There are many disparate business process management (BPM) models available. It can be difficult to sift through all the options and determine which one will prove sustainable and instill leadership with confidence in your program. I recently talked to Cargill’s Stacey Vokrot-Mello and Leslie Nelson on the topic of models for successful BPM programs.
What started the investment in a BPM program at Cargill?
The investment in business process management in Cargill was triggered by the launch of strategic transformation projects (ERP programs), which relied heavily on maturing our end-to-end process capability and capacity.
What is the hardest part about starting up a BPM program?
Starting a business process management program and standing up the organizational model to support it is often difficult. This is due to the difficulty quantifying the value of strong processes by leaders. Processes are not tangible like products or assets (albeit they are equally important) and investment in and support of process health is overlooked, minimized, or altogether absent.
What are the common pros and cons of most BPM organizational models?
Organizational models are successful only if they can align with, support, and integrate effectively with the overall strategy of the business. Models that are developed independent of strategy will often fail under the weight of cost pressure and misaligned expectations. While those that are embedded as strategic enablers will thrive and be viewed as an integral component in achieving enterprise success.
What do you find the most effective for engaging leadership in a BPM program?
Leadership needs a clear picture of the “why” of process management, which is often challenging to convey. The ability to connect the dots of “why” process management matters and integrate that story with a leader’s strategic intent enables the growth of a BPM program. In addition, leadership engagement is best done by recognizing a problem they have and leverage your BPM team to address. Help solving visible issues and meeting the expressed needs of leadership goes a long way to elevate BPM within the organization.
What advice do you have for teams to set themselves up for sustainable success?
Remain steadfast in your belief of the value well-executed, end-to-end processes can have within your organization. Surround yourself with a community of practitioners that can provide you with support when the going gets tough – and it will! Leverage external sources such as APQC to benchmark progress and process maturity levels. And finally, celebrate small wins as those will be the start of the foundation onto which you will place bigger and more aggressive achievements as you journey forward.
Want to Learn More?
Join us for a webinar on Thursday, February 18 at 11 am CST, where Cargill’s Stacey Vokrot-Mello and Leslie Nelson will discuss models for successful BPM programs. This presentation is relevant for new process practitioners embarking on a BPM journey and experienced practitioners with programs already underway.
For more process and performance management research and insights, follow me on Twitter at @hlykehogland or connect with me on LinkedIn.