BPM Processes Not Always the best for Knowledge Workers

Most business process management tools are used in situations where a process occurs repeatedly over a long time. In a recent article written by Keith Harrison-Broninski at BP Trends, he takes time to look at how business processes need to cater to knowledge workers and their not-repeatable processes.

He begins the article by stating three problems currently shaping a new face in collaborative knowledge work:

1. Market globalization is forcing commercial companies to “compete smarter.”
2. Reduction in labor demand is forcing knowledge workers to “work smarter.”
3. Worldwide recession is forcing organizations to “cut costs smarter.”

Knowledge work is harder to adapt to a business process than many things. It can’t be planned in the future. Harrison-Broninski points out that it’s easier to adapt business process software with human centric processes more so than human-driven processes. So there is a drive to adapt software to the needs of the knowledge worker.

The factors listed above are responsible in pushing software to become better for a BPM software for human processes. With companies having to streamline the process because of the recession and therefore fewer workers, it’s crucial that software is adapted to aid their processes. This software must help with collaborative, adaptive and innovative software. These three things can only be addressed after it’s been determined by the knowledge workers what their responsibilities, goals, and commitments are.

Before the software can be effective, Harrison-Broninski has addressed the process for the flow of knowledge before it gets put into the system. His theory is called HIM (Human Interaction Management). The steps are: research, evaluate, analyze, constrain and task. With research, it’s critical to talk to those who know the information first hand, and turn it into personal knowledge. While in the evaluation stage, it is important to step back and review what you’ve learned. Know the information you’ve learned in and out. During the analyze process, it’s important to decide how to approach the problem. While in the constrain phase, separate the work in to intervals, and decide what order they need to be completed. And the final phase, task, involves disturbing the work.