Description

Section 1 Introduction
 
Business process management (BPM) sounds like just another piece of consultant’s management jargon, or, as BPM, another confusing acronym that technologists use to confuse service managers. We argue that it is at once both of these, but also an important topic that can at last bring technologists and business managers together to design and build services that meet rising public expectations.

Section 2 Pandora’s box

Business process management is an amalgam of management practice and enabling technical capabilities. We start by looking at the tools to build modern organisations that are fit for the information age, rather than being industrial age designs pushed to their limits by technology. This is BPM for service managers.

Section 3 Technology opportunity

Arguably, technology has done little more than accelerate the processes in traditional organisations based upon command and control hierarchies to the point where they are creaking under the strain. Using relevant case studies, we now go on to examine the technologies that enable the design and practical implementation of new information age structures that are ‘fit for purpose’ ie the technologist’s view of BPM.

Section 4 People and technology

Almost inevitably, BPM involves ICT-enabled change. Those who operate and manage the processes affected feel the changes most strongly. BPM changes working lives, hopefully for the better. However, people need to be convinced, and organisations need to involve those affected right through the process.

Section 5 The way forward

We summarise our conclusions concerning BPM showing what today’s public sector organisations could do in order to start to modernise their structures, processes and systems, so as to take advantage of the extensive opportunities offered by the information age, increase their efficiency, and offer better services to their citizens.

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