Future of BPM: Adaptive processes, automation & learning from failure

Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach that organizations use to manage, improve and optimize their business processes. It is one of the most significant technological trends of recent times – the modernization of businesses through process-driven transformation. BPM is especially vital in uncertain economic climates as organizations look to eliminate waste and increase operational resilience (OPEX).

BPM’s future-proofing role is undeniable. Data indicates that the global BPM market will be worth USD $14.4 billion by 2025, with 80 percent of organizations fully embracing it within two years.

From the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and the growth of low-code/no-code technology to governance, risk and compliance (GRC) frameworks and sustainability, various trends are driving and changing the BPM scene. All this and more took center stage at All Access: Future of BPM, part of PEX Network’s free webinar series. The event brought together experts and thought leaders across industries to discuss and reflect upon the most important issues in the modern BPM landscape.

Here are the key trends, highlights and messages from All Access: Future of BPM.

Shift to adaptive BPM

Day one’s opening panel explored the rise of adaptive BPM and its role in shaping modern process management. Bolstered by new technology, adaptive BPM enables businesses to adjust processes on-the-fly and allows better response to the demands of the customer and market.

The key difference between traditional BPM and adaptive BPM is that, with traditional BPM, the process management layer provides analytics and analysis of data, whereas adaptive BPM not only provides real-time reporting but makes key corrections to streamline process decision-making.  Donald Kuk, president and chief transformation officer at Enterprise Transformation Excellence, commented: “Over the past five years, adaptive BPM has exploded into the workplace. The use of AI combined with BPM has delivered incredible results.”

Read: 6 trends that will shape BPM in 2024

Trends driving adaptive BPM

Key factors driving the shift from traditional BPM to adaptive process management include changes in consumer expectations, said Ekaterina “Katie” Curry, managing director and head of operations, multifamily/leasetrack at Millennial Specialty Insurance. “Consumers are demanding hyper personalization and speed. Gen Zs and millennials are looking for a very different pace of operations and delivery.”

There are also processes that must be automated by businesses because human beings can’t work quickly enough, added Kuk. “Technology allows us to do things we just can’t do as human beings.”

In a live poll during the session, 48 percent of viewers said that increased efficiency in process execution is the biggest advantage of adaptive BPM, followed by improved collaboration across departments (26 percent) and real-time process adaptability (11 percent). “I am glad that the audience chose process execution and efficiency, because without strong execution, companies just fall behind,” Curry said. “Strong execution, enabled by adaptive BPM, is a key differentiator and a superpower for businesses and teams.”

Facilitating adaptive BPM

Supporting and encouraging a shift to adaptive BPM requires businesses to think horizontally, considering the business-wide value chain, said Curry. An alignment of common goals is essential, as is defining and measuring success across business functions, she added. “There are a lot of Lean Six Sigma tools you can use without a lot of effort and cost that can begin your journey.”

Change is easy for everyone that doesn’t have to do it; for everyone else, it’s not very easy, said Kuk. “Everyone wants to know where they’ll be sitting when the transformation music stops playing. We have to provide encouragement to get active collaboration and participation from employees to make sure they can participate in a constructive way.”

Adaptive BPM can be implemented quickly – within six to nine months – while more complex processes can take around 18 months, Kuk added. “The secret is mapping, in detail, the behavior of the businesses.”

Analyst reaction: Reflecting on this session, Arun U, BPM and process automation analyst at Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, wrote: “The key takeaway from the session were the strategies organizations can deploy to break down silos, which are change management techniques, broader thinking along the value chain, aligning vertical and horizontal goals and gamifying cross-functional collaboration.”

Audience comment: “One of the challenges of BPM is mapping the “as is” processes in this dynamic environment, meaning that by the time one completes as is processes, we have a new process. I think we should focus more on the “to be” rather than as is. Another challenge is engaging all of the horizontal units to collaborate. If there is no top management focus, the program can fail fast,” Preethi Nair, audience participator. 

Automation in BPM

Automation is playing an increasingly key role in the evolution of BPM. Speaking on day two’s opening session, Dr. Frank Thielmann, head of “function of the future” transformation at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, discussed the advantages and necessity of hyperautomation in BPM, outlining how businesses can react to changes at scale through a variety of automation and workplace tools.

AI’s role in BPM automation

“Digital tools are not new – they have been used in BPM for some time – but we have new opportunities to bring AI into the equation,” Thielmann said. In a poll, 54 percent of viewers said that AI and machine learning are the most important emerging technologies in BPM automation right now.

For businesses, change management is a crucial factor in the implementation of AI. “With any BPM project you need to have a change management plan. That is even more important with AI because there are concerns around people’s jobs being threatened,” Thielman said. AI has notable potential in guiding and assisting processes, augmenting manual tasks and proposing improvements, he added. Solid IT infrastructure and an understanding of data structure are prerequisites of successful AI adoption, Thielman said.

Real-time data and digitalization

Real-time data management and a sound grounding in digitalization are also key to effective BPM automation and efficiency, according to Thielman. “Classically a lot of tools were working with data packages, so you’d have to extract data or connect systems with specific tools. That makes you very reactive.” Ideally, to get real-time decision and reaction times, you need synergy between your data and tools – like having a “control tower” to get real-time information that supports a more autonomous position, Thielman said.

As for digitalization, businesses need to check what their initial level/maturity is before embarking on sophisticated automation, Thielman added. “Even if you have a nicely drawn process map in a digital system, that doesn’t mean you have a digital process.”

Sustainable automation

While there’s an increasing need for organizations to automate BPM for efficiency and competitiveness, they also need to ensure their automation strategies are sustainable and scalable. “This has less to do with the technology and more to do with the approach we use for BPM,” Thielman said. “The key is that you consider the improvement project not as a one off, but as a way of doing business differently for the future. Then it becomes sustainable.”

Analyst reaction: Reflecting on this session, Arun U wrote: “The key insight from his session were the major challenges organizations face in implementing hyperautomation which are the integration of diverse technologies, managing data security and privacy, skills, gaps and training needs and the importance of real-time reactive process management.”

Process mining in BPM

Process mining/intelligence can help to establish a healthy process culture, increase process adoption rates and scale BPM. “The BPM future will be based on an intelligent process platform which supports everyone,” said Oliver Zeller, general manager BPM at Celonis. “We talk a lot about automation and process organization, but we need more intelligence to speed up and drive the topic.”

Process intelligence turns process mining insight into real-time actions, Zeller added. “We need more intelligence about what’s going on in our organizations to make the right changes.”

Analyst reaction: Reflecting on this session, Arun U wrote: “This was a very insightful session as he [Zeller] explained about the mega trends that are going to shape the future of BPM and also the BPM platform trends to look out for in the future, which are one data model driven E2E process intelligence, artificial process intelligence and human-centric process experience. The key takeaway from his session was how BPM trends like intelligent process orchestration are going to play a crucial role.”

Read: 9 process mining obstacles and how to overcome them

BPM and the future of work

In a rapidly evolving landscape, the future of work demands unprecedented adaptability. BPM plays a critical role in helping organizations meet these challenges, said Juan Jiménez-Huyke, lead product strategy engineer at Appian. True hybrid working models, four-day weeks, soaring e-commerce and inevitable crises are trends shaping the modern world of work, according to Jiménez-Huyke. “All of these trends put pressure on operations.” In a poll, 55 percent of viewers said that hybrid working is the biggest challenge they currently face.

In response, businesses need to boost productivity, improve efficiency, strengthen resilience, adopt agility and optimization and close the gap between what employees want and organizations need, Jiménez-Huyke said. A robust BPM platform serves as the cornerstone of adaptability, enabling businesses to harness the full potential of productivity drivers like AI, automation, enterprise data, integrations and enterprise rules, he added.

Analyst reaction: Reflecting on this session, Arun U wrote: “He [Jiménez-Huyke] added how orchestration of end-to-end processes, operationalizing AI, observability and optimization play an important role in the future of BPM.” 

Learning from failure

As business leaders looking to enhance BPM, it is important to set the tone that failure is OK, focusing on pivoting from errors to help to drive improvements. “Failure is going to happen – being open with your mistakes, pivots and errors sets the tone that, more often than not, your people will follow,” Curry said.

Many people have trepidation and fears about making mistakes, particularly around automation and BPM, said Kuk. The secret lies in the approach, he added. “We like to take our leadership team to locations where there are examples of technology-independent success, so we can then go home tattooed with that good example.” This helps to breakdown any resistance to change or fears about making mistakes.

READ: What BPM means to business leaders

Summary

The enlightening talks and exhibits at All Access: Future of BPM explored the most recent developments, cutting-edge technology and tactical ideas that are influencing BPM’s future, said Arun U. “The occasion gathered together professionals, thought leaders and industry experts who are enthusiastic about using efficient process management to increase organizational agility and efficiency.”

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