Business Process Management, better known as BPM, has been the centre of attention for a very long time now. Just about any organization on their way to digital transformation, owes a major part of their journey to this form of automation. What has helped BPM hold its ground for so long is evolution and adaptability, and it is out of the latter that goal-oriented BPM takes birth.
Why take the goal-oriented approach to BPM?
For starters, BPM when combined with the goal-oriented approach focuses on the bigger business goal itself rather than individual actions. Goal-oriented BPM takes a bigger picture into consideration, and has a more holistic approach and perspective.
It is an approach that puts business goals at the centre, with processes being seen as a means to an end, rather than being the main focus of everything. Goal-oriented BPM seeks to present a comprehensive, overall view of activity, in sharp contrast to the more fragmentary view presented by an approach which is not goal-oriented. Goal-oriented BPM makes the development and identification of business processes a more intuitive and natural activity.
To further exemplify and make a stronger case for the goal-oriented approach, customer service would be a classic use-case. Aside of assigning customer enquiries to the relevant staff members to follow up on, a goal-oriented approach would specify a certain number of query responses that can be expected within a certain span of time. It would take into consideration factors such as, lead times, and profitability, while integrating this action into a wider framework.
Goal-oriented BPM is an approach that makes the development and identification of business processes a more intuitive and natural activity
What does goal-oriented BPM do for business goals?
Goal-oriented BPM starts by approaching the project through the goals that business people specify. It starts with high-level business goals, then constantly reassesses, reorders, and reallocates tasks in accordance with these goals, also adding intelligence to the business processes. It also adapts to changing business rules. To elaborate, if a new rule gets introduced wherein a loan above two million will need approval of two senior officials, the system stores it and adapts immediately.
The advantages of a goal-oriented approach to BPM do not end here though. The major advantage of this approach is that it puts process design more firmly in the hands of business people rather than the programmers. The benefit that it extends to business users is a framework that seems more intuitive and easy-to-use, while at the same time being capable of handling greater complexity. Goal-oriented BPM selects workflow tasks intelligently, in order to be able to meet goals in response to situational context and resources.
This approach to BPM can ensure better adherence to obligations and deadlines. If a task is not being completed in accordance with an SLA, then it can be flagged, and the responsible employees can be alerted. Obligations and deadlines can be specified by management, and if these are not lived up to, processes can be adjusted to amend this.
All in all, goal-oriented approach to BPM leads to a model that appears a lot simpler that sophisticated traditional BPM models. In effect, it is only more intuitive and more aligned with often held business views, and ends up making business users feel more at home. By allowing users to see BPM in these terms rather than strictly in terms of information technology, goal-oriented BPM brings with it a higher sense of clarity and purpose.
By: Virender Jeet – Sr. VP Technology, Newgen Software
