Although it's not one of business' primary activities, business process management is nevertheless an essential part of running a company. In this day and age, the old way of doing it - with bureaucracy, micromanagement, and constant hands-on managerial involvement - is severely outdated. The old systems have proven themselves to be wholly inadequate in dealing with the world's current state. As a result, all top companies are doing away with old practices and implementing new, more sophisticated BPM methods.

Digitalisation is prevalent in all aspects of life, and business is no exception. Naturally, many production-related activities simply can't be digitised entirely, but process management can. Due to its focus on data and accessibility, process management is a critical activity that stands to benefit the most from moving online.

There are many reasons why implementing BPM software is crucial to business success. Here are some of them.

On The Production Side of Things

There are some key functions of BPM that are invaluable purely from a productivity standpoint.

1. BPM helps smooth out essential business processes

Iteration and data analysis is the main way for a business to improve. Due to its communication and organisational features, BPM software enables various iterations on a process to be put into practice as soon as they are devised. Additionally, BPM makes collecting feedback on any actions taken, and practices implemented easy and quick. All the information one may need to make tweaks and adjustments to any process is easily accessible to the right people at all times.

2. BPM helps identify and remove bottlenecks.

Process bottlenecks are a serious issue for many companies and can result in serious underperformance if neglected. Bottlenecks can take many forms - a particularly annoying situation can have employees being forced to wait for someone else to do something trivial before they can continue with their work. Another common scenario is for unfinished product to end up stuck at a specific manufacturing or distribution stage. This happens when the company's infrastructure doesn't have the same output level all the way through the process.

Identifying systemic bottlenecks and providing detailed information on where, when, and how they happen is one of BPM's primary functions. It gives the people in charge of the processes all the possible information that could be gathered on the subject, so they can make timely adjustments and avoid this type of situation.

3. BPM Is essential for automation

AI technology, and automation in general, is the future of work. There is little doubt about that - it provides invaluable tools for almost any job, and can even outright replace humans in some cases. However, its costs can be prohibitive in many cases - and since every business is different, a one-size-fits-all approach is often suboptimal. Companies usually need bespoke software that caters to their specific needs - and that can be monstrously expensive. Fortunately, companies don't have to spare the expense of automating every single task's performance - just the key ones that are the most cumbersome and repetitive. BPM is perfectly suited for identifying precisely which processes should be automated and can give businesses invaluable information on how that can be done.

From a Managerial Standpoint

BPM makes the management department's job significantly easier in many ways.

4. BPM facilitates project oversight

Implementing a BPM software solution provides managers instantaneous access to both focused information about the employees they are overseeing and a broader view of the whole organisation. In days past, access to this information was obtained slowly, through cumbersome bureaucracy and required much more effort to compile and analyse. Now, with digital BPM, managers can just access it at will and act on it instantaneously.

5. BPM promotes top-down communication

Project management platforms are specifically set up to facilitate communication within a company. This allows managers instant and access to employees, regardless of all other circumstances that may normally hinder the process. If everyone uses the same system, it doesn't matter if they're at the office, social distancing in their homes, or in another place entirely. Maintaining a clear and professional line of communication between managers and staff is essential to running a company - and BPM excels in that particular field.

From an Employee's Point of View

A good BPM platform improves the experience of employees as well.

6. BPM promotes horizontal communication

Communication, both with management, within a team, and across teams and departments, is key for both an employee's efficiency and morale. A clear line of communication is essential for synchronising tasks, as well as resolving any problems that crop up along the way. Having access to all of the people you need to talk to on one platform is a boon for employees.

7. BPM removes distractions

Distractions are a blight on the working process. They cripple productivity, reduce employee morale, and can end up severely damaging any business process if they get out of hand. BPM is uniquely positioned to help companies get rid of distractions of all sorts. Working with an online system that tracks everything ensures that employee paperwork and bureaucracy in general, is reduced to the absolute minimum. Instead of compiling an official report, printing it in triplicate, and sending it up the ladder, an employee can just text management about a specific detail, and their message would be available to all the right people at all times.

Additionally, the need to stop working to provide routine updates is minimised with BPM, as the system can be set up to track activity automatically and compile the data in a usable form.

8. BPM ensures transparency

Having all the data about employee activities, communications, and interactions is reassuring for employees as well as managers. Transparency ensures that when something goes wrong, the right people would be held responsible, which is a relief for employees. Conversely, an employee can always point to BPM logs as proof of adherence to protocol or a lack thereof. Having a system that ensures accountability provides stability, which is essential for maintaining employee morale.

From a Customer's Perspective

Implementing BPM impacts a customer's experience of the company as well.

9. BMP Allows Companies to Provide Better Products

Cleaning up a company's organisational processes gives businesses the opportunity to focus on R&D and improving the quality of their product. Improving product quality over time is the key to both winning over new customers and maintaining old ones. Implementing BPM facilitates this indirectly but noticeably.

10. BPM Improves Customer Service

Good customer service hinges on active, smooth, and swift communication between employees. This is one of BPM's core functions, and it is one that BPM excels at.

Staying Relevant And Competitive

Implementing BPM software brings immense value to a company. No business has a chance of staying relevant and competing on the market nowadays without an adequate technological solution in place to oversee and manage it. At this point, BPM software is no longer a novelty or a luxury, but a necessity that is essential for keeping business afloat.