Business processes are an integral part of every enterprise – regardless of its size and nature of operations. They are always associated with costs that are worth knowing and keeping under control. And one must remember that they should be reduced. The greatest strength of Business Process Management (BPM) systems is that they can be implemented in any enterprise, public administration and local government units, as well as the public sector. Everywhere where many decisions are made and many clients or contractors are served. Thanks to them, it is possible to control the flow of information in the company, the execution of tasks, and as a result, improve the level of customer service. Their main task is to increase operational efficiency. It is this that determines the effectiveness of resource management and work productivity. As EU practice shows, enterprises that have implemented BPM systems generally compete more effectively in terms of quality and price in the Community markets. If only because they reduce the costs of order processing and task execution control. At the same time, they increase the efficiency and quality of services. As a result, they have more customers who do not look for other offers.
It started with finance
It is difficult to find an enterprise where specialized IT systems for supporting financial and accounting management, warehouse operations, and human resources and payroll control are not in operation. For this purpose, both solutions from various manufacturers and integrated ERP-class systems are used simultaneously. Increasingly, they cooperate with CRM software used for managing customer contacts and SCM intended for supply chain management. Examples of systems that function in an organization can be multiplied as quickly as the numbers after the decimal point on invoices issued by the companies implementing them. Because they were created using different technologies and standards, they generally use different databases. This, in turn, involves the need to unify the information flowing through, and thus additional costs that must be incurred for the system integration of existing solutions. And even then, there is no certainty that an IT system consisting of many independent, interconnected modules will work efficiently, i.e., pay for itself. However, regardless of whether the system is multi-modular or consists of several applications from different manufacturers, the processes that take place in an organization are generally treated separately. Which – instead of improving work – usually complicates it. It happens quite often that employees, in order to perform assigned tasks, must use several systems simultaneously, and in addition, they receive contradictory data. BPM systems come to the rescue, which unify information, organize team work, and facilitate control over performed tasks. Their manufacturers assume that complex business processes take place in enterprise structures, in which practically all company employees participate. Therefore, each completed action should enable the execution of the next one. Individual procedures form business processes – groups of identified activities, without which it is impossible to achieve the intended goal. All of them must be described within a single application so that the use of information is convenient and efficient. The first step is to describe the business processes taking place in the company. To this end, it is necessary to analyze the activities performed by persons employed in the enterprise, the duties assigned to them, and the powers they possess. The next step is to look at the types of generated documents and the ways of their distribution. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to define the basic segments of the company’s activity, including, e.g., customer service, the complaints department, marketing, or sales. The analysis provides material that can be used to draw up a process diagram – the implementation of a system supporting their management then becomes easier and, above all, faster. This concerns both shortening the time needed for taking actions and decisions, and the possibility of examining the company in terms of the efficiency of performed tasks. Without an appropriate IT tool, it is impossible to see in real-time how many cases are currently being handled, which departments or persons are currently overloaded with work, and which are idly waiting for assignments. And yet, one of the fundamental aspects of BPM systems functioning is customer service and sales. In this dimension, the software helps employees in preparing offers, handling orders, complaints, and applications. It is also helpful in service work and offers support for customer contact centers. And this means that a significant part of the mentioned processes takes place in organizations of various types from various industries.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2005.