How to Build Better Applications with Business Process Management

Benefits of the BPM approach

The benefits of this new kind of delivery approach were recently on display at a large financial services company that implemented several processes in a short timeframe. To start out, the IT department had a list of process requests they had received from the business. The analysts conducted interviews with management to establish the largest challenges that were facing the company in the coming year. Among them was a looming set of compliance standards that they were far from fulfilling efficiently. Meeting these standards was the highest priority for the IT department. As a result, the processed related to these requirements were at the top of the list.

After that, subsequent sessions were conducted with the business users to increase the understanding of the current process. During the sessions, analysts used a collaborative mapping tool to create a model of the current process. Participants with differing perspectives on the same process were able to paint their own pictures of the process, and then come to an agreement about what was actually happening on a day-to-day basis.

From just those sessions, the business users came up with ideas about what should be done to address the current problems. They immediately recognized that the IT department was working for them. The business users looked forward to seeing the new process implemented very soon.

The analysts took the process maps and the lists of improvements to the developers to decide the size and scope of each one. Together, the analysts and developers came up with a delivery road map that laid out which features would be implemented in each release.

Within five weeks of kicking off the discovery of the process, the business users were able to see and click through a working prototype that met their functional needs. As the releases continued, business users gave feedback on how screens should look and also requested changes to the process. Because the partnership had been formed and the goals of IT and business users were aligned, the developers had no problem adjusting their approaches.

Conclusion

Utilizing the BPM delivery approach, the IT department ended up delivering four processes within a six-month timeframe, successfully meeting the business's pressing need to fulfill regulatory and compliance standards.

So, in light of this example, when CEOs look to pare their efforts and resources, which approach do you think they would be more willing to preserve in tough times?

Andrew Hull is a BPM Analyst at Lombardi Software. Since joining the company, Andrew has facilitated process improvement efforts and trained analyst teams at organizations in higher education, banking, insurance and retail industries. Prior to joining Lombardi, Andrew spent five years developing and implementing lean Six Sigma software solutions in electronics manufacturing facilities around the world. He received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the Acton School of Business in Austin, TX. He can be reached at andrew.hull@lombardi.com.