10 Business Process Management Books Worth Reading
Our editors have compiled this directory of the best business process management books to read based on Amazon user reviews, ratings, and the ability to add business value. Solutions Review participates in affiliate programs. We may make a small commission from products purchased through this resource.
Sometimes, it’s helpful to look at an old-school approach to advance technologically. Business Process Management (BPM) systems are essential for your organization, but you should ensure it’s right for you and your team. While many free resources are available online (such as Solutions Review’s best practices articles, solutions directories, and buyer’s guides), doing things the old-fashioned way can be beneficial. Solutions Review has taken the liberty of researching you, having reviewed many books. We’ve carefully selected the best business process management books based on relevance, popularity, review ratings, publish date, and ability to add business value. Here they are in no particular order.
The Best Business Process Management Books
Book Title: BPM CBOK Version 4.0: Guide to the Business Process Management Common Body of Knowledge
OUR TAKE: This book by Tony Benedict, Mathias Kirchmer, Marc Scarsig, Pater Frantz, Raju Saxena, Dan Morris, and Jack Hilty provides links and references to other sources in the broader BPM Common Body of Knowledge.
Description: This title is geared toward business process management practitioners looking to expand their knowledge areas, skills, and competencies in the BPM market. With over four-hundred pages of insights and educational material, readers will improve their understanding of strategic alignment, business architectures, using BPM lifecycles, project management, organizational design, process mining, change management, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), robotic process automation, iBPMS, and more.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementations
OUR TAKE: John Jeston has updated his fifth edition of this text to include new and revised case studies, as well as an analysis of the risks and benefits of robotic automation and cognitive computing. This title is an excellent fit for senior business executives and students alike.
Description: Readers who pick up this bestselling book, now on its fifth edition, will equip themselves with the tools and insights they need to improve their ability to implement BPM projects and add measurable value to their organizations. The title provides an in-depth overview of significant frameworks like LEAN and Six Sigma alongside methodologies for organizational management, culture, and leadership. With the new edition, Jeston introduces new and expanded material on the impact of COVID-19 on business operations, more information on newer technologies, revised content on sustainable processes, an updated layout, and more.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: The Ultimate Guide to Business Process Management: Everything You Need to Know and How to Apply it to Your Organization
OUR TAKE: Theodore Panagacos is a former Management Consultant with Booz & Company. For this book, he’s taken his industry expertise and used it to inform the creation of this convenient handbook for business process management methodologies.
Description: At under two-hundred pages, this popular book provides readers with an accessible compact guide to business process management, its methodologies, and other concepts professionals need to master if they want to fast-track their organization’s strategy to govern processes, measure business performance, create a process culture, and more. While his book is over a decade old, Theodore Panagacos’ industry experience can still provide readers with tremendous insight into the BPM marketplace and the changing trends, best practices, and use cases it interacts with.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Fundamentals of Business Process Management
OUR TAKE: This second edition textbook from Marlon Dumas, Marcello La Rosa, Jan Mendling, and Hajo A. Reijers results from the authors’ combined experience in the BPM space at the undergraduate and graduate levels and in the context of professional training. The book takes a step-by-step approach to the subject, making it a good fit for students.
Description: Readers looking for a complete, end-to-end introduction to business process management (BPM) lifecycles should start with this book. The title covers process modeling automation, process analysis, process redesign, computer science methodologies, business management tools, industrial engineering, and more. And thanks to the insight provided by Marlon Dumas, Marcello La Rosa, Jan Mendling, and Hajo A. Reijers, the book’s primary points are illustrated with BPMN industry standards, as defined by the Object Management Group and endorsed by practitioners and vendors worldwide.
Book Title: The Power of Business Process Improvement: 10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Adaptability
OUR TAKE: If you’re looking for a simple, accessible guide to kickstarting a business process improvement in your company, this popular book can help.
Description: Written by an experienced business process analyst, this approachable how-to guide offers a simple introduction to business process improvement (BPI) methodologies. Readers will learn how to identify processes that need fixing, control costs, eliminate duplicated work, establish internal controls that limit human error, rework existing processes for maximum efficiency, map processes, develop metrics, and more. The book is written by Susan Page, who has decades of experience as a business process improvement consultant for companies across industries that have helped her create this definitive book.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Business Process Management: Concepts, Languages, Architectures
OUR TAKE: This textbook suits business process professionals and students looking to expand or revisit their understanding of BPM methodologies, workflow management, and information systems architecture.
Description: With this book, Matthias Weske provides students with a detailed breakdown of the business process lifecycle from the modeling phase to process enactment, improvement, and stakeholder investment. He also covers traditional and advanced business process management architectures, data-driven strategies, workflow management systems, service-oriented architectures, and standards like SOAP, WSDL, BPEL, and others. The Third Edition of the book contains new material on decision modeling, process choreographies, and the Decision Model and Notation (DMN) standard.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Business Process Change: A Business Process Management Guide for Managers and Process Professionals
OUR TAKE: The Fourth Edition of this textbook from Paul Harmon emphasizes the impact of disruptive technology in business and the need for agile transformation. The book also provides a best practice methodology, which can be tailored to an organization’s specific needs.
Description: Now in its Fourth Edition, this book from industry-expert Paul Harmon is written to help students and professionals develop a balanced view of the business process change landscape. The book provides readers with over five-hundred pages that cover the concepts, methods, cases, and phases of successful business process improvement strategies that are worth knowing. Additional topics covered include business process management systems, process redesign integrations, Six Sigma, and detailed case studies demonstrating how these methods can (and should) be implemented into a business.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: High Performance Through Business Process Management: Strategy Execution in a Digital World
OUR TAKE: Mathias Kirchmer uses this book to present readers with value-driven business process management as a successful discipline to transform strategy into technology-based execution. Additionally, it explores how to achieve high performance in a digital business environment.
Description: This business process management textbook gives readers the insights they need to achieve higher performance in digital business environments. It frames business process management as a crucial discipline, covering relevant topics around process innovation, emerging processes, digital technology trends, process governance, internationalization, and more. The book is written by Dr. Mathias Kirchmer, a thought leader and innovator in the BPM field who has published six books, written hundreds of articles, and taught multiple classes on the subject for global professionals.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Guide to Six Sigma and Process Improvement for Practitioners and Students, A: Foundations, DMAIC, Tools, Cases, and Certification
OUR TAKE: Written for Six Sigma professionals of all levels, this step-by-step guidebook will help you master the fundamentals of implementing the Six Sigma methodology into your business processes.
Description: Across nearly five hundred pages, this comprehensive guide will teach readers what Six Sigma can do for a company and outline the roles, terminologies, and responsibilities. Other topics covered include running Six Sigma via control charts and dashboards, understanding Six Sigma statistics, and mastering the various DMAIC phases. It also provides guidance for anyone pursuing Six Sigma or Green Belt certifications. The title is written by Richard J. Melnyck and David M. Levine, two industry professionals. It uses detailed examples and real-world case studies to help readers understand process improvement initiatives.
GO TO BOOKBook Title: Operations & Process Management: Principles & Practice for Strategic Impact
OUR TAKE: Nigel Slack and Alistair Jones have written multiple books, including Operations Strategy, Operations Management, and, Essentials of Operations Management. With this title, they set out to help readers improve their understanding of process management principles.
Description: Written by two best-selling authors, the sixth edition of this book uses a “managerial perspective” to provide readers with a clear, concise overview of the principles and practices involved in process management. The book is aimed at students who have some management experience or are embarking on a career in the field. The book uses an up-to-date collection of examples, case studies, frameworks, and techniques from multiple industries and regions to help readers develop a critical, applied mastery of the core principles involved in managing business operations.
GO TO BOOKNOW READ: The Top Training Courses for Business Process Managers