When it comes to business process management (BPM) and project management (PM), it can sometimes be hard to tell which one is the most useful in your company. Whichever comes first has been a long-time dilemma that all companies must consider at some point in their business journeys.
But the truth is BPM and PM influence each other. Which one is at the forefront, and which is the driving force, depends on how your company sees the two disciplines.
In this article, we’ll define BPM and PM, respectively, as two separate disciplines. Then we will look at the relationship between them.
Business Process Management (BPM)
As it is said, business process management plays a big role in the redesign and management of a company’s internal processes or workflows. BPM is an ongoing initiative that makes sure that a company’s processes are running smoothly to meet its goals.
With that said, the following personnel can manage the BPM initiatives:
- Business analysts
- Business process improvement specialists, or
- Other functional team leads
Just make sure to maintain a customer-centric approach. As Forrester explains, BPM initiatives should focus on delivering a high customer experience that consequently drives operational excellence.
Project Management (PM)
Project management is the discipline of bringing together knowledge, skills and the right tools to meet a project’s goals and requirements at a specified time. Thus, project management has a defined start and end; and it doesn’t rely on ongoing stages or components like BPM. Instead, PM relies on objectives set within five unique phases (which act as a timeline):
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Monitoring
- Controlling
According to Gartner, PM adds value to a business, only when the PM activities are people-oriented and influence the organisational culture.
Which One Do You Need?
Choosing between business process management and project management depends on what your role is and what your company is like. In other words, you might need BPM for some tasks, while you may only need PM for other things. Also, it is worth mentioning that BPM and process automation can boost project delivery, minimise repetitiveness, and the personnel responsibilities.
Whether you need BPM or PM depends on a specific task. Consider the following tasks:
- Interviewing new hires
- Communicating with new clients
- Hiring new employees
- Talking to prospective clients
As you keep these things in mind, determine whether you’ll be needed in those situations or not. The important thing to remember is where you and your role fits in your business’ journey.
Think: Are you needed in a part of the process, or are you needed in just a part of the whole project?
Understanding The Relationship Between BPM and Project Management
Now that we’ve looked at BPM and project management, it’s clear that a company needs both to achieve organizational success. BPM creates a solid foundation for projects to be executed effectively, while PM creates space for innovation to take place. And once the project is complete, the results will convert back to BPM. So, without one of the two, projects could be unsuccessful.
Therefore, by understanding the differences between BPM and PM, along with the relationship between them, you can rest assured that your company can always accomplish successful projects. Once your company understands the relationship between BPM and PM and their benefits, it will thrive in the long-run.
Conclusion
Although no company is alike, the concept is still the same: managing your processes is important. However, no matter where you are in your company’s lifespan, it’s important to combine process and project management.
At the end of the day, customers rely on you to produce useful and high-quality products or services; and your processes should be able to deliver on those promises. Just remember that although BPM and PM are different from each other, they still directly influence each other. And as your company learns to utilise both, not only will you achieve business success, but you’ll also create an efficient work environment where both disciplines can work together.
Comidor platform is the answer. Comidor offers the ability to build, run, and monitor projects while at the same time connect the projects’ work packages with processes, offering unlimited collaboration functionalities.
Author Bio:
Michael Dehoyos is a writer and editor at Cheap Coursework and Research paper writing services. He is also a contributing writer for online sites and publications, such as Origin Writing. As a content marketer, he helps companies improve their marketing strategies and adopt new concepts.
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