Business process management (BPM) is a method of breaking down the
day-to-day tasks of an organisation into distinct stages that make up a
workflow, and optimising this process to increase quality and
productivity. When this is done properly, it can have huge benefits for
employees at all levels.
Good BPM leads to staff knowing what is expected of them, and at exactly
what point. Everybody understands their place in the workflow, and what
they are contributing. They also have a good sense of the
responsibilities of others, and the bigger picture overall. Errors and
delays are reduced or eliminated, removing obstacles to greater
productivity and growth.
Finding a balance
Communication is essential, but you can have too much of a good thing.
We’ve all been frustrated by time being wasted in long, rambling
meetings, or endless back-and-forth phone calls and emails. Your aim
should be to spend just enough time discussing important details and
plans, freeing up time for actually getting work done and increasing
productivity.
Automating your BPM with software can provide highly effective tools for
employee communication. Emails, texts and internal system messages can
be arranged to be sent automatically, triggered at a particular stage in
your process.
Getting it just right
If your BPM has been configured with benchmarks and targets in mind,
then the effectiveness of any given process becomes apparent. Employees
can see which methods are working, and which are not up to scratch. This
allows processes to be altered and adapted to achieve the best results.
Staff can see what their strengths are on a team, focusing on where they
are needed in a workflow, and what working methods best suit their
particular talents.
Long term projects may need adjustment to improve as they go forward.
Roles and responsibilities that were laid out at the start may well
change depending on circumstances. Feedback from colleagues can help
with making these decisions. BPM automation allows for flexibility and
experimentation with less risk of adverse effects, since changes with
negative results can be reversed quickly and easily.
The tools for the job
Cloud software has the advantage of allowing members of an organisation
to work together over long distances, often via mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablets. A workflow could be made up of stages that are
carried out hundreds of miles apart, but users are still able to quickly
and accurately relay the details and results of their work using the
technology available.
In the past, these methods for working together effectively would have
been out of the reach of smaller businesses, but now thanks to
widespread access to the cloud through mobile devices, they are
increasingly affordable.
If you’re interested in increasing day-to-day productivity through a
powerful business process management platform, book your free, no-obligation SwiftCase demo today.
.