Business process A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service

or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers. It often can be visualized with a flowchart as a sequence of activities. Overview There are three t pes of business processes! ". #anagement processes, the processes that govern the operation of a s stem. T pical management processes include $%orporate &overnance$ and $'trategic #anagement$. (. )perational processes, processes that constitute the core business and create the primar value stream. T pical operational processes are *urchasing, #anufacturing, Advertising and #arketing, and 'ales. 3. 'upporting processes, which support the core processes. +,amples include Accounting, -ecruitment, %all center, Technical support. A business process begins with a mission ob.ective and ends with achievement of the business ob.ective. *rocess/oriented organizations break down the barriers of structural departments and tr to avoid functional silos. A business process can be decomposed into several sub/processes, which have their own attributes, but also contribute to achieving the goal of the super/process. The anal sis of business processes t picall includes the mapping of processes and sub/processes down to activit level. 0usiness *rocesses are designed to add value for the customer and should not include unnecessar activities. The outcome of a well designed business process is increased effectiveness (value for the customer) and increased efficienc (less costs for the compan ). 0usiness *rocesses can be modeled through a large number of methods and techniques. 1or instance, the 0usiness *rocess #odeling 2otation is a 0usiness *rocess #odeling technique that can be used for drawing business processes in a workflow. History Adam Smith )ne of the first people to describe processes was Adam 'mith in his famous ("334) e,ample of a pin factor . Inspired b an article in 5iderot6s +nc clop7die, 'mith described the production of a pin in the following wa ! 8)ne man draws out the wire, another straights it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head! to make the head requires two or three distinct operations! to put it on is a particular business, to whiten the pins is another ... and the important business of making a pin is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which in some manufactories are all performed b distinct hands, though in others the same man will sometime perform two or three of them.8 'mith also first recognized how the output could be increased through the use of labor division. *reviousl , in a societ where production was dominated b handcrafted goods, one man would perform all the activities required during the production process, while 'mith described how the work was divided into a set of simple tasks, which would be performed b specialized workers. The result of labor division in 'mith9s e,ample resulted in productivit increasing b (:,;;; percent (sic), i.e. that the same number of workers made (:; times as man pins as the had been producing before the introduction of labor division. It is worth noting that 'mith did not advocate labor division at an price and per se. The appropriate level of task division was defined through e,perimental design of the production process. In contrast to 'mith6s view which was limited to the same functional domain and comprised activities that are in direct sequence in the manufacturing process, toda 6s process concept includes cross/functionalit as an important characteristic. 1ollowing his ideas the division of labor was adopted widel , while the integration of tasks into functional, or cross/functional, process was not considered as an alternative option until much later. Other definitions

In the earl "<<;s, =' corporations, and subsequentl companies all over the world, started to adopt the concept of reengineering in an attempt to re/achieve the competitiveness that the had lost during the previous decade. A ke characteristic of 0usiness *rocess -eengineering (0*-) is the focus on business processes. 5avenport ("<<>)?"@ defines a (business) process as 8a structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market. It implies a strong emphasis on how work is done within an organization, in contrast to a product focus9s emphasis on what. A process is thus a specific ordering of work activities across time and space, with a beginning and an end, and clearl defined inputs and outputs! a structure for action. ... Taking a process approach implies adopting the customer9s point of view. *rocesses are the structure b which an organization does what is necessar to produce value for its customers.8 This definition contains certain characteristics a process must possess. These characteristics are achieved b a focus on the business logic of the process (how work is done), instead of taking a product perspective (what is done). 1ollowing 5avenport6s definition of a process we can conclude that a process must have clearl defined boundaries, input and output, that it consists of smaller parts, activities, which are ordered in time and space, that there must be a receiver of the process outcome/ a customer / and that the transformation taking place within the process must add customer value. Aammer B %hamp 9s ("<<>)?(@ definition can be considered as a subset of 5avenport9s. The define a process as 8a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to the customer.8 As we can note, Aammer B %hamp have a more transformation oriented perception, and put less emphasis on the structural component C process boundaries and the order of activities in time and space. -ummler B 0rache ("<<D)?>@ use a definition that clearl encompasses a focus on the organization9s e,ternal customers, when stating that 8a business process is a series of steps designed to produce a product or service. #ost processes (...) are cross/functional, spanning the Ewhite space9 between the bo,es on the organization chart. 'ome processes result in a product or service that is received b an organization6s e,ternal customer. Fe call these primar processes. )ther processes produce products that are invisible to the e,ternal customer but essential to the effective management of the business. Fe call these support processes.8 The above definition distinguishes two t pes of processes, primar and support processes, depending on whether a process is directl involved in the creation of customer value, or concerned with the organization9s internal activities. In this sense, -ummler and 0rache6s definition follows *orter6s value chain model, which also builds on a division of primar and secondar activities. According to -ummler and 0rache, a t pical characteristic of a successful process/based organization is the absence of secondar activities in the primar value flow that is created in the customer oriented primar processes. The characteristic of processes as spanning the white space on the organization chart indicates that processes are embedded in some form of organizational structure. Also, a process can be cross/functional, i.e. it ranges over several business functions. 1inall , let us consider the process definition of Gohansson et al. ("<<>) ?:@. The define a process as 8a set of linked activities that take an input and transform it to create an output. Ideall , the transformation that occurs in the process should add value to the input and create an output that is more useful and effective to the recipient either upstream or downstream.8 This definition also emphasizes the constitution of links between activities and the transformation that takes place within the process. Gohansson et al. also include the upstream part of the value chain as a possible recipient of the process output. 'ummarizing the four definitions above, we can compile the following list of characteristics for a business process. ". (. >. :. Definability ! It must have clearl defined boundaries, input and output. Order ! It must consist of activities that are ordered according to their position in time and space. Customer ! There must be a recipient of the process6 outcome, a customer. Value-adding ! The transformation taking place within the process must add value to the recipient, either upstream or downstream.

D. Embeddedness ! A process can not e,ist in itself, it must be embedded in an organizational structure. 4. Cross-functionality ! A process regularl can, but not necessaril must, span several functions. 1requentl , a process owner, i.e. a person being responsible for the performance and continuous improvement of the process, is also considered as a prerequisite... Importance of the Process Chain 0usiness processes comprise a set of sequential sub/processes or tasks, with alternative paths depending on certain conditions as applicable, performed to achieve a given ob.ective or produce given outputs. +ach process has one or more needed inputs. The inputs and outputs ma be received from, or sent to other business processes, other organizational units, or internal or e,ternal stakeholders. 0usiness processes are designed to be operated b one or more business functional units, and emphasize the importance of the Hprocess chain8 rather than the individual units. In general, the various tasks of a business process can be performed in one of two wa s C ") manuall and () b means of business data processing s stems such as +-* s stems. T picall , some process tasks will be manual, while some will be computer/based, and these tasks ma be sequenced in man wa s. In other words, the data and information that are being handled through the process ma pass through manual or computer tasks in an given order. The Four Ma or Process Improvement Areas The point to note here is that, irrespective of the class of the task / whether manual or computerised / it is important that each task / and hence the process as a whole C is designed and periodicall reviewed, improved, or substituted b another task, with a view to continuous improvement in four ma.or areas! ". +ffectiveness (. +fficienc >. Internal control :. %ompliance to various statutes and policies These areas are e,plained b highlighting t pical deficiencies in each of them, as under! !ffectiveness The overall effectiveness of a process is the e,tent to which the outputs e,pected from the process are being obtained at all, and is therefore a first measure of the basic adequac of the process and its capabilit to fulfill the logical and reasonable e,pectations of process uses and operators. 1or e,ample, consider the material procurement process. )ne of its important tasks is the sub/process for supplier follow/up to ensure timel deliveries of materials. 'uch a task is considerabl less effective if it does not provide accurate and timel purchase order status reports for use of the purchase department staff responsible for follow/up. !fficiency 'upposing it has been observed that the average time taken to prepare and send out a purchase order after receipt of a properl prepared indent from the end/user is unacceptabl high, leading to dela ed customer deliveries and consequent customer complaints. The process of Hconverting8 the end/user9s indent to a purchase order is effective because a purchase order is being somehow generated, but its efficienc is ver low since it takes an inordinate amount of time and costs considerabl more in terms of the cost to the compan of the salaries of staff members involved. Interna" Contro"

In a scenario where quantities of ma.or raw materials are regularl ordered and consumed, rates are fi,ed with selected, reliable, approved vendors for an e,tended period C commonl a ear. #oreover, let us sa that the rate contract does not contain a price escalation clause. This safeguards the organisation from unanticipated price escalation during the period. The rate contract data are stored in the +-* s stem9s database. Fhenever materials are to be ordered (with or without a deliver schedule), purchase orders are generated mentioning the rate finalised in the rate contract. An internal control e,ists to keep the purchase rate constant throughout the ear. 'uppose, however, it is found that the rate on a purchase order based on a current rate contract is changed to a different value, and the purchase order then sent out to the supplier. This is a serious lapse in internal control, since a change to a higher rate e,poses the compan to a higher financial liabilit . #oreover, the editabilit of the rate in such a purchase order completel nullifies the internal controls provided b having a rate contract in the first place and including a no/escalation clause in it. There would be a further breach of internal control if it were found that such a *) amendment is actuall authorised before sending the purchase order to the supplier. Statutory and Po"icy Comp"iance There are certain situations where pa ments made to consultants or service contractors must be statutoril made after deducting ta, at source (T.5.'.), and such T.5.'. amounts must be deposited in government treasur accounts with banks on or before a specified date in the month following the month in which the pa ments are made. In such cases, if a business process does not provide for deduction of T.5.'. andIor fails to ensure deposition into government accounts b the specified date, then this is a statutor compliance issue that makes the concerned e,ecutives liable to civil I criminal legal action. Po"icies# Processes and Procedures The above improvement areas are equall applicable to policies, processes and detailed procedures (sub/ processesItasks). There is a cascading effect of improvements made at a higher level on those made at a lower level. 1or instance, if a recommendation to replace a given polic with a better one is made with proper .ustification and accepted in principle b business process owners, then corresponding changes in the consequent processes and procedures will follow naturall in order to enable implementation of the polic changes. Manua" $ Administrative vs% Computer System&Based Interna" Contro"s Internal controls can be built into manual I administrative process steps and I or computer s stem procedures. It is advisable to build in as man s stem controls as possible, since these controls, being automatic, will alwa s be e,ercised since the are built into the design of the business s stem software. 1or instance, an error message preventing an entr of a received raw material quantit e,ceeding the purchase order quantit b greater than the permissible tolerance percentage will alwa s be displa ed and will prevent the s stem user from entering such a quantit . Aowever, for various reasons such as practicalit , the need to be Hfle,ible8 (whatever that ma signif ), lack of business domain knowledge and e,perience, difficulties in designingIwriting software, cost of software developmentImodification, the incapabilit of a computerised s stem to provide controls, etc., all internal controls otherwise considered to be necessar are often not built into business s stems and software. In such a scenario, the manual, administrative process controls outside the computer s stem should be clearl documented, enforced and regularl e,ercised. 1or instance, while entering data to create a new record in a material s stem database9s item master table, the onl internal control that the s stem can provide over the item description field is not to allow the user to leave the description blank C in other words, configure item description as a mandator field. The s stem obviousl cannot alert the user that the description is wrongl spelt, inappropriate, nonsensical, etc. In the absence of such a s stem/based internal control, the item creation process must include a suitable administrative control through the detailed checking, b a responsible officer, of all fields entered for the new item, b comparing a print/out taken from the s stem with the item data entr sheet, and ensuring that an

corrections in the item description (and other similar fields where no s stem control is possible) are promptl carried out. Jast but not least, the introduction of effective manual, administrative controls usuall requires an overriding periodic check b a higher authorit to ensure that such controls are e,ercised in the first place. Information 'eports as an !ssentia" Base for !(ecutin) Business Processes 0usiness processes must include up/to/date and accurate Information reports to ensure effective action. An e,ample of this is the availabilit of purchase order status reports for supplier deliver follow/up as described in the section on effectiveness above. There are numerous e,amples of this in ever possible business process. Another e,ample from production is the process of anal sis of line re.ections occurring on the shop floor. This process should include s stematic periodical anal sis of re.ections b reason, and present the results in a suitable information report that pinpoints the ma.or reasons, and trends in these reasons, for management to take corrective actions to control re.ections and keep them within acceptable limits. 'uch a process of anal sis and summarisation of line re.ection events is clearl superior to a process which merel inquires into each individual re.ection as it occurs. 0usiness process owners and operatives should realise that process improvement often occurs with introduction of appropriate transaction, operational, highlight, e,ception or #.I.'. reports, provided these are consciousl used for da /to/da or periodical decision/making. Fith this understanding would hopefull come the willingness to invest time and other resources in business process improvement b introduction of useful and relevant reporting s stems. Supportin) theories and concepts 1rederick Finslow Ta lor developed the concept of scientific management. The concept contains aspects on the division of labor being relevant to the theor and practice around business processes. The business process related aspects of Ta lor6s scientific management concept are discussed in the article on 0usiness *rocess -eengineering. Span of contro" The span of control is the number of sub/ordinates a supervisor manages within a structural organization. Introducing a business process concept has a considerable impact on the structural elements of the organization and thus also on the span of control. Jarge organizations that are not organized as markets need to be organized in smaller units / departments / which can be defined according to different principles. Information mana)ement concepts Information #anagement and the organization design strategies being related to it, are a theoretical cornerstone of the business process concept.

Business process mana)ement Business process mana)ement (0*#) is a management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It is a holistic management approach?"@ that promotes business effectiveness and efficienc while striving for innovation, fle,ibilit , and integration with technolog . 0usiness process management attempts to improve processes continuousl . It could therefore be described as a $process optimization process.$ It is argued that 0*# enables organizations to be more efficient, more effective and more capable of change than a functionall focused, traditional hierarchical management approach. An empirical stud b Kohlbacher ((;;<) reveals that 0*# helps organizations to gain higher customer satisfaction, product qualit , deliver speed and time/to/market speed ?(@. Overview A business process comprises a $series or network of value/added activities, performed b their relevant roles or collaborators, to purposefull achieve the common business goal.$ ?>@ These processes are critical to an organization! the ma generate revenue and often represent a significant proportion of costs. As a managerial approach, 0*# considers processes to be strategic assets of an organization that must be understood, managed, and improved to deliver value added products and services to clients. This foundation is ver similar to other Total Lualit #anagement or %ontinuous Improvement *rocess methodologies or approaches. 0*# goes a step further b stating that this approach can be supported, or enabled, through technolog to ensure the viabilit of the managerial approach in times of stress and change. In fact, 0*# is an approach to integrate a $change capabilit $ to an organization / both human and technological. As such, man 0*# articles and pundits often discuss 0*# from one of two viewpoints! people andIor technolog . -oughl speaking, the idea of (business) process is as traditional as concepts of tasks, department, production, outputs.?citation needed@ The current management and improvement approach, with formal definitions and technical modeling, has been around since the earl "<<;s (see business process modeling). 2ote that in the IT communit , the term 6business process6 is often used as s non mous of management of middleware processesM or integrating application software tasks. This viewpoint ma be overl restrictive / a limitation to keep in mind when reading software engineering papers that refer to $business processes$ or to $business process modeling$. Although the initial focus of 0*# was on the automation of business processes with the use of information technolog , it has since been e,tended?by whom?@ to integrate human/driven processes in which human interaction takes place in series or parallel with the use of technolog . 1or e,ample (in workflow s stems), when individual steps in the business process require human intuition or .udgment to be performed, these steps are assigned to appropriate members within the organization. #ore advanced forms such as human interaction management are in the comple, interaction between human workers in performing a workgroup task. In this case, man people and s stems interact in structured, ad/hoc, and sometimes completel d namic wa s to complete one to man transactions. 0*# can be used to understand organizations through e,panded views that would not otherwise be available to organize and present. These views include the relationships of processes to each other which, when included in a process model, provide for advanced reporting and anal sis that would not otherwise be available. 0*# is regarded b some?who?@ as the backbone of enterprise content management. 0ecause 0*# allows organizations to abstract business process from technolog infrastructure, it goes far be ond automating business processes (software) or solving business problems (suite). 0*# enables business to respond to changing consumer, market, and regulator demands faster than competitors ?citation needed@ / creating competitive advantage. As of (;"; technolog has allowed the coupling of 0*# to other methodologies, such as 'i, 'igma. 0*# tools allow users to! 5efine / baseline the process or the process improvement #odel / simulate the change to the process. Anal ze / compare the various simulations to determine an optimal improvement Improve / select and implement the improvement %ontrol / deplo this implementation and b use of =ser defined dashboards monitor the improvement in real time and feed the performance information back into the simulation model in preparation for the ne,t improvement iteration.

This brings with it the benefit of being able to simulate changes to business processes based on real/life data (not assumed knowledge). Also, the coupling of 0*# to industr methodologies allows users to continuall streamline and optimize the process to ensure that it is tuned to its market need. ?:@ BPM "ife&cyc"e 0usiness process management activities can be grouped into five categories! design, modeling, e,ecution, monitoring, and optimization. *esi)n *rocess 5esign encompasses both the identification of e,isting processes and the design of $to/be$ processes. Areas of focus include representation of the process flow, the actors within it, alerts B notifications, escalations, 'tandard )perating *rocedures, 'ervice Jevel Agreements, and task hand/over mechanisms. &ood design reduces the number of problems over the lifetime of the process. Fhether or not e,isting processes are considered, the aim of this step is to ensure that a correct and efficient theoretical design is prepared. The proposed improvement could be in human/to/human, human/to/s stem, and s stem/to/s stem workflows, and might target regulator , market, or competitive challenges faced b the businesses. Mode"in) #odeling takes the theoretical design and introduces combinations of variables (e.g., changes in rent or materials costs, which determine how the process might operate under different circumstances). It also involves running $what/if anal sis$ on the processes! "What if I ha e !"# of resources to do the same tas$?" "What if I want to do the same %ob for &'# of the current cost?" . !(ecution )ne of the wa s to automate processes is to develop or purchase an application that e,ecutes the required steps of the processM however, in practice, these applications rarel e,ecute all the steps of the process accuratel or completel . Another approach is to use a combination of software and human interventionM however this approach is more comple,, making the documentation process difficult. As a response to these problems, software has been developed that enables the full business process (as developed in the process design activit ) to be defined in a computer language which can be directl e,ecuted b the computer. The s stem will either use services in connected applications to perform business operations (e)g) calculating a repa ment plan for a loan) or, when a step is too comple, to automate, will ask for human input. %ompared to either of the previous approaches, directl e,ecuting a process definition can be more straightforward and therefore easier to improve. Aowever, automating a process definition requires fle,ible and comprehensive infrastructure, which t picall rules out implementing these s stems in a legac IT environment. 0usiness rules have been used b s stems to provide definitions for governing behaviour, and a business rule engine can be used to drive process e,ecution and resolution. Monitorin) #onitoring encompasses the tracking of individual processes, so that information on their state can be easil seen, and statistics on the performance of one or more processes can be provided. An e,ample of the tracking is being able to determine the state of a customer order (e)g) ordered arrived, awaiting deliver , invoice paid) so that problems in its operation can be identified and corrected. In addition, this information can be used to work with customers and suppliers to improve their connected processes. +,amples of the statistics are the generation of measures on how quickl a customer order is processed or how man orders were processed in the last month. These measures tend to fit into three categories! c cle time, defect rate and productivit .

The degree of monitoring depends on what information the business wants to evaluate and anal ze and how business wants it to be monitored, in real/time, near real/time or ad/hoc. Aere, business activit monitoring (0A#) e,tends and e,pands the monitoring tools in generall provided b 0*#'. *rocess mining is a collection of methods and tools related to process monitoring. The aim of process mining is to anal ze event logs e,tracted through process monitoring and to compare them with an a priori process model. *rocess mining allows process anal sts to detect discrepancies between the actual process e,ecution and the a priori model as well as to anal ze bottlenecks. Optimi+ation *rocess optimization includes retrieving process performance information from modeling or monitoring phaseM identif ing the potential or actual bottlenecks and the potential opportunities for cost savings or other improvementsM and then, appl ing those enhancements in the design of the process. )verall, this creates greater business value ?D@. Practice

+,ample of 0usiness *rocess #anagement (0*#) 'ervice *attern! This pattern shows how business process management (0*#) tools can be used to implement business processes through the orchestration of activities between people and s stems.?4@ Fhilst the steps can be viewed as a c cle, economic or time constraints are likel to limit the process to onl a few iterations. This is often the case when an organization uses the approach for short to medium term ob.ectives rather than tr ing to transform the organizational culture. True iterations are onl possible through the collaborative efforts of process participants. In a ma.orit of organizations, comple,it will require enabling technolog (see below) to support the process participants in these dail process management challenges. To date, man organizations often start a 0*# pro.ect or program with the ob.ective to optimize an area that has been identified as an area for improvement. In financial sector, 0*# is critical to make sure the s stem delivers a qualit service while maintaining regulator compliance.?3@ %urrentl , the international standards for the task have onl limited to the application for IT sectors and I')II+% "D<:: covers the operational aspects of the business. Aowever, some corporations with the culture of best practices do use standard operating procedures to regulate their operational process.?N@ )ther standards are currentl being worked upon to assist in 0*# implementation (0*#2, +nterprise Architecture, 0usiness #otivation #odel).

BPM techno"o)y

'ome define the 0*# ' stem or 'uite (0*#') as $the whole of 0*#.$ )thers will relate the important concept of information moving between enterprise software packages and immediatel think of 'ervice )riented Architecture (')A). 'till others limit the definition to $modeling... to create the Eperfect9 process,$ (see 0usiness modeling). These are partial answers and the technological offerings continue to evolve. The 0*#' term ma not survive. Toda it encompasses the concept of supporting the managerial approach through enabling technolog . The 0*#' should enable all stakeholders to have a firm understanding of an organization and its performance. The 0*#' should facilitate business process change throughout the life c cle stated above. This will assist in the automation of activities, collaboration, integration with other s stems, integrating partners through the value chain, etc. 1or instance, the size and comple,it of dail tasks often requires the use of technolog to model efficientl . These models facilitate automation and solutions to business problems. These models can also become e,ecutable to assist in monitoring and controlling business processes. As such, some people view 0*# as $the bridge between Information Technolog (IT) and 0usiness.$?citation needed@. In fact, an argument can be made that this $holistic approach$ bridges organizational and technological silos. There are four critical components of a 0*# 'uite! *rocess +ngine C a robust platform for modeling and e,ecuting process/based applications, including business rules 0usiness Anal tics O enable managers to identif business issues, trends, and opportunities with reports and dashboards and react accordingl %ontent #anagement O provides a s stem for storing and securing electronic documents, images, and other files %ollaboration Tools O remove intra/ and interdepartmental communication barriers through discussion forums, d namic workspaces, and message boards

0*# also addresses man of the critical IT issues underpinning these business drivers, including! #anaging end/to/end, customer/facing processes %onsolidating data and increasing visibilit into and access to associated data and information Increasing the fle,ibilit and functionalit of current infrastructure and data Integrating with e,isting s stems and leveraging emerging service oriented architecture (')As) +stablishing a common language for business/IT alignment

Palidation of 0*#' is another technical issue that vendors and users need to be aware of, if regulator compliance is mandator .?<@ The validation task could be performed either b an authenticated third part or b the users themselves. +ither wa , validation documentation will need to be generated. The validation document usuall can either be published officiall or retained b users. ?";@

What is a Business Process?

The business process is a series of activities occurring within a compan that lead to a specific end. #ost often, the business process focuses on meeting the needs of the customer and delivering a good or service that will fulfill that need. In man cases, the business process is actuall a collection of interrelated processes that function in a logical sequence to achieve the ultimate goal. 5efining the e,act steps of a business process will var somewhat from one corporate structure to another. Aowever, there are some elements or sub/processes that can be found in .ust about an business process. To some degree, these sub/processes will alwa s occur in an order that lead to successful completion of the manufacturing process. The first step in a business process normall has to do with the acquisition of raw materials for the business operation. In order to ma,imize the benefit from raw materials, efforts are made to secure materials of the highest qualit at the most cost efficient price. 5oing so increases the chance of achieving a higher amount of profit for each unit produced and sold. 1ollowing the acquisition step, the business process will move on to the structure and efficienc of the production structure. Aere, the organization of the plant facilit in order to allow raw materials to be processed with the greatest degree of efficienc becomes paramount. This is coupled with attention to such factors as emplo ee training, setting reasonable production goals, and establishing a workable maintenance program for the production machiner . The ne,t step in the business process focuses on the sales and marketing effort. Fhile it is established earl on that the final product will be of value to consumers, it is often necessar to develop and implement creative strategies for making bu ers aware of the product. As part of this effort, public relations, advertising efforts, and the establishment of a simple means of placing orders will often help to secure customers who are read and willing to bu the produced products. )nce the goods are produced and sold, the final step of the business process has to do with deliver to the client. This portion of the process includes such elements as processing orders in a timel manner, advising the client of the scheduled deliver date, and making sure that date is met. )n the back end, the deliver process also has to do with obtaining feedback from the customer regarding their level of satisfaction with the product and the efficienc of the ph sical deliver . 5epending on the nature of the industr involved, orders from clients ma be secured before the actual process of production begins. Aowever, man companies operate with a business process that allows for the production of goods in anticipation of sales to consumers.

P'OC!SS MA,A-!M!,T .IF!C/C.! 0PM.1 0ringing a new business process to life, modif ing or optimizing an e,isting business process, and continuall innovating a business process all involve a similar set of phases and activities. The business process lifec cle visuall depicts this ongoing circle of these activities. The lifec cle includes the following phases!

1. Anal ze phase 2.
o Anal zing the current environment and an current processes that ma be in place o Identif ing needs and defining requirements 5esign phase o +valuating potential solutions to meet the identified needs o 5esigning the business process o #odeling the business process Implement phase o *ro.ect preparation o 0lueprinting o -ealization o 1inal preparation o &o live and support -un and #onitor phase o +,ecuting or deplo ing the business process o #onitoring the business process

3.

4.

2ote that a separate optimize phase is unnecessar , since process optimization takes place throughout all of the phases. Business Process Mana)ement Basics & .ife Cyc"e 2 Imp"ementation %hange is the onl constant thing in this world, especiall for businesses. This is because consumer demands are also constantl redefined. 'uccess can onl be achieved b keeping up with modernisation. Therefore, businesses should alwa s reinvent themselves, so that customers will not get bored with whatever the have to offer. This is where effective business process management (0*#) comes in hand . 0*# helps organisations sta ahead of the competition. It is the methodical and organised management approach that is designed to improve the qualit of products and services to meet the customers9 changing wants and needs. It is also referred to as the ideas, techniques and tools used to manage business processes. 0usiness process management tools consist of organising, leading, staffing, controlling, planning, and coordination. To simpl put it, the basic definition of 0*# is the process of designing, as well as maintaining a common environment where individuals that work together in groups efficientl accomplishing targeted aims.

Business process wor3 f"ow In an compan , workflow is a critical operational task that is carried out in various business processes. 0usiness process workflow is the organising and plotting of tasks or documents, which are performed b a set of rules or procedures. It is a ver critical function carried out in the business9 work procedure. The ke factors performed in a workflow process are structural tasks, order of relativit , procedure s nchronisation, tracking procedure, as well as tracking relevant information that supports the task. It is performed using three essential parts! software, management and automation. Forkflow software contributes to the generation of flow of work processes in an organised manner. Forkflow management controls and manages the whole workflow of the processes involved in the business. 'ome of the most important benefits of such process are high efficienc , improved service, better control, improved fle,ibilit , and growth in the business. The use of data through a wide arra of applications, algorithms, and services refers to scientific workflow. #eanwhile, the concentration on scheduling task e,ecutions and dependencies is the business workflow. )ne can find several various workflow solutions that can offer strong -)I (-eturn of Investment) through high productivit , efficient operations, organisational accountabilit , information accessibilit , and process intelligence. These solutions help improve business processes that can lead to simplif ing and streamlining of the business.

Business process mana)ement Investing in a qualit management technique such as business process optimization can present a whole new world of efficiencies for the compan and its emplo ees. In most cases, this method requires end users to use codes as the mould and pinpoint workflow processes. Aowever, some companies provide solutions that require onl scripting and mapping without coding. This allows users to have more freedom and eliminating the need for IT in the process. 2earl all compan departments can benefit from this approach. The A- department can use this to automate ever thing from leave requests to .ob requisitions. The finance

department can automate approvals in regard to invoices, sales, quotations, capital e,penditure, etc. Thus, business process optimisation helps clients achieve measurable results b modif ing techniques surrounding their trial development life c cle. This website was constructed and established for users and researchers looking for adequate information about 0*#. Allow us to enlighten ou in this area through our written articles and presented data.