Business Process Management Guide

The Key to Workflow Automation

Introduction.

When people hear BPM, they often think of software.

The way we work has changed steadily But BPM is much more than that; it’s a discipline for
discovering, designing, executing, measuring, and optimizing
over the last couple of decades and an organization’s processes. BPM technologies can play a
dramatically in the last couple of years. vital role in every step of your effort to make processes more
efficient. And while it may seem complicated in principle, it
doesn’t have to be in practice. This document will walk you
Teams are looking for ways to ease the burden of complex through the BPM fundamentals, address common questions,
operations, massive amounts of data, constantly changing and provide the information you need to successfully complete
environmental conditions, and increasing demand to do more in your digital journey.
less time—and at a lower cost. Business process management
(BPM) offers a means of addressing these challenges.

appian.com | 2
Contents

4 12

What do we mean by "process"? Workflow automation and

optimization are just the beginning.

5 13

So, what is business Plan big, start small, and iterate.

process management?

6 14

Technology's role in BPM. Modern BPM is ready for

today’s challenges.

11

Does your organization need BPM?

appian.com | 3
What do we mean by "process"?

A process is a series of repeatable steps, tasks, and decisions • Ongoing, like regulatory compliance.
that achieves an organizational objective. Sometimes known
• Function-specific, like proposal management.
as workflows, processes are everywhere in your organization
and come in many forms:
• Industry-specific, like energy procurement.

• Simple, like fulfilling an order.

Some processes, such as billing, can exist within a single
department. Other processes, such as strategic sourcing,
• Complex, like developing a new product.
run throughout an entire enterprise. They may even extend
• Short-term, like onboarding an employee, vendor, or partner. beyond the organization and across the value chain, as is
the case with supply chain management.

appian.com | 4
So, what is business process management?

Business process management is a people-driven discipline organizations use to create and manage processes that continually
improve business results. It focuses on the entire process rather than individual tasks, which helps strengthen performance, KPIs,
and outcomes—and results in fewer errors, happier customers, and lower costs.

BPM comprises a series of steps, which,

when combined, are highly effective in
creating value for an organization:
Put your process design
into operation.

Determine your process’s

current status, which Execute
will serve as a basis for
comparison throughout the
Discover remaining steps.

Track your process and

gather statistics on its
performance.
Starting from the “as-is”
state, craft the “to-be” state Measure/analyze
of your processes, focusing
on the desired areas of
improvement. Introduce
Design/model
“what-if?” scenarios to
the equation to see how
individual changes will impact Use your analysis to
the process as a whole. determine whether
further improvement is
possible.
Enhance/optimize

appian.com | 5
Technology’s role in BPM.

Every business process has both a human and a technology intelligence (AI), and robotic process automation (RPA).
element. Certain tasks require human intervention, while This allows work to be done faster, more precisely, and
others are much more efficient when automated. The BPM more effectively, while decreasing errors and costs.
discipline can help you make sense of this segregation of
From simple, department-level tasks to global workflows,
duties, but from a much more holistic perspective than if you
the benefits of automation include higher business resiliency,
were to look at each task individually. This approach will
increased productivity, greater reliability, improved
also guide you in knowing when and how the various BPM
availability, increased performance, and reduced operating
technologies should be used to maximize value.
costs. As the complexity and scale of processes requiring
In this digitally driven business world, BPM technologies play automation increase, so does the need for stronger and more
a big role in workflow automation. They bring processes, comprehensive orchestration capabilities.
data, and software together to orchestrate and coordinate
In the remainder of this section, we’ll look at the BPM steps
actions across enterprises, whether those actions are
outlined earlier and explore some of the technologies that
steered by onsite or remote employees, virtual workers, or
will help you achieve your process automation and
smart technologies, such as machine learning (ML), artificial
optimization goals.

appian.com | 6
Sample process mining tool output

Discovering your processes.

A primary goal of many BPM initiatives is to automate tasks or Process mining is a great complement to BPM. It provides
activities within a workflow. This may be done, for example, to insights you can rapidly translate into action to achieve
achieve greater efficiency, lower costs, or improve compliance. positive business outcomes much faster.
But, before you can automate an existing process, you need to
identify it, define it, and document it—which is no trivial task.
Traditionally, this has been done manually by collecting data,
tracing the steps, and interviewing the people and groups
Process mining provides
involved. A more modern approach is to use process mining
technologies. insight into what people,
Process mining uses data science and machine learning to systems, and organizations
analyze operational system log files and create clear and are actually doing, as
concise maps of your processes. It replaces the subjective and
opposed to what we think
costly interviews with a data-led and fact-based approach to
documenting how work actually happens. This data-driven they’re doing.
approach provides insight into what people, systems, and
organizations are actually doing, as opposed to what we think
they’re doing.

appian.com | 7
 Designing and orchestrate data, workers—people, AI, and RPA—and
modeling better processes. systems across the organization, greatly extending the
reach and impact of automation.
Once you’ve done the discovery work and have a clear picture
of your “as-is” process, you can begin mapping out your “to- • Apply business rules to identify, implement, and
be” process. Much as process mining technology helped in the consistently replicate important policies and procedures,
discovery phase, low-code application development can make such as spend request thresholds, tax brackets, and
process design and modeling much faster and more efficient, approval chains, thereby driving improved governance
for example: and compliance.

• Model processes with the visual functionality of low- • Adapt to changing situations. BPM enables organizations
code application development. Multidisciplinary teams to quickly track, analyze, and adapt to evolving conditions,
including IT, citizen developers, and certain business like changes to business events and regulations.
users can use visual paradigms similar to a flow diagram
• Embed workflow in apps. Using low-code development,
to create process models for their applications. These
organizations can quickly build forms, intuitive user
process models can then be saved for reuse by other
interfaces for web and mobile, and dashboards for
applications and faster design in the future.
employees, customers, and partners.
• Automate wherever possible. The visual and modular
nature of a low-code platform makes it easier to

appian.com | 8
 Executing your including any kind of mobile device on any operating
process workflows. platform, with no extra work or cost. This saves time
for both your developers and users, who need to access
Once your design is complete and you’re confident you’ve
their workflows while on the go and require a seamless
incorporated as much automation into the process as possible,
experience when doing so.
it’s time to put your workflow into action. Here too, low-code
development delivers value above and beyond traditional • Security: You don’t need to swap speed for security.
application development. Enterprise-grade low-code BPM platforms are covered by
robust security certifications that drive compliance in all
When bringing your new workflow into production, there are
areas you conduct business. Advanced business activity
three things both IT and business users will demand: speed,
monitoring and other governance capabilities keep your
security, and integration. Satisfying these demands with the
applications running and ensure business continuity.
right technologies will greatly enhance the success of your
BPM initiative. • Integration: When business data is scattered across
databases and systems or in on-premises, cloud, and
• Speed: When using a platform for BPM that natively
SaaS environments, low-code connectors and APIs bring
supports DevOps, you can build and deploy a workflow
everything together. Your workflow will deliver complete
application as soon as the design is complete. And once
information and insights for more impactful decision-
you build the app, you can run it anywhere; the app will
making, no matter where your data lives.
look and behave exactly as intended on any device,

Build once and deploy anywhere, across all channels and mobile devices.

appian.com | 9
 Measuring and analyzing after those opportunities are addressed, your BPM efforts will

process performance. not be over and done with. BPM must be an ongoing practice
to continuously enhance and optimize your processes as new
Executing your workflows is by no means the end of the road. technologies are introduced, your teams experience turnover,
An effective BPM discipline requires continuous monitoring. and your organization grows and evolves.
This is the phase where data is gathered and analyzed so you
can assess how your process is performing. The technologies
you use for these assessments will shine a light both on the Needs and demands will change and
successes from your orchestration and automation efforts as unexpected events will occur, but BPM
well as the areas where work is still needed.
can be a significant help in overcoming
Process mining can once again be a valuable asset during new challenges.
this phase. By mapping the new “as-is” process against the
analysis conducted during the discovery phase, you’ll have a
one-to-one comparison of the “before” and “after” states. If BPM technologies can drive continuous optimization by
you find certain areas of your process are not performing as well helping you do the following:
as hoped, you can dig deeper to get at the heart of the issue.
• Adapt to changing situations. BPM enables organizations
But rerunning new log files through a process mining tool isn’t to quickly track, analyze, and adapt to evolving conditions,
the only way to assess performance. This is where the power like changes to business events and regulations.
of automation comes in. You can leverage built-in, real-time
• Continuously improve processes with the insights to
management tools and analytics to monitor in-flight
evolve business performance.
processes and performance, reassigning tasks as needed to
increase efficiency. With this kind of visibility, you can quickly
• Aggregate process history and analysis to proactively
make changes that can have a significant, positive impact
identify and address bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
on your business.
• Leverage predictive analytics using past performance
data to create smart, self-optimizing processes.

Enhancing and • Report dynamically, with real-time visibility into how

optimizing processes. business operations are performing.

It’s likely your analysis in the measuring and analyzing step

uncovered additional opportunities for improvement. But even

appian.com | 10
Does your organization need BPM?

Whether you’re just getting started with BPM or already have • Compliance systems operate in silos.
a practice in place, you may be wondering if you will really
• Information has become “needles within multiple
see any significant impact from considering/reconsidering
haystacks” in your organization.
your approach. Below are some common “symptoms” from
businesses, non-profit organizations, and government
• By the time employees get the information they need,
agencies around the world that indicate a need for new or
things have changed again.
improved BPM:
• Software doesn’t support the latest security
• Processes still leave a paper trail—an actual paper trail.
and privacy protocols.

• Employees spend a large portion of their time looking or

And it’s definitely time to consider BPM if you’re building and
finding rather than doing.
deploying apps and seeing these issues:

• System users suffer from “copy-and-paste syndrome,”

• Multiple projects focus on problems your IT team is
inputting the same information multiple times across
already working to solve.
many systems.
• No commercial product seems capable of solving your
• Employees’ efficiency is throttled—and their patience
challenges completely and cost effectively.
tested—by silos and a general lack of visibility.
• Your organization still has hundreds of apps in its
• Customers are delivering redundant information to
backlog, despite having spent huge sums of money
different business teams—over and over again.
on ERP software.

• Customers depend on a single stakeholder for

• Your “enterprise automation platform” has turned out to
communication, leading to massive bottlenecks.
be merely a sales automation tool.

• Support reps wait hours to get the data needed to

complete a customer interaction.

• Different business units or departments have different

systems for the same purpose.

Other symptoms that indicate a need for BPM relate to risk,

compliance, and customer experience:

• Old systems aren’t keeping up with customers’ expectations.

• Customers encounter different experiences across

different devices.

• Some customer experiences aren’t supported on certain

devices or channels at all.

• Each operating location has a unique regulatory

environment that’s continually evolving.

appian.com | 11
Workflow automation and optimization are just the beginning.

Organizations today must concurrently streamline their workflows, build data into everyday processes, create a positive user
experience across devices, and deploy apps and services as quickly as possible.

Modern BPM platforms support all of these digital transformation goals by:

• Helping organizations become more responsive to • Accelerating app delivery using low-code
customer demands. platforms that help development teams keep up
with shifting business demands.
• Facilitating the integration of data into business
processes so users have the right information • Addressing and reducing technical debt instead of
when they need it. adding to it.

• Enabling the use of modern technologies—such as • Connecting workflows across devices and
robotic process automation, machine learning, and business channels to allow disparate teams to
artificial intelligence—in processes. work with each other without disruption.

• Serving as a hub for data and apps to break down • Streamlining the flow of information to connect
barriers between devices and channels. customers and companies and transform your
business in the digital world.

appian.com | 12
Plan big, start small, and iterate.

The benefits of process improvement can be applied to just Ideally you would start with a high-impact, low-complexity
about any facet of an organization. But where you start process to realize quick and substantial wins. Your BPM
can have a big effect on how successful your BPM initiatives technology vendor likely offers services to get you up and
are over time. running in no time. Promoting this early success (and best
practices during that initial deployment) will help drive new
The key is to “plan big, start small, and iterate.” This means
BPM projects across your organization.
selecting an initial project that can be delivered quickly while
having a high impact on the business, promoting your early If your BPM technology is part of a low-code platform, you are
successes, and pushing BPM best practices out to other in a much better position to take on more complex processes,
areas of the business. while also delivering on the promise of rapid and significant
impact. Delivering these kinds of results can spark interest
However, there are two key issues to consider before getting
in other areas of the organization, driving new automation
started with BPM: the impact that optimizing the process will
projects and thereby creating digital transformation as a by-
have on the business (processes that directly impact revenue,
product of organizational innovation.
cost, or customers, for example), and the complexity of the
process (number of process steps, integration points, people
involved, etc.).

appian.com | 13
Modern BPM is ready for today’s challenges.

Work today is tough enough, with complex operations,

massive amounts of information to navigate, and a workforce
Looking for more information on BPM
powered by humans, AI, robots, and smart machines. Without
disciplined BPM, it can be difficult—if not impossible—to and the technologies that support it?
achieve and replicate positive results. BPM Basics will get you started. You can
Modern BPM technology is up to the challenge. By using BPM also see how easy it is to build, use, and
to connect process mining and automation, you can discover, change applications that help you stand
design, and automate processes across your organization. IT
out in the market by requesting a demo
staff and business process owners get automation, contextual
awareness, and instant access to the information they need to of the Appian Low-Code Platform.
take the most impactful action. Organizations of all sizes in
all industries can use its speed and power to solve their
unique challenges.

appian.com | 14
Appian helps organizations build
apps and workflows rapidly, with
a low-code platform. Combining
people, technologies, and data in a
single workflow, Appian can help
companies maximize their resources
and improve business results. Many
of the world’s largest organizations
use Appian applications to improve
customer experience, achieve
operational excellence, and simplify
global risk management and
compliance. For more information,
visit appian.com.

G_785637917 appian.com