10 Tips for Success When Implementing BPM

It seems like most of the articles that hit my inbox are about why BPM projects fail.  It makes me think we live in a glass half empty kind of world!  I’m more of a glass half full kind of person, so I think it’s more important to focus on what can be done to make sure BPM implementations succeed.  While a BPM implementation is similar to other kinds of software implementations, it does have its differences.  Here are the top 10 things that successful Agility BPM implementations have in common:

  1. Direct involvement and leadership from the executive team. -  Executive leadership should not only agree to the change but be visibly seen as the promoter, leader, and champion of such change. Organizational commitment is an absolute must!
  2. Adequate resources to ensure success:  technology, time, and budget.
  3. Complete understanding of the project. -  Make sure that team members review and understand all aspects of the project (why it’s important and what it’s goals and objectives are) and the capabilities of the BPM software before starting.
  4. Adequate time and resources for process design including, information gathering,testing/quality assurance, and improvements are included in the budget.
  5. Solid attention to the requirements! – Insist on high quality and specific technical documentation from the development team; include documentation time and resources in the budget. Do not take legacy system integrations for granted – investigate thoroughly and include time for the investigation in the budget.
  6. Plan for changes. – Provide a change management plan for handling modifications to the fundamental requirements or project specifications.
  7. Vigilance in avoiding “scope creep”.
  8. Training – Take the necessary steps to provide the BPM expert team with proper training. Before going live, make sure that staff understands the process from start to finish, not just their part.
  9. Plan for organizational change, introducing culture changes slowly.
  10. A core BPM expert team to plan, oversee and monitor implementation. – The team needs to be composed of both business and IT experts.  The group leader needs to believe in business process management, know both business and IT aspects, and be very good at mediating. (It’s important that someone is readily available to close the communication gap during the project since IT and business experts often speak “different dialects.”)

You undoubtedly noticed that the majority of the items I’ve included aren’t technical in nature.  That’s because when it comes to BPM, it’s the human factors that are of great importance.  Put the right people on the BPM team, create a solid documented plan, build in room for change, unblock communication pathways, set up proper monitoring, and give them enough money to accomplish the goals and you should get excellent results.  And remember, not all best practices can be put to use in all projects, but them more that you do use, the more likely you will see the results you are wanting.

Learn more about Agility BPM – Click Here

—Karie Barrett, Creative Development Director


Agility BPM, Business Process Management

Written by: |

Connect with us: