Insight
June 2021
Process management is high on the agenda of many companies, but how can they reach their ambitious goals? Our current study shows that successful process management builds up the appropriate competencies and measures process management and process performance regularly, enabling processes to be managed efficiently over the long term.
Since our first BPM study in 2012, process management has steadily gained importance among the participants surveyed. The proportion of survey participants who consider process management to be very important has almost doubled during this period from 19 percent to 35 percent. While the coronavirus pandemic has had some influence, other factors have played a much more significant role.
The preoccupation with process management is driven primarily by the ongoing focus on cost optimization and efficiency enhancement as well as coping with digital transformation. Other drivers also play a role, but these differ greatly depending on the company's size and the industry.
Process management has gained importance across all industries within the last two years in Switzerland. The focus of process management changed from cost optimization to the realization of digital transformations. Our study shows, for example, that compared to 2012, three times as many companies are satisfied with the digitalization of processes achieved through process management.
Matthias Roeser, Partner at BearingPoint
Even though we see a positive trend in terms of achievement through process management compared with past studies, targeted cost savings, in particular, fall short of expectations. We believe that this is, on the one hand, due to overly high expectations of possible cost savings and, on the other hand, to a lack of expertise in identifying, quantifying, and implementing suitable measures to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
A positive aspect is a significant increase in satisfaction with the digitalization of processes. Three times as many companies expressed satisfaction with this objective. In our view, this has to do with a steep learning curve for companies in recent years.
The pressure to demonstrate measurable results with process management is increasing. Arguments about qualitative added value, such as greater transparency, better collaboration, and a clear understanding of roles and tasks, are not enough to justify the necessary investments. The added value must also be regularly demonstrable through measurable results; 66 percent of the participants have already realized this and regularly measure the benefits of process management, demonstrating clear benefits.
Thirty-nine percent of companies see "enforceability in the organization" as the biggest hurdle to introducing process management benefit measurement. That is particularly true for companies whose process maturity is still low or where the necessary priority is often lacking. The following applies to all companies: active change management and training and the involvement and support of the essential key people in (top) management positions are crucial to overcoming these difficulties.
Process mining is currently being promoted on the market as a new innovative option for process analysis, optimization and, in some cases, process automation. In addition, a large number of companies have already dealt with the topic of process mining. However, many companies are still in the discovery or evaluation phase. Only a few companies already dare to take the next step toward operational use. One reason for this is that many companies are deterred by the high initial investment and do not yet recognize the great added value of process mining. Nonetheless, it is precisely the high level of satisfaction among organizations already using process mining that illustrates the high added value potential.
Where does your company stand?
For the study, 336 experts from the GSA region were surveyed. The detailed results and an infographic with the core findings are available for you to download. We hope you enjoy reading them.
