PML 2.0
A central element of Business Process Management (BPM) in any company is the BPM lifecycle. At SAP, we refer to the set of activities performed to manage business processes as the Process Management Lifecycle (PML). In the first iteration, SAP developed its PML framework to help the company organize, automate, and analyze business processes. To better understand the following, have a look at our first PML. http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/bpx-cycle) Based on knowledge gained through implementation of the first framework, SAP has enhanced the PML. I will use the following questions to describe in detail our thought process for enhancing the existing PML:Is an Optimize Phase necessary?
The first PML had five phases: Analyze, Design, Implement, Execute, and Optimize. In effect, optimization is just a re-iteration of the first four phases as you constantly improve the process. Therefore, optimizing existing processes means:- You analyze the as-is process,
- You design one or more (optimized) to-be processes,
- You implement and roll-out this enhanced process and finally,
- You run and monitor the process
Are we only analyzing existing processes?
In our previous PML, we used an uninterrupted circle to describe process improvement. But, does BPM only cover the analysis of existing processes? The truth is that part of BPM is also the creation of new processes that help the company to perform more efficiently and effectively. Therefore, SAP's enhanced PML depicts the two possible triggers for an Analyze Phase: how new processes are affected by external factors and how existing processes need to be optimized.
Should the IT side of BPM be better represented?
In most cases, BPM not only has an impact on IT but is also dependant on available technical functionality. If you think about service-oriented architecture (SOA) and especially the SAP concept of an "Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture"; a process-centric interaction between business and IT is a key success factor. To extract the maximum benefit, IT's role in process management needs to be more proactive. To represent these developments in our PML, we decided to clearly document the different activities of IT and business within the phases of the PML and in parallel interconnect them to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of all SAP process activities. One method for connecting the respective to-dos of business and IT is to define a set of minimum deliverables, which has to be accomplished before the next phase can begin. As you can see in the graphic below, business and IT interact much earlier on in the cycle. IT is already involved in the Analyze phase. Unlike the previous PML, the Design and Implement phases are now joint phases and performed together by business and IT.
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