BPM 2 of 2: Implement Outstanding Business Process Management
Create a Business Process Management Model (BPMM). It’s a day-to-day management tool for gathering information, analysing, reviewing, and improving performance.
It can also be said that the Business Process Management (BPM) discipline is, in itself, a meta-process.
A process that is applied to itself and leads to improvements to itself over time…
First, if you’re wondering, “What on earth is BPM?” I recommend checking out the best day-to-day management tool first.
If you’ve already read “BPM Part 1 of 2” (link above), you’ll understand that although the implementation of Business Process Management principles may start as a project, for it to be useful over time, it’s best implemented as an overall BPM process in its own right.
In general, a project is a one-off exercise, while a process is regularly repeatable.
The BPM Project
Where do you start when creating a Business Process Management Model for your business or organisation?
In reality, you can either start at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end!
Inputs are the beginning of each process; the actions you take or procedures you follow are the middle; and outputs are the end.
Inputs are inevitably outputs from somewhere else, some from external sources and others from within the BPM model itself.
Outputs should always have a purpose!
Inputs to and outputs from processes effectively define the interrelationships between processes.
However, I’ve always found that when running workshops for the development or capture of business processes, it’s useful to start in the middle by first defining broad descriptions of the processes being used.
Then later explore inputs, outputs, any quality requirements, and the relationships between processes.
Getting started with BPM is best handled with a one-off project.
As with any project, start by defining the outputs of the project, which for BPM include:
A written model of the processes…
- The name and broad description (scope) of each process
- A definition for each input and output for each process
- Showing where and how the processes inter-relate
- Quality requirements for each input and output
- In a larger organisation, additional management approval might be necessary.
5 Steps to include in a BPM process or project:
Step 1: Brainstorm the main things that people actually do.
There are many possible tools for assisting with brainstorming.
The best way is to capture short phrases, each of which describes something that people actually do.
Each phrase needs to be simple, but not so simple that carrying it out wouldn’t produce outputs or an outcome.
Back in the 1980s, we used an enormous quantity of yellow post-it notes to write down the short phrases. Creating chaos!
The thing is that the post-it notes could be easily repositioned on a white board to make sense of them.
Nowadays, I use brainstorming apps such as Miro (this is not an affiliate link).
Step 2: Group the phrases logically.
First, put related phrases alongside (or below) each other and give each group of phrases a useful name (this becomes the name of the process).
Then, within each process, organise the phrases chronologically.
Step 3: Develop understanding of each phrase.
Examine each phrase and determine and write descriptions of outputs, inputs and any quality requirements.
Step 4: Focus on organising Inputs and Outputs
Clarify where inputs come from and where outputs go.
Step 5: Write it all up (or should I say down?).
Create a document from all the materials that have been generated that names and describes each process and that clearly shows the relationships between the processes and procedures by including where inputs come from and where outputs go.
There is an example of one way to do this below.
Now, within the above steps, you will have already captured the essence of the steps that make up each process.
Then later, you can examine each step and, where appropriate, write down the detailed workflow (often referred to as procedures) within each process.
This may not always be necessary if a procedure is simple and obvious.
However, over time, the more detail there is included, the easier it can be to communicate to others (mainly employees) when needed.
The Continuous BPM Process
One of the defined processes would normally be an overall BPM process, including the 5 previous ideas plus:
- A definition of what is to be measured and how for each process:
- Methods for capturing relevant data ready for analysis;
- A description of the ongoing BPM process with a plan for regular review and improvement;
The thing is that all processes, over time, can be improved.
Every process has its day!
Sometimes a designed process fails to deliver required outputs or outcomes.
In addition, changes to business needs and technologies lead to opportunities for improvement.
Example: A Process For Maintaining A BPMM
Inputs:
- Any existing BPMM
- Knowledge what people actually do (workflow) within an organisation
- Knowledge of new processes or improvement requirements for existing processes.
Process:
- While referring to any existing BPMM, brainstorm any new process descriptions
- While referring to any existing BPMM, brainstorm any process improvements
- Brainstorm new inputs or changes to inputs for each process
- Brainstorm new outputs or changes to outputs for each process
- Create a new or updated BPMM
Outputs:
- Business Process Management document
Example: Website Content Creation Process
The following 3-column spreadsheet outlines the Inputs, Procedures, and Outputs for each step in a writing process that I use for writing blog posts.
The spreadsheet shows 12 steps (or procedures) that include research, writing, editing, publishing, and reviewing.
The inputs column outlines the resources required to start each procedure. The procedure column describes the actions required to complete each step. The Outputs column defines the result of each procedure.
| Inputs | Procedure | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Topic ideas, target audience | 1. Conduct research on topic, industry, competitors, and audience preferences | Research notes and insights, potential keywords, knowledge of industry jargon |
| Research notes, list of potential keywords, and industry jargon | 2. Use keyword research tools to identify relevant and high-performing keywords | Keyword list and analysis |
| Keyword list and analysis notes | 3. Write a first draft of the content | Initial content draft |
| Initial content draft | 4. Edit and revise the content for accuracy, clarity, and style | Edited and revised content |
| Edited and revised content | 5. Copy the final content draft onto a Draft WordPress page | Content Placed On Private WordPress Page |
| WordPress page | 6. Find and select relevant images and graphics, and add them to the content | Visuals added to the content |
| Internal link ideas, relevant sources | 7. Add internal links to relevant pages or articles within the website | Internal links added to content |
| External links strategy and relevant sources | 8. Add external links to credible sources and relevant articles | Completed post |
| Completed WordPress post | 9. Switch the WordPress page from private to public status and update to indexable | Content published as Post |
| Checklist for published content | 10. Perform a final check for readability, grammar, and SEO optimisation | Checked and optimised content |
| Checked and optimised content | 11, Add the content to the review schedule in Notion for updates and revisions | Content added to review schedule |
By defining your own content creation process, writers and content creators can ensure that each step is completed accurately and efficiently.
It delivers high-quality content optimised for readability, grammar, and SEO.
The process, shown here as a spreadsheet due to space limitations, could be presented equally well as a flow chart.
If you read through the steps, you will notice that some steps include actions that imply methods that would benefit from a more detailed description, but for management purposes, the process level is usually enough.
Examples: Other Processes For A Blogging Business
Also, by way of example, here is a short list of other possible processes that could be usefully developed for a small blogging business:
Promotion process
- Input: Published blog post
- Output: Increased visibility and engagement through social media, email marketing, and other promotional activities
Analytics process
- Input: Website traffic and engagement data
- Output: Insights on what content resonates with the audience, areas of improvement, and opportunities for growth
Revenue generation process
- Input: Blog traffic and engagement
- Output: Opportunities for revenue generation through ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and other monetization strategies
Financial Planning and Accounting process
- Inputs: Financial targets and results for costs and revenue
- Output: Updated financial targets and accurate financial accounts
By having these processes in place, a small blogging business can ensure that their management practices are efficient and effective.
They help business managers and any employees make informed decisions to grow and sustain operations.
Summary
Here, I’ve provided guidance on how to create a Business Process Management (BPM) model for small businesses.
By developing a BPM mindset through repeated practice and making improvements over time rather than just as a one-off project, Business Process Management becomes one of the most useful day-to-day management tools.
The article suggests starting BPM by defining broad descriptions of the processes being used (or needed) before looking at inputs, outputs, quality requirements, and relationships between processes.
A BPM process or project includes five steps: brainstorming, logical grouping, determining inputs, clarifying where inputs come from and where outputs go, and creating a document that names and describes each process.
I would emphasise that, whatever the state of processes is today, all processes can be improved over time.
By way of example, a process for creating content for a website is included, shown as a 3-column spreadsheet outlining the inputs, procedures, and outputs for each step in the writing process.
OK, so if you have any questions or comments, please get in touch via a comment or the contact form.
🙂
Richard
