Secrets to Better Business Process Management

Keeping business processes relevant and up to date can feel like a futile battle.

Sure, your technology, product, or idea may be brilliant, but relying on manual production scheduling (we see those whiteboards!), order tracking via emails and paper forms, and other traditional, labor-intensive workflows is not merely time-consuming—it puts your company at risk for:

• unanticipated delays
• lost or scattered data
• inconsistent synchronization
• overall lack of cohesion

All these hazards culminate in exasperated and burned-out employees.

Tyler, the Operations Director at a fictional mid-size manufacturing company, was experiencing these same struggles as the company grew.

Despite increasing demand for their products, the company struggled to meet production schedules, taking a toll on customer satisfaction and team morale.

After researching Business Process Management Best Practices, Tyler discovered that automating their business processes could increase efficiency, consistency, and accuracy and help them be more strategically focused.

In this blog, we explain the concept of business process management (BPM) and how companies can leverage BPM and automation for improved customer experience for repeat business and enhanced strategic planning and alignment.

Business Process Management Explained

Business process management (BPM) involves analyzing, improving, and automating an organization's workflows. BPM’s core principles revolve around:

• standardization
• continuous improvement
• agility
• customer focus
• transparency and accountability
• strategic alignment

For example, consider manual sales order processing. In legacy systems, orders may come in paper forms, email attachments, or even in the body of the email.

Without automation, these require manual entries into the sales system.

This is a straightforward example of a time-consuming process that’s prone to errors, which can result in order fulfillment delays, customer miscommunications, and, ultimately, lost sales opportunities.

BPM analysis can transform this clunky and error-prone process into one that runs smoothly and efficiently.

The Vital Role of Effective BPM

Business Process Management enables companies to achieve a holistic view of all the individual tasks within an organization and arrange them in the best order and sequence for efficient and optimized workflows.

This restructuring eliminates redundancies and wasted efforts - so nothing falls through the cracks.

BPM also helps companies achieve a clearer focus on the roles and responsibilities within the organization and ensures everyone is in alignment with expectations. The stage is now set for continuous improvement.

BPM can pave the way for improved compliance, thanks to the virtual roadmap of documented processes to meet regulations.

Of course, as with any new organizational initiative, implementing effective BPM can present challenges. Resistance to change is a common issue, often because people may fear additional work or even job displacement. 

Other problems may include communication issues due to:

•  siloed departments
• unclear goals
• legacy systems that hinder functionality
• a lack of resources for needed investments in technology, training, and hiring to bring in BPM expertise

But working through these challenges is well worth the effort, and intelligent automation in BPM (known as business process automation or BPA) is proving to be transformative in helping companies of all types create and implement a successful BPM strategy through automation.

Understanding Business Process Automation (BPA)

In a survey by Bain & Co. on AI and automation, 70% of executives deemed AI-driven automation either “very important” or “critical” for the future of their industries, while 45% said the integration of automation and AI would transform their industry.

This data highlights the critical role Business Process Automation will play in the strategy and success of forward-looking organizations.

BPA uses artificial intelligence (AI) to enable organizations to:

• orchestrate and manage end-to-end workflows
• predict outcomes
• strengthen performance
• transform customer experiences
• continuously deliver a high return on investment

To be clear, BPM is about managing processes, while BPA refers to streamlining processes through automation.

So, how are companies incorporating BPA into their operations? Great question!

Enter Power Automate

Power Automate is Microsoft's BPM Tool that is revolutionizing Business Process Management for Microsoft Dynamics 365 users.

An intuitive, low-code solution, Power Automate streamlines manual workflows by collecting and syncing data from various sources into a common data source. Power Automate offers unrivaled benefits to organizations of all sizes, including: 

Workflow management 

Power Automate serves as an epicenter for workflows, linking various data sources and applications to automate complex processes.

Improved process efficiency

Repetitive task automation allows employees to focus on higher-value activities, boosting operational efficiency.

Predicting outcomes

Power Automate analyzes historical process data to flag potential bottlenecks and suggest improvements, creating proactive process management.

Improved data gathering and synchronization across multiple sources

Simplified data collection across different platforms ensures accurate and consistent data across all business systems.

Transformative customer experience

Automating repetitive tasks like order confirmations and personalized communications empowers organizations to provide swift, more responsive customer experiences.

Scalability for larger enterprises while remaining accessible for smaller businesses

Power Automate’s scalable and versatile platform adapts to the needs of small businesses as well as large enterprises, making it a cost-effective choice for all.

Benefits suited to both SMBs and Enterprises

Power Automate’s user-friendly interface and ready-to-use templates are perfectly suited to SMBs needing a quick start. At the same time, its advanced features and customization options support more complex enterprise workflows.

Embracing the Power of BPA and Power Automate

Now that you have a sense of the benefits of BPA and Power Automate, here are some guidelines for putting them into practice.

First, it’s essential to brainstorm and outline a clear implementation roadmap for your unique organization. Create and prioritize a list of essential steps to undertake one by one.

This could include the following: 

• Assess current processes and workflows, consider their strengths and weaknesses, and identify what may be wasting time or resources.
• Identify automation opportunities - manual, repetitive tasks or areas where BPA tools could be implemented.
• Choose tools that fit your organization’s budget and technical expertise.
• Involving stakeholders from the beginning—decision-makers, process owners, and end users—to ensure the final solution aligns with business goals and is acceptable to end users.
• Implement workflows incrementally, with training and support, and monitor performance closely to measure the impact on efficiency and costs. 

Once you’ve worked through and adjusted your roadmap, consider the following business process management best practices for successful implementation when the time comes:

•  Change management: Some employees will have concerns about automation. Be alert to and address their concerns. Explain the benefits of BPA and be empathetic to gain their buy-in and ensure a smooth transition.
• Training: Comprehensive training for all users is critical to transferring the knowledge and skills they’ll need to use the new tools and processes effectively.
• Continuous improvement: BPA implementation is an ongoing journey. To ensure success, monitor results and make adjustments as needed. Analyze user feedback and data consistently to promote a culture of continuous improvement within your organization.

Automating your business processes can reduce risk, improve efficiency, and keep your business more strategically focused.

Microsoft Power Automate can take your Business Process Management strategy to the next level, empowering your employees and delivering on your organization’s goals.

If Power Automate sounds like something you’d like to explore, TrellisPoint can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.