A lot’s been written about what Business Process Management software (BPM) does for government agencies. However, a brief overview of BPM benefits to Civilian and Defense agencies include:

BPM for Acquisition & Procurement – Lack of an organized, process-focused method for managing procurement results in administrative overhead, mountains of paperwork, and lost savings. BPM software for Acquisition Business Management allows federal purchasing organizations to successfully manage all purchasing and contracting activities.

BPM for Personnel Administration & Security – Administering security credentials, access, badges, and background investigations can be a manual, labor intensive task. BPM software for Personnel Administration & Security integrates internal and external systems to ensure agencies can badge new staff on day one, track security investigation costs and progress with real-time dashboards and rules-based notifications, and improve security with automated off-boarding.

BPM for Federal Hiring – Designed for HR managers, BPM software for Federal Hiring Management enables federal HR departments to overcome current barriers, accelerate the hiring process, and acquire the talent needed for their organizations to meet current and future goals.

BPM for Grants Management – Agencies are managing and distributing funds at an unprecedented pace. Many agencies are using BPM for Grants Management to closely track their grant processes and to generate automatic audit trails that help simplify compliance with reporting requirements.

BPM for Case Management – From the initial triggering call or event, through servicing and resolution to summary reporting and audit trail availability, Business Process Management software helps government agencies manage all aspects of complex Case Management. Appian enables better, faster service for constituents, while agencies receive bottom-line cost reductions, enhanced decision-making and regulatory compliance capabilities.

But let’s take a step back and explain what BPM is in the context of government effectiveness and efficiency. BPM can mean different things to different people. Some call it discrete software, some a technology suite, and some an operational management method. The fact is, all are right.
While definitions of BPM vary, what matters is that at its core, BPM is a means for aligning IT and business, whether the ultimate objective is cutting costs, improving service, increasing transparency, complying with regulations, or achieving a combination of all the above.
The most fundamental thing to understand is the bottom line: the value BPM software delivers.

Business Process Management in Government Saves Dollars and Makes Sense

Government agencies are adopting the technology because it helps them achieve their missions more effectively and more quickly. How? By orchestrating and integrating employees, applications, and data for defined business processes; by increasing collaboration within and across organizations; by delivering a better, more consistent experience for constituents when they interact with an agency; and by making agencies more nimble in response to constituent, market and regulatory changes.

Some of these BPM software benefits can be “fuzzy,” and difficult to translate into a dollar figure of return-on-investment. But when those calculations are figured out, the resulting numbers can be astounding. According to the Business Transformation Agency’s “2010 Congressional Report on Defense Business Operations,” the BPM-based Army Knowledge Online (AKO) delivers $500M in annual cost avoidance. The U.S. Marine Corps. reported a $9M savings in just the first year of using BPM software to streamline its acquisition and procurement processes.
Likewise, those doing business with the government can also improve their own efficiencies.

Business Process Management Assessments

The next logical question is, “How do you know if you even need BPM software?” One of the features in the official BPM Kit for government from Appian Corporation, is a 10-question assessment you can take to get at the true nature of your agency’s business processes, and how they support (or don’t support) daily requirements and mission goals.

Maybe your current business process management systems are working fine, managers have the visibility they need, accountabilities and ownerships are clear, and assignments are handled completely and consistently. Great – you’ll ace the quiz and you can go back to running the most efficient operation in government. But maybe not. Government employees, and even contractors who take a Business Process Management assessment may get a clearer perspective on why your processes aren’t functioning quite as well as they could – and some initial insight into what can be done to improve them. The results offer and a new way to look at and for solutions for improved overall business efficiency.

Author Bio: Samir Gulati is an expert in Business Process Management and BPM Software. He offers advice to government, software industry and U.S. corporate leaders in his role as VP of Marketing for www.Appian.com. Appian Local, state and federal governmental agencies can learn more, by reading the official BPM Kit for Government.

Category: Business
Keywords: software,business,government,bpm,bpm software,business process management software