This article is based on the findings in Janne Ohtonen’s PhD thesis called BPMC – Business Process Management Capabilities, which was done for the University of Turku during the years 2010-2012. The results presented below are the capabilities that are related to successful BPM initiatives found in over 150 scientific studies conducted over the last 20 years and tested through case studies.

The Business Process Management Capabilities that were identified in this research are presented in the list below. These capabilities are divided into three categories to make it easier to read them. You can benefit from these capabilities by evaluating, how capable your organization is on doing business process management and then improve those areas that were identified as weak.

 

People BPMC Factors

BPMC1         Managers share vision and information with their subordinates

BPMC2         Managers place confidence between supervisors and their subordinates

BPMC3         Managers constructively use their subordinates’ ideas

BPMC4         Top management generally has realistic expectations about the projects

BPMC5         Top management usually has sufficient knowledge about the projects

BPMC6         Top management frequently communicates with project team and users

BPMC7         Top management generally supports changes in processes

BPMC8         Organization has empowered process owners, who are responsible

BPMC9         The employees are empowered to make decisions

BPMC10       There is open communication between supervisors and their subordinates

BPMC11       Co-workers have confidence and trust in each other

BPMC12       Teamwork between co-workers is the typical way to solve problems

BPMC13       There is performance recognition among co-workers

BPMC14       Management evaluates customer expectations when establishing the organization’s vision

BPMC15       Organization uses external consultants when needed

 

Process BPMC Factors

BPMC16       The performance measurements adequately correspond to the processes and changes into them

BPMC17       Everyone knows the cost of customer acquisition, the annual value of a customer and the cost of a customer complaint

BPMC18       The reward system adjusts to serve the employees after the changes

BPMC19       There are training and/or educational programs to update employees’ skills

BPMC20       BPM concepts and methodologies are known and understood

BPMC21       The project plan for process improvement is adequate

BPMC22       People are eager to improve the existing state of processes

BPMC23       Business process improvement efforts are important for the organization

BPMC24       Organizational structure can be easily changed when needed

BPMC25       No one has to worry about losing their job because of process changes

BPMC26       Employees feel comfortable with the new working environment

BPMC27       Organization has standard methodology for improving processes

BPMC28       Organization is able to respond to changes in markets quickly

BPMC29       Initiatives in organization respect each other and are heading in the same direction.

BPMC30       People know the whole system they are part of

 

Technical BPMC Factors

BPMC31       Information technology is integrated in the business plan of the organization

BPMC32       The organization extensively uses information systems

BPMC33       There are efficient communication channels in transferring information

BPMC34       Legacy information systems are re-engineered if necessary

BPMC35       IT is aligned with business process management strategy

 

The way of using this list of BPM capabilities depends on your needs. The list can be used in various ways for different purposes. If you want to know more about this research, BPM capabilities or applying them, please contact the BPM researcher Janne Ohtonen directly.

Please, if you use or refer to these BPM capabilities, quote the original source as: Janne Ohtonen, BPMC – Business Process Management Capabilities, University of Turku, 2012.  N.B.: this list is protected by copyright laws.