APQC is probably most well-known around the world for its research in knowledge management. We’re not as acknowledged for our process classification framework (PCF), but in my humble opinion, the PCF is just as important as any work we do in knowledge management.
The PCF represents one of a wide variety of process models in use by organizations. It’s a “hierarchical decomposition” of a business that describes the work an organization does in terms of process groups, processes, and activities. This decomposition depicts the complexity of most businesses today in an organized, practical format. Using the PCF as a model to decompose a business into 12 simple categories allows people who are responsible for managing the business to visualize the thing they’re trying to understand, manage, and improve. Frameworks like the PCF are frequently used to benchmark, manage content, define process, and institute a number of other kinds of improvements.
As powerful as the PCF is, it is but one of many styles of process models used in organizations. Another useful model is the “enterprise process model,” which depicts the high-level relationships between the various processes used in the organization. If the hierarchical decomposition is the “what,” the enterprise process model is the "how." An enterprise process model, in many cases, is considered a process map that also contains the organization's supporting process knowledge.
Process models such as these are powerful for organizations because they serve as a bridge between what is really happening and the management disciplines responsible for actually doing the work. Process models help resolve conflict, rationalize investment, support strategic planning, and ultimately allow organizations to communicate to people what work is to be done and the contextual relationships between the various parties involved. Process models support the automation of work, enable measurement, and focus improvement activities.
I’d go as far as to say that without process models, the business of managing processes would be too complex and costly to be worth doing. Certainly, without an accurate depiction of a process’ current state, it could not be improved using techniques such as Six Sigma, Lean, and Kaizen.