BPM Adoption Framework explained by Caspar Jans

Business process management (BPM) is a process excellence approach that uses various methods to discover, model, analyze, measure and optimize business processes. Focusing on the modernization of businesses through process-driven transformation, this systematic methodology aims to help achieve operational excellence (OPEX), efficiency and cost saving goals.

BPM is a significant technological trend; helping organizations manage, improve and enhance business workflows, and particularly useful in accelerating digital transformation strategies. Caspar Jans is a leading BPM expert with more than 20 years of experience in the field of process management. Over the last 12 months, Caspar has developed the BPM Adoption Framework – a usable resource designed to help business leaders apply BPM concepts and strategies.

PEX Network spoke with Caspar to learn all about his framework, its relevance and the inspiration behind its creation.

PEX Network: Can you provide an overview of the BPM Adoption Framework?

Caspar Jans: The BPM Adoption Framework consists of four main success criteria: sponsorship, governance, center of excellence (CoE) and human affairs. Each of these is subdivided into two more detailed categories. Sponsorship deals with the executive sponsor and the larger group of BPM stakeholders in your organization. Governance covers the important topic of process ownership but also the procedures that are required to keep your body of knowledge up to date. The CoE criterion delves into the more technical aspects of BPM, being the method and tooling side. Finally, the human affairs factor explores the way that your BPM project is organized, both from a project perspective as well as from a business-as-usual perspective and it covers the communication efforts, which are quite often overlooked or simply forgotten.

DOWNLOAD: How BPM transforms operational excellence & fosters sustainable growth: 2024 industry report

PEX Network: Why have you developed the framework and what do you hope it offers?

CJ: During my interactions with organizations on BPM, I started to see a pattern of pitfalls and struggles that most of them shared. Combining this with studying those organizations that managed to successfully implement BPM, it became clear that most organizations would benefit from having this kind of information and insights before they embarked on the BPM journey. What I have seen that they take away from it already is the fact that it expands their horizon on all of the topics that are relevant and important when implementing a BPM way of working. The feedback I receive regularly is that it opened their eyes to all of the other things besides the straightforward documentation of processes.

READ: Future of BPM: Adaptive processes, automation & learning from failure

PEX Network: Who is the framework aimed at/designed for and why?

CJ: The framework has been designed primarily for the BPM project team or the existing BPM teams within organizations. This also includes, for example, the process owner communities, sponsors and subject matter experts. Basically, all process relevant roles in the organization can benefit from having this background information. The main reason for this is that an implementation of a BPM way of working potentially touches every nook and corner of an organization, after all we’re talking about the way of working, which is the core activity to transform input into output and stay in business. As a result, it is imperative that an organization realizes profoundly what they are getting into and what kind of benefits it will bring.

READ: PEX Guide: What is business process management (BPM)?

PEX Network: Do you think we need more readily available BPM/process excellence guidance?

CJ: I absolutely do and frankly, this is one of the reasons why I am quite active with publishing articles on LinkedIn and recently started a podcast with a fellow BPM expert. I don’t just want to keep this kind of information for myself and my group of clients. A large part of this information should be publicly available, and I believe that the BPM vendor community can do an even better job at preparing its clients for what’s to come when they start their BPM journey or when they want to rekindle their BPM efforts. It really does not need to be as difficult as it very often turns out to be.

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