Companies in many different industries have discovered that Business Process Management (BPM) principles can help cut costs and increase productivity. Yet some companies are more successful at realizing the potential of BPM than others. This raises the question: how can your team get the most from BPM?
The answer is simple: use BPM metrics.
The adage, “You get what you measure,” explains how monitoring metrics can help you get the most out of BPM. Everyone has personal life experience involving the way measurement changes habits. From video games whose running scores keep us playing, to fitness apps with calorie counters and exercise trackers that help us stay in shape, even clocks that tell us we’ve slept long enough, measuring behavior helps change behavior.
Five of the most effective BPM metrics that help you get the most from this methodology are listed below.
Set Clear Goals – A vague goal may give your team something to shoot for. But a specific goal with a clear deadline not only focuses your efforts, it also lets you know when you’ve crossed the finish line.
For example, setting a goal to increase sales will give you an idea of some actions you need to take. But setting a goal to increase sales by at least 10% by the end of the calendar year lets you know where you are in relation to the goal at any time. At the end of the calendar year you have either met the goal or you haven’t. And you can easily tell how far you missed the target.
Focus on Outcomes – The key to any kind of improvement is taking action. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the actions you take are what matters most in BPM. The most critical part of BPM is producing results. Work toward the outcomes that you want to produce, not just the steps you need to take to create them.
Measure Current Performance – Don’t immediately plunge into process improvement activities. First, take the time to measure how the current process is performing. Understanding how the process performs today assists you in two different ways.
First, it helps you determine what kind of changes you need to make to improve the process. A process that is truly suffering requires far more resources and attention than one that is in fairly good shape. Second, using current performance as a baseline helps you identify and demonstrate how much progress you’ve made.
Limit Your Metrics – BPM metrics are important, but don’t get carried away. While two or three critical metrics can provide valuable feedback on your BPM efforts, more than a handful of measurements confuses and distracts the team. Which metrics should be on your short list? Choose the ones that measure the most important outcomes of the project.
Connect Metrics to Business Strategy – When your team aligns its BPM process to the business strategy, it is more likely to get support from senior leadership. A higher degree of visibility with the right people can give you greater access to the resources that your project needs to succeed.
Deploying Business Process Management principles can certainly make your business more profitable, and using BPM metrics properly helps your project team maximize the benefits of adopting BPM strategy.
