What Is Process Management? Everything You Need To Know

Are you tired of ineffective business practices? Are they appearing as issues and not as opportunities? You’re not alone🙋. Many businesses have this problem, but there is a solution: BPM (Business Process Management)

Business process management is an effective tool for improving operation, efficiency, and performance. However, to apply it, you must understand how it operates and how it could be used.

In this blog, we will explain the term process management in detail📚, its types, some real-time examples, stages, and processes for effective process management, and various tools🛠️, tips, and potential challenges⚠️ you might face while implementing process management.  

What Is Process Management?

Process Management, also known as business process management (BPM), is a methodical approach to ensure that business processes are efficient and effective. It involves various methods, including optimization, monitoring, analysis, and control of different business processes to align them with strategic goals. 

Companies that require numerous routine tasks, including order processing, handling customer complaints, and customer acquisition, can benefit from process management. Business process management software, workflow management systems, and tools for process modeling, among others, can help achieve those tasks.

Types Of Process Management

There are various types of process management. Here is the list of main three types you should know:

1. Integration-centric BPM: This type of process management helps manage information and data flows between networks, people, and software tools. This approach is perfect for organizations with complicated hybrid human-data processes.
   
2. Document-centric BPM: This type of process management applies to document-based processes, which can be seen in most business organizations where documentation is considered important, such as financial reporting or inventory control.
   
3. Human-centric BPM: This type of process management requires human touch and interaction. It is typically used for those industries where the value added is based on employees’ decision-making, such as project management or call centers.

Why is a Process Management System Essential?

The process management system is essential for any organization because it enhances efficiency by enabling organizations to trim process redundancies, leading to better productivity. It also aids in reducing costs without harming quality and analyzing the cost associated with each process.

The process management system also enhances flexibility, enabling organizations to develop strategies based on prevailing circumstances. It offers easy processes that allow organizations to identify and analyze process issues and areas of stagnation. With all that flexibility, businesses can improve operations and comply with laws and business standards.

3 Real-Time Examples Of Process Management

Here are the 3 real-time examples of process management:

1. Employee Onboarding Process: The employee onboarding process involves publishing critical information, issuing required equipment and guidelines, and introducing new members to their teammates. It also assists them in joining the working team quickly and being productive members.

2. Digital Accounting and Payroll Reports: Digital Accounting and Payroll Reports help in reducing errors, automate the reporting process, and empowering informed business decisions. It also reduces costs, improves transparency, and generates real-time daily reports.
   
3. Order Processing: It streamlines the order handling process by reducing overhead, enabling faster and more accurate order fulfillment. It also involves automating tasks, mapping order workflows, and improving performance across departments.

Also read 👉: How to streamline business process

Stages Of Process Management

Process management involves five main phases, i.e. assessment, design, implementation, monitoring, and optimization. Here is the list of detailed overviews of each phase:

1. Assessment: In this stage, the business analyzes the current state of processes, identifies the areas for improvement, and prioritizes changes. It also involves mapping out current processes, analyzing which to prioritize, and determining which ones need to be improved.
   
2. Design: This stage involves developing a strategy to enhance particular processes. It consists of creating a flowchart to visualize the process, replicating various scenarios to test it, and planning how the new process will work from start to finish.
   
3. Implementation: In this phase of process management, new processes should be applied through activity automation, clear procedures, and informative tools. Based on this, it is appropriate to train employees in a new way.
    
4. Monitoring: The following new process should be monitored to achieve the targeted goals. These goals include performance analysis, problem identification, and problem-solving.
   
5. Optimization: Ensure that the process is optimized based on new information continuously collected. Find out which steps can be optimized and improve the plan to sustain the current level of performance and productivity of the workflow.

How to Implement a Process Management System?

Implementing a process management system requires different approaches. Here is the list of approaches you can consider to implement a process management system:

1. Define Processes: Teach the things that have to be done, how they have to be done, and the things that do not need to be done at all. Using the BPM App can help define the activities’ flow and control the results.
   
2. Map Process Flows: The process map with Business Process Management (BPM) notation should include the process’s stages, tasks, and activities. The definitions should be clear and require no further clarification.
   
3. Assign Ownership: Define the roles of people involved in the process and assign them to the implementation, supervision, and change control. Ensure accountability and communication.
   
4. Choose BPM Software: Select the software that is simple to navigate and modify and can also be developed in accordance with the organization. Ensure that every feature and option has been implemented in the application.
   
5. Optimize Workflows: Identify potential areas of automating the workflow, decrease the inefficiency of the processes, and improve the cooperation between the teams. 
   
6. Ensure Efficiency: Establish best practices, monitor performance, and implement corrective measures to increase business returns and efficiency.
   
7. Monitor and Measure: Identify tracks derived from benchmarking metrics and outcomes that are feasible to accomplish the planned goals.
   
8. Train and Implement: Train the employees, control change, and make people ready to properly use systems to overcome many issues.

Tools to Improve Your Process Management

For improvement of your process management you can use different tools and technologies. Here is a list of the top tools you can use to improve your process management.

• Document360: Document360 is a process management tool for creating manuals, tutorials, guides, handbooks, and  SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) to avoid clutter and confusion.
  
• Trello: Trello, in fact, is among those apps that are rather simple and, at the same time, effective in terms of the arranging of tasks and priorities.
  
• Pipefy: Pipefy is an application that lets users draw a diagram of how they want their processes to look and make alterations as necessary. It also enables users to monitor process progress and gather data, which they can then analyze in real-time.
  
• Kissflow: Kissflow includes business process automation of respective workflows in the organization and their detail modules are best to improve a business’s process and eliminate its bad efficiency.
  
• ClickUp: Clickup is a process management application for managing tasks and designing working processes based on the project management approach. It has unique features, such as workflow, Tasks, and Collaboration.
  
• Appian: Appian is an automation platform known as a Low-Code Automation application that helps to address and manage business procedures. The Appian AI process management system offers comprehensive features for designing, automating, and optimizing business processes.  

Process Management Tips

The list of process management tips you might require for your business are:

Identify And Document

The first step in process management is mapping the existing processes, or, in other words, identifying the current state. They can use flowcharts to illustrate how the process flows and activities, such as decision points and handoff points between the different staff.

Also, it is possible to make narratives describing every move you make in the process, which contributes to creating unambiguous descriptions. Recording the current process also ensures that everyone agrees with how things are done, which can help detect the right improvement course.

Optimize And Automate

Now that you are aware of your processes, the next step is analyzing them for their efficiency. As such, instead of searching for a certain item or record, one should ask himself questions like “Can some of these activities be combined into one?” or “Is there any process that may entail repetitious steps that may be performed by a computer?” 

It is good to always remember that eliminating unnecessary repetition saves time and allows people to focus on other opportunities. Thus, task optimization and automation surely help in process management.

Standardization And Communication

Suppose all the activities in an organization’s processes have been refined and optimized. In that case, the next major point in the improvement process is to define, document, and promulgate the standard for everyone.

This can be achieved through the establishment of standard operating procedures. These procedures help outline in detail the expected trend of every process to ensure that all processes across different areas of the organization are standardized.

Monitor And Improve

Process management is a circular process that has to be supported continuously. This can be done by identifying other performance parameters that measure the effectiveness of your processes, including the cycle time, the error rates, or even the customer satisfaction ratings.

Considering all the information that has been collected so far, assess the firm to identify the missing elements. Also the areas that require enhancement for the efficiency of performance.

Invest In Training

It is vital to educate your workers on the new changes and ensure that they are capable and ready to ensure that the processes are implemented correctly. This can include procedural training that explains to the employees the implementation steps and procedures in SOP (Standard Operating Procedures).

Training also plays an important role in empowering employees by helping them understand their responsibilities. It also ensures that they perform the right things to ensure the appropriate functioning of the system.

What are The Challenges While Implementing a Process Management System?

There are some challenges that you and your company might face while implementing a process management system; some of them are:

• Change management: Employees do not like to change their patterns because they get used to working in a specific manner. Likewise, to address this, it is crucial that the new system’s advantages, including enhanced productivity or accuracy, are fully explained. To ensure that their concerns are met and their support is gained engage employees in the implementation process.

• Process complexity: Companies and organizations often have systems that integrate many functions and interface with other systems and programs. It might be challenging to capture these workflows accurately. In this case, documentation of each step involved is popularised as process analysis for a smooth transition to the new system.

• System integration: The new process management system could have its deficiencies in compatibility with other programs used in the company. This can lead to data silos and make it hard for one to get an overall view of their operations. To avoid this, ensure the new systems integrate well with existing ones. Sometimes, you may consult IT specialists to integrate the systems to allow data to flow correctly.

• Performance measurement: Setting the correct targets to measure the impact of the new computer system can be challenging. You and your company must choose KPIs based on your business’s strategic objectives. For instance, you may use cycle time or processing cost measurements to increase organizational performance.

Conclusion

Process management is a crucial thing for any organization as it ensures that various business processes are optimized and efficient. If they apply process management, they will manage to understand their tasks and the data they get from them and help their business grow and be successful.

Furthermore, Process management has many benefits, including high productivity, low costs, happy customers, and competition. With the help of process management, a company can have these benefits and many others to help improve business efficiency and productivity.