BPMS Watch: BPMN's Three Levels, Reconsidered

Read this column.

Case Study: Project Management in the BPM Project

Adding project management to the BPM project makes good sense. As projects consume an ever-increasing portion of the operations budget, gaining managerial control over the project arena is key to business success. When executives want to get things done, they get them done through normal operations. When the product or desired outcome cannot be accomplished using normal operations, they create a project. Most organizations have put considerable effort into defining and managing operations processes, but may not have done the same for project management processes.

Project management should be included in the business process management project, but with recognition of its distinctly different roles and rules. What is the primary role of the project manager and the requirements for effective performance? How are project management professional jobs defined? What process is common to all projects, and how do you tailor it to different types of projects, divisions or business units? Are metrics useful across projects, and if so, where should you start collecting data? How are projects aligned with strategic initiatives? How does program management differ from Portfolio Management?

While project management has been around since the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids, only in the past fifty years has it been codified and its managers defined as a separate profession. This presentation addresses the role of the project management professional as different from operations management, options for incorporating project management in the BPM initiative, and key elements of organizational project management maturity.

Back to Presentations