5 Steps to Choosing the Right BPM Suite

Business process management (BPM) is a method of efficiently aligning an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It is a holistic management approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility and integration with technology. As organizations strive for attainment of their objectives, BPM attempts to continuously improve processes - the process to define, measure and improve your processes – a ‘process optimization' process.

While selecting a BPM suite we can follow best practices, Im sharing with you few best practices i stumbled upon.

STEP 1: Determine Scope of Process Needs

• Human-centric processes, system-based processes or both.

• Amount of processes, process complexity .
  

• Number of users and locations.

• IT infrastructure complexity – how diverse is it.

• Geographic support requirements .

STEP 2: Understand what the BPM “essentials” are and then determine what additional advanced features you need. 

• Automate, manage, and control are the basics.

• Look beyond the basics – BI, BAM, advanced modeling, content mgmt.

• Look at analyst research to help identify key functional requirements.

• Interoperability with existing applications – how easy is it to connect them.

• Advanced features offer opportunity for leadership.
  

STEP 3: Document Requirements & Weight Priorities

• Identify short-term vs. long-term needs.

• Identify first processes to be addressed.

• Outline both functional requirements as well as other criteria.

• Document the “must have” as well as “nice to have” features.

• Identify what is not important to avoid distractions.

STEP 4:  Identify a short list of vendors.

• Vendor maturity and track record.

• Customer results.

• Product maturity and strength.

• Industry experience and geographic reach.

• Training and service offerings; ability to support and innovate solution.

STEP 5: Conduct Vendor Evaluations

• Proof-of-concept and prototype of key requirements.

• Check customer references.

• Consult with analysts.

• Assess past performance.

• Consider vendor track record and vision to support your long-term needs.