The Analyst

Business Analysis - Business Process Management Perspectives

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The Analyst

Business Process Management is a management discipline and a set of technologies that focuses on how the organization performs work, view of value delivery of the organization and views of the organization through a process-centric lens.

The BPM Lifecycle generally includes the following activities:

  • Designing involves the identification of processes of the current state or as-is and the future state or to-be state modeling is a graphical representation of as-is and to-be processes, performs what-if analysis and compares the various simulations or process options to determine the optimal improvements and the potential value.
  • Executing and monitoring involves the data collected as a result of the actual business process. Flow and recommending alternatives for design improvements. Periodically monitor the process against established metrics such as SLS or defect rates.
  • Optimizing includes iterating previous phases for continuous improvement.

BPM Drivers

  • Cost reduction initiatives
  • Increase in quality
  • Increase in productivity
  • Emerging competition
  • Risk management
  • Compliance initiatives
  • Process automation
  • Core system implementation
  • Post merger and acquisition rationalization
  • Standardization of initiatives
  • Major transformations
  • Establishment of BPM Center of Excellence
  • Increase agility
  • Faster processes

Delivery Approach

  • Business Process Re-engineering
    • Major process re-design across the enterprises
  • Evolutionary Change
    • Overall objectives of the process
    • Individual changes at sub-process level in line with process goals
  • Substantial Discovery
    • Methods used when processes are undefined
    • When the documented version is different from actual process in use
  • Process Benchmarking
    • Comparison of the organization's processes and performance metrics to the industry best practices
  • Specialized BPMS Applications
    • Designed to support BPM initiatives and execute the process models directly

Process Improvement Approaches

  • Top down
    • Orchestrated by Senior Management
    • Spanning end-to-end processes
  • Bottom-up
    • Tactical approaches to improve the individual processes or sub-processes
  • People-centric: Change is related to the activities and workflows in an organization
  • IT-centric: Initiatives are focused on process automation

Business Analysis Work

  • Major assumptions
    • Processes are generally supported by IT systems. Development of IT systems are not covered under BPM.
    • BPM initiatives have senior management support.
    • BPM system requires a tight integration with organizational strategy.
    • BPM initiatives are cross functional.
    • BPM initiatives are end-to-end processes in the organization.
  • Change Sponsors
    • Executive
      • Focus on value and outcomes
      • BA practices applied to BPM initiatives
    • Process Manager
      • Initiate and manage process improvements
  • Change Targets
    • Customer
    • Regulator
    • Process Owner
    • Process Participants
    • Process Manager
    • Implementation Team
  • Position of a Business Analyst
    • Process Architect
      • Modeling, analyzing, deploying, monitoring, and continuously improving business processes
      • Developing and maintaining standards and repository of reference models for products, services, business processes, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Critical Success Factors (CSF)
    • Process Analyst or Designer
      • Documenting process design along with performance trends
      • Performing analysis and assessment of As-is process, evaluating process design options, and making recommendations for change
    • Process Modeler
      • Capturing As-Is and To-Be processes
      • Documenting a process for implementation
  • BPM Techniques
    • Define Measure Analyze Improve Control (DMAIC)
    • Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR)
    • Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)
    • House of Quality / Voice of Consumers (VOC)
  • Underlying Competencies
    • Needs to challenge the status quo, understand the root cause of a problem and encourage SMEs to consider new ideas and approaches
    • Understand and articulates internal and external views of the processes under analysis
    • A neutral and independent facilitator of the change and frequently involved in negotiation, conflict resolution between individuals with different opinions
    • Needs to communicate across organizational boundaries as well as outside the organization