Business Process Management (BPM) is a topic that is generating a level of interest in both academic and business circles. The issues and problems that are associated with implementing and gaining support for BPM within organisations are well known. BPM maturity, however, is something that organisations aspire to – but know little about. Research to date indicates that many organisations do not progress past very rudimentary levels of BPM maturity. This is likely due to BPM being seen as a complex and complicated issue.
This research looks at what successful organisations see as being key to BPM and what organisations that are unsuccessful in BPM implementation consider being the issues that contributed to their failure. BPM is defined as a holistic management practice that includes the alignment of processes with the corporate strategy and especially with strategic and operational goals. Whilst the use of both methodologies and information technology, as supporting and enabling functions, is important for BPM, organisational and cultural change is identified as one of the critical success factors for BPM implementations.
This research focuses on defining BPM maturity in a meaningful and measurable way. It addresses the complexity of BPM maturity be firstly defining what BPM maturity means and then developing a model that can be used to measure current levels of maturity. In addition, BPM-related benefits are identified, such as increased effectiveness, efficiency, or quality. Increased BPM maturity is characterised as being correlated with an increased probability of achieving these benefits. An increased maturity can lead to a decreased gap between objectives and a current situation. Objectives are also more likely to be met due to less varying results and, therefore, greater ability to predict results. The organisation-wide deeper understanding of how the business is conducted results in work being more consistent and repeatable and as a result more effectively and efficiently. Other benefits of the model are the ability of the organisation to determine strengths and weaknesses in current applications. In doing this, the organisations see benefits in being able to expand knowledge sharing within the organisation by learning from the successes within its own self.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Research Objective and Research Questions
1.3 Structure of the Thesis
2 Literature Review
2.1 Business Process Management
2.1.1 Definition and Classification of Business Processes
2.1.2 Business Process Lifecycle Management
2.1.3 Definition of Business Processes Management
2.1.4 Business Process Management Drivers and Benefits
2.1.5 Business Process Management Implementation Approaches
2.1.6 Critical Factors for Success or Failure of Business Process Management
2.1.7 Conclusions
2.2 Maturity
2.3 Maturity Models and Approaches
2.3.1 Maturity Models
2.3.2 Maturity Approaches
2.3.3 Comparison and Evaluation
2.3.4 Contribution to a Business Process Management Maturity Model
2.4 Conclusions
3 A-priori Business Process Management Maturity Model
3.1 Purpose of the Model
3.2 Maturity in the Context of the Model
3.2.1 Generic Maturity Levels
3.2.2 Criteria for Measuring Maturity
3.2.3 Generic Stage Requirement
3.3 Business Process Management Maturity Dimensions
3.3.1 Factors
3.3.2 Perspectives
3.3.3 Organisational Scope
3.3.4 Time Scope
3.4 4-Dimensional Business Process Management Maturity Framework
3.5 Independent and Dependent Variables
3.6 Application of the Model
3.7 Evaluation of Maturity
3.8 Comparison of the BPMM Model and the BPMM Benchmark
3.9 Conclusions
4 Research Methodology
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Case Study
4.2.1 Unit of Analysis
4.2.2 Generalisation
4.2.3 Reliability and Validity
4.2.4 Data Collection and Analysis
4.2.5 Anticipated Problems and Possible Solutions
5 Case Study
5.1 Purpose
5.2 Case Study Design
5.2.1 Structure
5.2.2 Sequence and Schedule
5.2.3 Analysis
5.2.4 Selection of Cases
5.3 Findings
5.3.1 Company A
5.3.2 Company B
5.3.3 Cross-Case Analysis
5.4 Reviewed Model
6 Conclusion
6.1 Thesis Summary
6.2 Limitations of the Model and the Empirical Research
6.3 Further Research
Objectives & Themes
The thesis aims to define Business Process Management (BPM) maturity and develop a comprehensive, diagnostic framework to assess and evaluate the BPM maturity of organizations. The study explores the connection between BPM maturity and achievable benefits, addressing the lack of structured foundations in current organizational approaches.
- Conceptualization and definition of BPM and BPM maturity.
- Evaluation of existing maturity models (e.g., CMM, EFQM) regarding their applicability to BPM.
- Development of an a-priori BPM maturity model (BPMM) utilizing factors and perspectives.
- Empirical testing of the proposed model via case studies in Australian organizations.
- Identification of critical success factors, barriers, and benefits related to BPM implementation.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3.1 Factors
The BPM maturity factors mainly derive from the factors critical to success and most affecting failure, as presented in section 2.1.6. Recapitulating, they are:
• Process discipline, structured approach (lack of consistency in BPM approaches as a barrier)
• Performance Measurement
• Cultural Change including empowerment, new accountabilities, training, and communication to employees (functional barriers resulting from organisational structure and poor understanding of BPM concepts as barriers)
• Assignment of accountability including appointment of process owners through all levels of the organisation
• IT/IS
• Long term nature of developing process perspective as opposed to a quick fix
Following the extensive literature review, five factors have been identified which are covering and characterising BPM completely: (1) IT/IS, (2) Culture, (3) Accountability, (4) Methodology, and (5) Performance. These factors cover and include the identified critical factors and the barriers for BPM implementation. The CSF of aligning the BPM approach with corporate goals and strategy is incorporated into the perspectives in the next section.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Introduces the motivation, research objectives, and the overall structure of the thesis.
2 Literature Review: Provides an overview of BPM, maturity concepts, and evaluates existing maturity models and approaches.
3 A-priori Business Process Management Maturity Model: Presents the developed BPMM model, including its dimensions, maturity levels, and criteria for measurement.
4 Research Methodology: Discusses the research design, specifically focusing on the case study approach used for empirical testing.
5 Case Study: Details the empirical investigations conducted at two organizations, including findings and a review of the model based on practitioner feedback.
6 Conclusion: Summarizes the thesis findings, acknowledges limitations, and provides an outlook on further research opportunities.
Keywords
Business Process Management, BPM, Maturity Model, BPMM, Process Orientation, Organizational Change, Critical Success Factors, Performance Measurement, Methodology, Accountability, IT/IS, Case Study, Business Strategy, Process Lifecycle, Benchmarking
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This research focuses on defining Business Process Management (BPM) maturity and establishing a comprehensive, diagnostic model to assess the maturity levels of an organization's BPM practices.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
Key themes include the definition and classification of business processes, the identification of BPM critical success factors, the evaluation of existing maturity models, and the development of a structured 4-dimensional maturity framework.
What is the primary goal of the research?
The primary goal is to provide organizations with a diagnostic tool that identifies their current BPM maturity status and helps them formulate strategies to reach higher levels of maturity.
Which scientific methods were applied?
The research combines an extensive literature review to build a theoretical model, followed by an empirical case study approach to test the model's relevance and practicality in real-world organizations.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of BPM, a critical review of current maturity models, the design of the new a-priori BPMM model, and a detailed analysis of findings from two case study organizations.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Business Process Management, BPM, Maturity Model, BPMM, Organizational Change, and Critical Success Factors.
How does this model differ from existing software-focused models like CMM?
Unlike software-process-focused models, this BPMM model incorporates a broader, more holistic view of the entire organization, including cultural change, performance measurement, and organizational accountability.
What role does organizational culture play in the proposed model?
Organizational culture is identified as a critical success factor for BPM. In the model, it is a key dimension used to measure how successfully an organization embeds BPM practices into its internal environment.
- Citar trabajo
- Tapio Hüffner (Autor), 2004, The BPM Maturity Model. Towards a Framework for Assessing the Business Process Management Maturity of Organisations, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/33497
