effectiveness is key. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your BPM investment.


Looking for more? Download our Business Process Management Buyer’s Guide for free to compare the top-24 products available on the market with full page vendor profiles. The guide includes four key capabilities to look for in a BPM platform, plus questions to ask before purchasing. It’s truly the perfect resource for anyone looking to find the right BPM for their business/organization, or those looking to replace an existing one.

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