Introducing the first instalment of the BPMN Video Series! The BPMN Distilled Video Series introduces the concepts around BPMN processes modelling, with each video covering a new topic.
The first instalment asks ‘What is a Business Process?’
Every organization – be it a governmental body, a non-profit organization, or an enterprise, produces something or services somebody.
In order to develop a product or perform a service, a set of activities needs to be done by employees or machines, which includes: manufacturing, quality assurance, packaging, shipping and purchasing.
In addition to these activities, somebody needs to coordinate and support them, which means that an organization needs specific services in order to operate effectively, for example a kind of management, information services, legal services, marketing, etc.
A set of activities that are performed in coordination in an organizational and technical environment and jointly realize a business goal is known under the term “business process”.
Each business process is enacted by a single organization, but it may interact with business processes performed by other organizations, for example: suppliers, headquarters and international divisions.
This means that each organization performs business processes which therefore represent organizational assets that are central to creating value for customers.
Since business processes are organizational assets, an organization has to take care of them, where the first logical step is process identification. Once an organization has identified its processes, it can observe and analyse them.
With process analysis, an organization can find weaknesses and limitations in organizational processes. The next logical step is to apply changes to processes, which usually results in improved processes. As a result an organization performs more effectively and efficiently.