A process is simply a set of activities and transactions that an organization conducts on a regular basis in order to achieve its objectives. It can be simple (i.e. order fulfillment) or complex (i.e. new product development), short-running (i.e. employee on-boarding) or long-running (i.e. regulatory compliance), function-specific (i.e. proposal management) or industry-specific (i.e. energy procurement). It can exist within a single department (i.e. billing), run throughout the entire enterprise (i.e. strategic sourcing), or extend across the whole value chain (i.e. supply chain management).

Definition of BPM: Software

In its simplest form, BPM is software that automates,
executes, and monitors business processes from beginning
to end by connecting people to people, applications to
applications, and people to applications.

By doing this, BPM technology goes beyond its predecessors:
workflow management and enterprise application integration
(EAI). While traditional workflow management connected
people by automating inefficient manual processes within a
single application, it was limited because it couldn't connect
applications without extensive custom coding. EAI technology,
on the other hand, connected these applications by routing
information between them so that data was automatically
synchronized throughout the organization. However, because
it couldn't automate long-running or interactive processes
(which required someone to take action or make decisions),
it failed to connect people.

Connecting people and applications, BPM software brought
together — and transcended — these two technologies. At a
minimum, the typical pure-play BPM application includes the
following components:

Process Designer — allows a trained user to analyze
and model a process, step by step, as well as asssign
logic to it

BPM Software

Process Engine — executes the actual process flow, assigning
manual activities to people and automated activities to
applications as the process unfolds

Rules Engine — manages the flow of information and
activities within a process according to the formulas and
rules assigned to it

Process Analytics — provide continual feedback on the
process itself so that improvements can be made in the future

This set of tools allows an organization to actively manage its processes from beginning to end, improving them along the way. But despite this extensive functionality, pure-play BPM software has actually turned out to be somewhat limited and tactical in nature. Although it works well for simple, transactional processes within departments, BPM software doesn't provide the functionality or infrastructure needed to support complex, collaborative processes that extend throughout the enterprise as well as across the value chain.

Learn About Appian's BPM Software Suite

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