Business Processes: How everything is started and confused. Chapter one

Higher and higher and higher
We are striving for the flight of BP…

The term “business process management” is a BPM (Business Process Management) firmly entered the dictionary of the important words of the modern (advanced) manager. In reality, this term should reflect its daily activities (since “by itself” does not work and requires management), but “from the light hand” of the consultants, this phrase has come to mean something different, but “very effective and necessary”, not cheap and accordingly, difficult and incomprehensible (otherwise, why so many BPM consultants?).
The topic has been actively discussed since the 80s, during this time a lot of clever books and articles have been written, since the end of the 90s Russia has been aggressively promoting the “BPM-flagship” ARIS and introducing other “slightly less” effective software packages. But until now, without the help of consultants, the purpose of the “fashionable” BPM is not clear to everyone, and its effectiveness is not unequivocal. Once again, “just about difficult” BPM or “Business processes: How everything is started and confused.”
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1. Head skeptical
1.1 BPM mantra

Every torrent manager is faced with a “profitable” proposal for the implementation of the enigmatic Business Process Management. Mantras of BPM-consultants usually include the text given in a dozen paragraphs below (those familiar with mantras can scroll through them).
To excite interest in the topic, the introductory Mantras to the question “why?” Contain:
- It is necessary to have a comprehensive perception of business as a system of interacting business processes and a transition to a qualitatively new level in the organization of production, increasing the operational efficiency of the company.
“Therefore, efficient business processes are the key to success, competitiveness and profitability of a company (i.e.,“ correctness ”of a company).
- Consequently, Business Process Management (BPM) is an effective tool for improving business performance and continuous improvement of your work (do not worry, we will teach you to love “your business processes”).

The following usually states:
- Using “the most advanced technologies”, it is necessary to carry out work on formalization (description, modeling, etc.), analysis and optimization of business processes, identify “bottlenecks” in the management system and the causes of ongoing operational failures; “Align” IT and business, perform flexible process configuration, etc.
- “Of course,” this will allow: reducing the cost and time of processes (reducing costs and minimizing losses), improving the quality of their execution, will provide “end-to-end” automation of business processes (automation of end-to-end processes, STP-process), “seamless” management, transparency of the company.
Reengineering and automation: “Together with us you will be able to identify those processes that need to be restructured and automated in the first place, which will significantly improve the quality of the final product and the financial result of the company.”

They will surely tell about the “wonderful” process management, about the integration of applications within business processes, business analytics and operational controlling. There will be many spectacular words: a development strategy (the road to a “bright future”), continuous improvement of management and the processes themselves, Business Process Improvement / Excellence / Resilience (underline). There will be a lot of abbreviations - and all of three letters: ABC, BSC, KPI, BAM, PPM, etc. Total: Business management, processes, quality, risk, and even management of the process management itself: Process Control - Process Management - Process Governance. Indeed, according to the ARIS primers:
“With the help of ARIS methodology and tools, you can manage not only the company's business processes, but also the“ business process management ”(management management) process. The possibilities of the “real” BPM are usually endless (including the management of time, space and happiness).

Example 1 BPM Number One in the World - Magic ARIS Platform
(not to be confused with aris.ru) for the third decade in a row (EPC saw the light in 1992) generously gives us (though not at all cheaply) the following benefits (quote):
Increasing process flexibility : Flexible business processes and IT systems allow you to quickly respond to changing market conditions and changes in business models.
Reduced implementation time : due to reuse of existing processes.
Improving the efficiency of processes : Increase the efficiency of your processes by analyzing and modeling them to eliminate bottlenecks, identify duplicate links,
Quality Improvement : Improve the quality of processes and IT systems by better defining processes, preventing system failures, and more effective communication between employees.
Bottom line: “Thanks to more efficient processes, as well as the coordinated work of IT and SAP systems, your Digital Enterprise will be able to respond faster to changes in business and market requirements”.

Example 2. Almost the same weather (1996) by the same seller. WebMethods platform :
creates even more impressive "miracles" (quote):

Capabilities : Creating customer-oriented processes. Preventing problems. Quick response to changing business needs. Orientation to value creation, as well as: Improved performance, control, consistency and flexibility. Automate processes to reduce manual work. Reduce costs by increasing efficiency. Implement process-based solutions using existing IT infrastructure.

Benefits. Efficiency : Continuous improvement of business processes and achievement of a higher level of efficiency ... Transparency : ... Decision making based on information obtained through real-time process analysis. Control : Identify bottlenecks ... Quality : Ensuring consistency and elimination of errors associated with manual work. Reduced costs by streamlining and standardizing processes. Rapid change implementation : Rapid response to changing business conditions. Rapid implementation of process changes and accelerated development of new applications ...

The ending of the citation of mantras.

It turns out that BPM systems are “easy to learn” and immediately bring a return on implementation (terribly instant return on investment). They give managers a simple way to control the situation in the organization, line personnel - a clear distribution of responsibility and effective management of their working time (decision support system), and consumers a faster and better product or service.

Thus, it becomes obvious to everyone that “without BPM, business development is impossible in principle: either our consulting plus the purchase of BPMS or“ dry oars ” . Modern Anders (which Hans Christian and Hans Christian) have switched to more lucrative fairy tales for adults, especially in the genre „ New dress BPM. Corporate Edition “.

The mantras of consultants and manufacturers of methodologies and BPM systems (BPMS) are "convincingly confirmed" by mountains of books, articles, and "holy scriptures." Some religious trends are replaced by others: old and new BPM covenants ( chronology ), including GOST 19.701-90, RUP-UML, IDEF, ARIS EPC, webMethods BPMN or Metasonic s-BPM, and “BPM technologies for the salvation of civilization” of the UFO type
BPM-prophets (usually German professors) and Moors are replaced: the Moor has done his job. He was replaced by another moor.

And often we are talking not about “only” graphic notations (notation systems) or software packages, but “about whole” BPM paradigms (more precisely, pyramids), “salushenes” and metamodels (supermodels, model models and other equilibristic), for example , “BPM-houses” (“ARIS house”) or “Business Process Meta Model” / “metamodel frameworks” (ADONIS \ ADOit). Not only a vendor, but every consultant who respects himself also strives to invent his own BPM concept: from methodologies and methods to architectures and methods.

Hard, but straight. Paradox: there is a lot of work on BPM, but there is little information (not advertising, spam and informational garbage). Entropy (amount of useful information per page) is minimal. Revelations of vendors, consultants and implementers are collected in BPM libraries. The most "advanced" rectilinear specialists immediately give explanations to them, to the section: Publications / Business processes, process management system :
"... I think that 95% of publications are useless and even harmful." Further, it is emphasized that if you have money, then "... you should not read any crap on the Internet. The cost of the error is too high, time is wasted. Invite me - a professional management consultant! I will help your business become competitive. Increase profitability, manageability, mobility. I will execute a comprehensive consulting project for you: strategy, restructuring, motivation, business processes. I am responsible for the quality and viability of consulting. ”

Of course, eminent BPM monetizers do not allow themselves such frankness and do not give a “tooth” (what guarantees? This is BPM!), But under the mantras given at the beginning of the article, as a rule, the same essence is hidden, but under a more “science-like sauce”. Moreover: that the "wide four " consultants of the " big four "
that the eminent BPM-methodologists, led by Scheer, that the "top" metropolitan and regional integrators will certainly take on your project. They will take up the modeling and optimization of BP, as well as “any-any management”, including when a BPM project under the sign of “business process modeling” is replaced by management consulting, including assessing the current state and development trends of the enterprise, identifying problems, analyzing etc.

It is interesting, but it turns out that for “successful” projects on modeling, optimization and even management (management) of business processes do not require specialized specialists. So, a consultant will not have a person on a project for a retail or corporate business of a bank, even if he has worked in a bank for a day, and there is no person who has passed an army on a project to model business processes of the General Staff.
After all, the “correct” and unified methodology is used, therefore, specialists should not be tied to any particular industry. In all cases and industries, the result will be one - “success”. BPM Marketing is simply doomed to success.

1.2 The secrets of BPM success: the main process, not the result
Why are so few projects at the hearing? Why not hear about the successful implementations and stories where the introduction of BPM really helps to make breakthroughs in business? Why doesn't BPM take off?


“Catch and Improve”: Reveal, automate, control, manage, change, correct ... BPM mantras sound cool and fascinate. However, in a quarter of a century you could not find a single confirmed example with figures on the effectiveness of the implementation?
Although during this time kilometers of BPM-methodologies and tons of BPMS have been acquired and “successfully” introduced, billions of dollars were spent every year, see the BPMS market

Where is the effect of formalization (modeling), analysis and optimization of processes? Exclude examples of the introduction of conventional automation under the guise (aegis) of BPM.
For 25 years of the solemn procession of IDEF & EPC notations, how many business processes were used for them only in Russia, the business objects in the repository were made, were business squares, business circles and arrows drawn? Billions of BP models? Trillions of circles? And as many, but already “optimized”? However, apart from assurances about the success of projects (apparently all) - nothing more is known about the results. Only a qualitative assessment? In general, what does a successful BPM project mean?

For example, artillery firing was performed “perfectly well”, when the unit arrived at the firing line without incident and shot at the targets (even without hitting any). It is not clear at all How to measure the success of BPM
According to the result? Where are the measurements? In rubles, in the probability of operational errors, in other units?

BPM loves metrics (quantitative characteristics) very much, including KPI and BSC, but cannot measure its effectiveness? The norm is the declaration of project results in non-measurable quantities: the processes have become more optimal, and the management is more efficient (higher, deeper, wider).

The notorious trade secret is a reliable "cover" and the main associate of the PR, manipulation and monetization of "BPM chips" (as well as other "IT chips", and the "gold" ones). Is there a confirmed ROI for at least one BPM implementation project? Efficiency of investment in BPM, measurement of the result of a BPM project, assessment of the achieved level of optimization of the company's business processes?
Often: “we treat one, cripple the other”, so the picture is important not for individual processes, but as a whole, and for various metrics, including, cost reduction, execution time and operational risks. They did not learn to count either the BP automation coefficient or the BP standardization level. But without numbers we can judge the optimality and efficiency.

Over the years, the main motto of BPM is: “the result is nothing, the process is everything!”. Moreover, the “Process” is like the process of monetization of “BPM –fishies”, so you can (need) sell anything and everything with a different sauce. A similar motto (at least formally) has the country's leading BPM blog: “The main thing is not the result, the main process”.

Marketers agree on one thing: The Russian BPM market has very big prospects. Apparently, first of all, on the monetization of its "chips". After all, the Russian BPM-dean is already over 25, and he does not even think of “growing up”. In 2015, specialists promoting BPM since the beginning of the 90s are “encouraging”: Now the majority of Russian companies are at what we call the “early BPM”

You can ask other "dozens of questions": 10 questions to BPM
Why business process automation does not increase the performance of the process itself? Why, after the introduction of BPM, the processes are complicated? Why processes requiring automation are optimized for automation, but not for business ...

1.3 BPM Tees and Carousel of the Absurd
You read one article on BPM, you read another. Often there is a feeling that the authors put something different into this concept. Even bpm.com recognizes that for decades the meaning of “BPM” has been controversial and controversial (including for experts!). From myself I will add: today nothing has changed, and today - as in the old joke, where the word "devices" will be replaced by "business processes" or BPM:

Flying on an airplane (with "flight" BPM) Petka and Chapaev. First, the flight is normal.
- Petka, business processes!
- 90-60-90, Vasily Ivanovich.
- Well done Petka! Keep it up!
After a while, the airplane began to fall into a corkscrew:
- Petka-a, business processes!
- stable: 90-60-90, Vasily Ivanovich.
- Petka-ah, and sho means 90-60-90?
- Vasily Ivanovich, what does “business processes” mean?

The topic “ what is BPM ” and what is a “business process”, and simply “process” is one of the “favorites” of both novices and BPM professors. There is a different interpretation of terms and the presence of similar abbreviations.

In addition to the traditional, there are the following BPM transcripts:
- Business Performance Management, Corporate Performance Management, see BPM vs. BPM: and why are people so confused? ..
- Business Process Modeling (BP Modeling), Business Process Monitoring (Business Activity Monitoring, Business Activity Monitoring, BAM), which are often considered as components of BP Management.
Performance.

In turn, Business Performance Management (less commonly referred to as BP Performance Management) is “the same”:
Corporate \ Enterprise Performance Management, Strategic Enterprise Management, i.e. BPM = BPPM = CPM = EPM = SEM
In the concept of embedded performance management of financial and operating activities. This “Performance” for formal reasons, with the exception of the Financial Management part (Budgeting), is contained in the commonly used Business Process Management.

“The terminological cocktail seems to be specially created to confuse the reader” ... In Russian, unfortunately, there is also no single name for the software of the BPM class. Perhaps this is a reckoning for the traditional tricks of marketers, “ marketership ”. When marketing directors themselves say this, this means that the situation has gone far beyond their control (“ do you even know what you've done? ”).
Once the "cocktails are lit" (Molotov), ​​then this is someone you need? One of the versions: create a “new” class of systems and take a prize in its rating. Those. the most correct (real) translation Performance = performance .
Remember the "Office Romance", the modern BPM is the same "Performance on the ceiling": beautiful, spinning, cool (rather curious), but here the practical significance is still in question.

The terms Business Process Planning and Control (BPPC, planning and control of business processes), BPA are used:
Business Process Automation \ Business Process Analysis.
Strikingly, for a long time, positioned as the most correct thing is not to eat “correct” BPM, today ARIS is not sold as BPM, but as BPA : ARIS Business Process Analysis, and BPM pedestal is occupied by webMethods Business Process Management (according to Software AG)

Ideological wars are being waged for “terminological championships”, for example, using the interpretation that ARIS is not a BPM tool, but only a BPR (business process reengineering), because they say a “real” BPM must necessarily have an “executing process-based applications”. The principles are also well known: “Pure modeling is not BPM”, BPMS is a tool for hilling a fat client, which can be shown on a small screen as a piece of his company

The confusion and free interpretation of the concepts “casts a shadow”, identifying BPM with a “digital herbolife”, and entails oppositions like: BPM vs BPR in particular, ARIS vs BPM
Everything is mixed up: horses, people, BPMs.
ARIS, present your mandate: Are you BPM or what? What did IDS Scheer sell to us so much time (the company was formed 1984)? BPM or not BPM? , , «», Agility by ARIS Business Process Management

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1.4
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1.5 BPM vs all
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