6 Best Practices in BPM Design

In the age of digitization and ever-shifting gears of technological trends, it is common for businesses to be under the illusion that upgrading hardware can get all the work done. However, in reality, enterprises need more than that. Having a streamlined workflow in place can help organizations bring multiple resources on the same page, no matter the business process they are handling. An organization can improve and standardize its operations with Business Process Management (BPM). As well as eliminating human error, BPM Design also improves efficiency and compliance.

It ensures there’s uniform coordination within the different members of the team, and the is a smooth workflow around it. 

Importance of BPM workflows for enterprises

BPM or business process management refers to the actions that are involved in the management and creation of end-to-end processes within the enterprise. 

The actions commonly involved in BPM implementation are as follows:

I. Process modeling 

II. Identification of processes and systems 

III. Measuring the efficacy and efficiency of business processes

IV. Assessing the efficiency of existing processes and systems 

V. The BPM design and implementation of process improvement changes 

VI. Automating and digitizing processes

All types of businesses have processes, including financial processes, sales processes, HR processes, purchasing processes, etc. While some enterprises assess how their processes operate, others don’t. Those companies who never examine the operations of their processes face inconsistent results, unknown errors, and bottlenecks. The result? Unmanageable costs and improper use of available resources due to the failure to pinpoint inefficiencies.

BPM workflows invite businesses to build efficient systems that run seamlessly and help to iron out delays and bottlenecks. Moreover, 65% of businesses agree that BPM workflows help them enhance versatility, augment efficiency and boost customer satisfaction.

Things to avoid before a BPM design

Don’t create workflows without a complete understanding

Trying to create BPM workflows without understanding the users’ particular needs is a common mistake that many businesses are guilty of making. The foremost step is to be completely aware of the process and understand its nuances before automating it and designing a workflow. 

Avoid designing a complicated system

When designing a BPM workflow, don’t try to do too much and overwhelm the end-users. Before the design is confirmed, set the starting and ending point for the workflow. Keep the overall design simple and straightforward so every team member can understand and use the workflow. Not everyone using the workflow will be tech-savvy, so complex workflows are out of the question.

BPM Design best practices 

Categorize workflow steps according to priority 

Categorizing workflow steps according to priority is one of the most crucial aspects of designing BPM workflows. While the automation tool handles all the processes with utmost priority, it depends on the user to highlight and specify them for easier scrutiny. 

You can create categories using color codes. For instance, use color code to differentiate between approved or cleared invoices. These design practices will make it easier for the users in the long run. 

If there is an error or failure, the entire team or the user handling the work can skip the other processes to focus on the priority box. These steps can speed up the processing time and avoid errors at critical points. 

Workflow automation 

After you’ve moved your business process to digital from manual, it makes a lot of sense to automate the monotonous, repetitive work. Business leaders believe that automation helps speed up task completion and reduce process errors. Furthermore, automation cuts down labor costs. 

So, you need to identify the repetitive and monotonous tasks, including data entry and other manual tasks like submitting paperwork and invoices. Once identified, the tasks must be automated and designed into the BPM workflow, so all of those processes are carried out automatically.

Understand the different workflow models and their implementation 

Before you start BPM design, it is best to have a basic understanding of the different types of workflow models popularly used by businesses. It isn’t ideal to go with the trends when designing a workflow model for your company. Instead, you must focus on your team’s tasks and adapt the workflow model that works best for your business. Some of those models are:

I. The sequential workflow model – It is useful for shorter processes where the key to success is speed. The model is useful to execute simple tasks. 

II. The state machine – It is a workflow model used to track various processes, such as agile methodology in development, shipping, etc. 

III. The parallel execution – It is a model that represents a case in which all the parallel paths come out of a node and merge at the same And node. It has a single point of exit and entry. 

IV. Choice of events – It refers to a workflow model where parallel paths come out of a node because of certain kinds of events. The events determine the execution path. 

IV. Event with timeout – In this model, mutually exclusive events occur within a specific timeframe or before a set deadline. Any event that occurs before the timeout will race to completion while the others will be suppressed. 

Keep things visual 

Visually representing the workflow design during the building stage is one of the most essential practices. Even if you implement a simple design, the execution process might be complicated. For everyone to comprehend the concept, there must be a visual representation of the data, steps, or processes. 

You can start by drawing a flowchart or creating a visual design that represents how the workflow design flows from one stage to another. 

Utilize non-linear processes

Whenever the word ‘workflow’ is mentioned, people assume it refers to a flowchart process. In this conventional, mildly flawed process, a deviation is less likely, but it is constrained toward a straight line. That’s why the ideal solution would be to imagine the workflow as a non-linear process, so if you need to go back to the first step, the design must allow you to do so. Mistakes are avoided, and corrections can be made at the end of the process while providing room for improvement. 

Find a balance between efficacy and efficiency 

When businesses are aiming to enhance efficiency, they are seeking to accentuate each process. This means that you want to reduce the time and errors associated with each process. 

If the goal is to improve efficacy, you need to see how well you can get the processes done. It refers to the quality of the final deliverables. The issue is that these things are typically at odds with one another.

When managing the business processes, you need to consider both efficiency and efficacy.

Conclusion

The best BPM design practices that can help you create the most effective and efficient workflow are achieved through a lot of hurdles, research, and failures. Ensure to understand how your business processes work and how the workflow will be in sync with your team to proceed.