Question

What are some of the reasons business process management efforts fail? Please explain with detail.

Answer 1

1. Assuming BPM is all about Technology  

BPM is a generic term for the techniques, methodologies and approaches that are applied with the objective of achieving process improvement and increasing efficiency. Though it is backed by an entire industry of software vendors with an impressive array of products, BPM goes beyond the use of technology to automate processes.

People and processes are crucial to implementing BPM – technology is the layer that facilitates process improvement but should not be the reason for the change.

A BPM project should be approached like any other project, that is, you should understand the problem you are trying to solve and assess viable solution options before slapping technology on it as the solution.

Automating a mess is almost guaranteed to result in a mess.

Once the business has decided that implementing a Business Process Management System (BPMS) is the way to go, it's also wise to take some time to understand the software landscape instead of jumping on the bandwagon or proposing a solution that may not produce the results seen in other organizations. The fact that a software solution is popular or has solved similar problems in other organizations does not mean that it is a one-size-fits-all solution to your own unique business problems.

2. Devoting Little or No Time to Analysis

Simply automating a process the way it is without attempting to understand how it works, analyze it and design it for future improvement will not bring about many benefits.

Existing processes should be analyzed to identify where issues and opportunities lie. This will help to determine whether or not such processes will benefit from automation. If you launch a BPM project without incorporating the analysis phase, you may end up repeating old mistakes or worse still, making a bad situation worse.

3. Not Assessing Your Options

It is always advisable to conduct a feasibility study before launching your BPM Project (See Project Feasibility: What Should You Assess?).

A feasibility study will help you answer these key questions:

1. What other options do you have?
2. Why choose BPM over other alternatives? Why not launch an ECM project, instead?

Even if you have decided that BPM is the way to go, a feasibility study will still help you clarify what BPM approach to adopt. For example, should you adopt Business Process Engineering or Continuous Improvement as your methodology?

Your BPM project should be based on a well-researched business case that allows the business to make a well-informed decision on what approach to take and the benefits to expect. (See 20 Tips for a Winning Business Case).

4. Not Focusing on Value

It can be tempting to go on a process automation spree where you automate any manual process that causes you to cringe. This approach is however likely to result in delayed business returns, generate little or no business value and may cause the business to lose patience and divert its scarce resources elsewhere. BPM Projects (like every other project) should be value-driven. See Key Lessons From Value-Driven BPM,

5. Inadequate Executive Involvement

As with most projects, if the guys at the top do not believe in it, your BPM initiative won't get very far. Involving the power house of the organization can go a long way in ensuring that stakeholders show the involvement and committment necessary for success.

6. Inadequate Project Planning

Inadequate planning can cause an early demise of anticipated benefits. Not having a well-defined plan for the project can easily lead to a situation where analysis and development continue without any definitive time frame. Scope, time and budget should be adequately planned to ensure that the business gets the desired benefits.