I recently posted a blog stating that ‘Companies don’t buy BPM software; they buy a solution to their problem.’

Peter Schooff then posed the question, ‘What problem does BPM solve?’

The answers were all over the map because of the differing definitions of BPM.  So, let me put forth some clarity.

BPM is the acronym for business process management.  Companies have been managing their processes for years.  They were managed on paper and people would use whatever logic or tools they could find to manage those processes.  So, these people were process managers before the phrase business process management even existed.

Companies that developed software to help people manage their processes came up with the phrase ‘business process management’ as a label for their software – a marketing term.

I can manage business processes without software and what I am doing is called business process management.

Business process management software [BPM] cannot manage business processes if you cannot document your process on paper.  It has no idea what your processes are.  What it does do is provide control and visibility.

Control – It makes sure that whatever you are attempting to manage flows through its designated process.  It cannot move forward unless some activities are completed.  At the end of the process, you will be able to show that the entire process has been completed [compliance].

Visibility – It allows you to see the status of any process.  It allows you to see what has been completed and by whom.  It allows you to see who is working on it now.

My point was that you wouldn’t just buy software to buy software.  If you don’t have some problem [or problems] that cost you more than the price of the software, you won’t buy the software.  There would be no reason…

Follow