Why do BPI

Following is an extract from Gartners view, sourced from Stevens Institute of Technology/BPMI joint presentation.

• Optimization: Build Better New Processes Faster
• Understanding: Know What You're Doing
• Continuity: Avoid Friction During Merger/Acquisition
• Outsourcing: Get Someone Else to Do the Dull Stuff
• Control: Get Control of Parallel Processes
• Automation: Get Idiot Work Away From People
• Coordination: Value Chain Maintenance
• Efficiency: Do Things Better w Optimized Processes
• Compliance: Stay Out of Trouble by Staying Ahead
• Innovation: Move Faster Through Scenario Building for Agility and Policy Management

Addressing high priority business goals

In a recent study conducted by the IT Governance Institute across 160 stakeholders to check alignment between the most important business and ICT goals, the following results were identified (and reported in Oct 2007 CoBIT Focus newsletter) which are likely candidate areas where you will expect to encounter BPI activity.

What is involved?

Notation

• Business Process Modelling Notation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPMN Used for business process documentation of both As-is and To-be business processes.
• Business Process Execution Language: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPEL Used for representing Business processes in a machine executable form.

Diagramming
A very useful BPMN poster is available from http://bpmn.itposter.net for desk reference, displaying BPMN usage patterns and antipatterns.

A similarly useful Process Oriented Enterprise Modelling (POEM) poster is available from  http://poem.itposter.net  displaying a useful process modelling diagramming technique. One of the most useful aspects of the diagram is the process neighbourhood diagram, shown below:

Thinking in Process terms

One of the most valuable tools we've encountered recently in driving a different way of thinking about bedding a process perspective down into an organisation is the Lean Thinking approach. We like it enough to devote more attention to it on our Lean Practices page, but you can find much more comprehensive information on the approach at the Lean Enterprise Institute.