The role of human factor in business process management projects

Abstract

Business Process Management (BPM) is an approach that today is becoming more popular and gets increasingly implemented in more and more companies. The benefits of using BPM, we can identify improving organizational productivity and responsiveness, cost reduction, acceleration cycle times, improving relations with external customers and obtaining new orders. Projects of Business Process Management such as process modelling or reengineering require vast organisational changes. These changes are supported by detailed methodology and various software applications. But there is also an important factor which is often put away but which is of the highest importance. By this factor we mean people. There are many risks connected with human factor in BPM projects. They can be divided into two categories. In the first category there are risks connected with change management. There are always people who are not supportive about a project. Cynic and negative people, who reject the change, people who fear the change or people with their own interests. Even if project's risks in technology or finance are managed well, there is very often problem with risks of human factor. The other category is directly connected with BPM projects. Competencies of process owners are different than that of managers of traditional departments. It is not possible just to develop process model and rename managers to process owners. Such "transformation" is totally insufficient. The article aims to point out the potential of increasing efficiency of support processes using BPM methodologies which will result in increased profitability of the company. The case studies try to point out benefits and importance of focusing not only on the management of core business processes but also the management of support processes. In our article we would like describe, Competence management context in organizations that are on the way to Business Process Management too. It is not a matter of days, weeks or months. The aim of this paper is to indicate impacts of human factor on such projects and to explore knowledge, skills and properties e.g. competencies which process owners need for managing the process which often flows through several functional departments.