Not long ago, I shared how to explain “What is BPM?” in 5 words: Process, People, Context, Actions, and Outcomes. I promised follow-ups on each of the areas, and this is the first in that series. It is time to bring process to the people! In more ways than one.

All too often processes and their efficiency are the only focus of BPM initiatives, and it is all too easy to forget that productive people are just as important as efficient processes. This is one of the things that has led to the perception that BPM is only about efficiencies and cost cutting (the Six Sigma Stigma) and not about optimizing operating resources, innovation, and revenue generation. The Six Sigma Stigma is the very perception that this processoholic is trying shed from process.

There are just as many ways to improve and optimize how one is using and organizing their operating resources, as there are ways to improve one’s operational efficiency. Even if you have gone through several rounds of process improvement, a predictive operations dashboard and skills-based routing can offer entirely new optimizations.

If we look at an international bank's back office, they have different types of work (and products) coming in from many different geographies which all require different skills and languages.

The processes for these different products and regions have already gone through a few rounds of process efficiency exercises and are very efficient. The next natural round of improvements will come from ensuring the operating resources (people) are productive as possible.

On first inspection, one finds a vast number of possible combinations and permutations of what could be needed. E.g., 15 types of products (with different processes), 15 different languages, and 20 different skills required. This amount of information can quickly become overwhelming without the proper visual representation of the data.

One way to accomplish this is to provide the back- or mid- office management a view of their global resource pool and types of work that is coming down the pipe in a visualization that is easy to consume. This visual context would allow them to see when what work is going to be completed based on historical data, current work in the pipeline, and current resource levels and skills. This visualization of complex data allows the managers to adjust 20+ different settings (E.g., priority of work type, language, or region, team staffing, or skill requirements) to run a simulation that will forecast how that will change the work completion. When the manager finds the best scenario for the situation at hand, she is then able to take action on her insights and rebalance the work and enact those changes with a single click directly from the dashboard.

This is a continuous cycle. The operating resources are continuously being optimized for the current situation and workload, which is an entirely new way to approach banking operations and processes.

There is still more to discuss about the "people" piece of process, people, context, actions, and outcomes. Your business ecosystem is larger and more complicated than you think. Stay tuned to find out why.