Consultancy
10 Business Process Management Bpm Trends In 2022The field of business process management (BPM) is evolving rapidly. Experts at BPM Consult share ten trends that will have a major impact on the direction of business process management in 2022.
1: Adapting is becoming the new normal
Reorganising had already become a constant, but the pandemic has accelerated this even further. We are letting go of long‑established habits and adopting a mindset in which each day may require a fundamentally different approach.
As a result, process management is becoming more flexible and less predictable. Process designs have a shorter lifespan, yet they remain the only real point of reference. The (process) manager overcomes change fatigue and forges new paths for continuous transformation.
2: Watch out for process alienation
The new balance between working on site and working from home calls for different approaches to maintaining the process as a social system. Wellbeing, purpose and family values are becoming more prominent. At the same time, the sense of connection with the organisation and with colleagues is under pressure.
In short, alienation from process colleagues is a real risk. The way connections between process participants are formed will change in the coming year. Because ‘knowing who is before and after you in the chain’ is no longer a given, new ways of connecting cross-functional process teams are emerging.
3: Supply chain walls are coming down
Lean-oriented supply chains tend to perform best in stable and predictable conditions. However, the instability caused by the pandemic has shown the limitations of approaches such as just-in-time and kanban.
Supply chains have proven to be too tightly configured. This year, the focus within the chain is shifting towards building in flexibility and achieving optimal alignment between partners. This requires strong supply chain leadership and partners who jointly explore new governance models. Collaborating differently and looking beyond organisational boundaries within the chain has become the key challenge.
4: A different perspective on Lean
Sectors are facing understaffing, excessive workloads and increasing labour shortages. This forces process teams to focus even more on the core of the value they deliver to the customer. What do customers truly need, and what really matters?
All unnecessary work must be eliminated, simply because there are no longer enough people to do it. As a result, the coming year will be marked by a natural selection of activities that genuinely add value.
5: The focus is shifting from theory to craftmanship
With the increase in the number of higher‑educated, theoretically trained professionals, the shortage of practical craftsmanship is growing. The trend of devaluing practical knowledge and skills is now being reversed, with renewed appreciation emerging. According to research by Thaesis, skilled professionals are gaining higher social status.
The appreciation of the experienced, task‑mature professional is increasing. In the coming year, organising processes will focus primarily on supporting professionals in managing risks and working in line with standards, rather than on micromanagement or unnecessary control.
6: Repairing and upgrading is becoming the new focus
The develop and repair process of companies is becoming the new primary process. Not because so much is going wrong, but due to the focus on products and services that last indefinitely or can be easily upgraded. Producing products that break quickly is falling further out of favour, and the move away from a throwaway society is accelerating.
Repairing or upgrading existing products is becoming the ‘new new’. Instead of discarding and replacing items, resources are used with greater respect. Many linear value chains will become circular over the coming year.
7: Proces auditors are becoming perspective changers
Organisations increasingly realise that an annual process update and audit no longer fit the pace of continuous development and the growing interconnection between different disciplines. Processes become more successful when they integrate multiple areas of expertise.
Process auditors are becoming true chameleons. They audit processes more frequently and with greater specificity, focusing on strategic alignment, customer journeys, risk management and ICT support.
8: Universal exchange will prevail
The exchange of information between organisations is becoming increasingly standardised and automated.
This development is spreading across all sectors. Invoices, order forms and work orders are no longer retyped into internal systems, but are processed electronically within a standard. Working with information standards is becoming the norm. Manually handling incoming documents is something for the ‘dinosaurs’ of the past.
9: The warm handover is becoming hybrid
As working from home becomes a permanent feature, cross‑functional handovers are also becoming hybrid, with some taking place in person and others remotely.
Because effective coordination of activities is the lubricant for smooth process flow, process managers are developing robust solutions to facilitate alignment as effectively as possible. This means revisiting handover practices and audiovisual tools, as well as introducing an updated version of communication structures, including interaction, connectivity between participants and clear behavioural agreements.
10: Green BPM is now being taken seriously
The American businessman Michael Hammer recently summed up the essence of process improvement as ‘faster, cheaper and better’. It is perfectly reasonable to add ‘greener’ to this list.
Under societal pressure and with climate targets in mind, the importance of sustainability is becoming more prominent within processes. This means that when designing, reviewing, analysing and improving processes, attention must be paid to aspects such as emissions, resource consumption and footprint indicators.
