Providing a framework to improve the performance of business process management projects based on BPMN

Abstract

Modeling of business processes, based on Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), helps analysts and managers to understand business processes, and, identify their shortages. These models provide a context to make rational decision of organizing business processes activities in an understandable manner. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for better understanding of business processes and their problems by reducing the cognitive load of displayed information for their audience at different managerial levels while keeping the essential information which are needed by them. For this reason, we integrate business process diagrams across the different managerial levels to develop a framework to improve the performance of business process management (BPM) projects. This framework, which is referred to as “Business Process Improvement Framework Based on Managerial Levels (BPIML)” in this paper, considers three levels of management (Organizational level managers, Process /Departmental level managers and Activity level managers) for manager of an organization. Then, defines certain types of models based on BPMN, for each management level, by taking into the account the objectives and tasks of various managerial levels in organizations and their role in Business Process Management (BPM) projects. This framework will make us able to provide the necessary support for making decisions about business processes. The framework is evaluated with a case study in a real business process improvement project, to demonstrate its superiority over the conventional method. A questionnaire consisted of 10 questions using Likert scale was designed and given to the participants (three managerial levels). The results of this questionnaire suggested that, managers and senior experts of the organization considered utilization of the proposed framework improving for implementation of BPM projects and provide support for correct and timely decisions by increasing the clarity and transparency of the business processes which led to success in BPM projects.