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What is Business Process Automation?
Business process automation looks at automation for the enterprise. Sometimes referred to as simply process automation, it refers to the use of software to mimic human action and connect multiple fragmented systems together through automation. Process automation enables systems to carry out…
What is Workflow Automation?
Workflow automation focuses on the tasks within a specific process itself. Think about it this way – business process automation is the overall automation for the enterprise versus workflow automation is the automation for an individual process, kind of like end-to-end processes vs a…
How to Drive Continuous Improvement
Organizations can help drive continuous improvement at their organization by ensuring their employees are engaged in process improvement efforts. Here are nine ways organizations can engage and empower employees to help drive organizational process improvement. 1. Find their pain points.Focus…
Top 5 Trends Driving Change in Process Management
Earlier this year, I wrote about the priorities and challenges for process and performance management (PPM) professionals; however, in that blog I didn’t dig in to the section of the survey that highlighted the trends driving change in PPM. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “change is the…
What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is process automation that is server-based and combines process steps with decision models or business rules with little to no human oversight. It is typically applied to high-volume transactional processes with limited variation and clearly outlined business rules…
What is Continuous Improvement?
Continuous improvement is the ongoing improvement of business processes in terms of quality, improvement, cost, or cycle time.The goal of process management is to improve performance. Although you can pursue process improvement without the benefit of process management—as many organizations do—this…
What is Process Mapping?
Process mapping is one of the ways organizations can document and understand their processes. Often, projects lack clear scope and poor understanding of work processes. Process mapping can help create an upfront understanding, allowing organizations to realize some of the issues and assist in…
PPM Priorities and How APQC Research Can Help
Every year, we conduct a survey of process professionals to understand the current priorities and challenges they expect to face in the coming year. According to the 2024 survey, process professionals are focused on the following areas this year:Process management (97% of survey respondents)…
Why Are End-to-End Processes Important?
APQC defines end-to-end processes (E2E) as “cross-functional processes that comprise all the steps to accomplish a specific outcome or goal”. Some common workplace examples are order-to-cash, hire-to-retire, and idea-to-market. Think about the last time you went out to eat at a restaurant.…