The six core elements of business process management

Abstract

The previous chapters gave an insightful introduction into the various facets of Business Process Management. We now share a rich understanding of the essential ideas behind designing, managing and changing processes for a variety of organizational purposes. We have also learned about the streams of research and development that have influenced contemporary BPM. As a result of more than two decades of inter-disciplinary research and a plethora of diverse BPM initiatives in corporations of all sizes and across all industries, BPM has become a holistic management discipline. Consequently, it requires that a number of complementary elements needs to be addressed for its successful und sustainable deployment. This chapter introduces a consolidating framework that provides structure and decomposes BPM into six essential elements. Drawing from research in the field of maturity models and its application in a number of organizations all over the globe, we suggest the following six core elements of BPM: strategic alignment, governance, methods, information technology, people, and culture. These six elements serve as the core structure for this BPM Handbook.