7FE Project Framework
7FE Project Framework
The "Innovate" and "Develop" phases complement each other in the 7FE Project Framework by transitioning from creative process solution development to practical implementation preparation. The "Innovate" phase involves identifying new process options and evaluating them through simulations, activity-based costing, and capacity planning . Once the best process options have been finalized, the "Develop" phase is tasked with building the necessary components, such as infrastructure and support systems, to implement the new processes. This could involve constructing required physical setups and testing software and hardware, facilitating a smooth transition to implementation .
The 7FE Project Framework ensures alignment with an organization's overall strategy during BPM implementation through its "Organization strategy" and "Process architecture" phases. In the "Organization strategy" phase, the framework emphasizes the need for the BPM project team to comprehend and integrate the organization's vision, strategic goals, and business drivers. This includes assessing stakeholders' expectations for gains and ensuring the project scope supports the organization's value proposition . In the "Process architecture" phase, the framework establishes rules, principles, guidelines, and models necessary for aligning process, IT, and business architectures with the organization's strategy, thus providing a foundation for BPM process initiatives .
The "Realize Value" phase differs from the "Implement" phase in that it focuses on measuring and ensuring the actual benefits of the BPM project, whereas the "Implement" phase is about executing process roll-outs and training. After implementation, which includes deploying new processes and role descriptions, the "Realize Value" phase ensures that the intended benefits, as defined in the project business case, are achieved and reported. This phase involves benefits realization management and provides insights into the project outcomes to maintain funding and support .
The essential components identified in the BPM project framework are BPM Project Management, People Change Management, and Leadership. These are critical for project success for several reasons. BPM Project Management ensures structured planning and execution, and a BPM-experienced manager significantly lowers project risks . People Change Management addresses the human factors that can impede project success, as people are integral to process execution. Effective management in this area helps secure stakeholder buy-in and align personnel efforts with project goals . Leadership provides the strategic vision and motivation, with senior leaders' commitment ensuring that projects receive necessary attention and resources, thereby enhancing the potential for successful outcomes .
The involvement of senior leadership is critical for the success of BPM projects as outlined in the 7FE Project Framework, because executive commitment drives the effectiveness and sustainability of change initiatives. Senior leaders' support legitimizes the BPM efforts and aligns them with strategic business goals, ensuring that required resources and attention are available . Keen (1997) emphasizes that the commitment of these leaders matters more than the actual change plan details. Their ability to delegate responsibility effectively influences project outcomes significantly, as projects with strong executive involvement typically achieve better results .
Organizations can ensure sustainability of process improvements post-BPM project completion by structuring processes to allow continuous agility and improvements. The "Sustainable Performance" phase focuses on transitioning BPM projects from temporary efforts to ongoing operational activities. This involves embedding a process structure that can adapt to business changes over time, recognizing the lifecycle nature of processes, and maintaining the investment made during the project . Continuous monitoring and iterative improvements are essential to keeping processes efficient and relevant .
In Business Process Management, distinguishing between strategy and planning is significant because strategy involves a dynamic, purposeful process of engaging stakeholders to delineate future directions, whereas planning is more static. The 7FE Project Framework emphasizes this distinction by ensuring that BPM projects are deeply rooted in an understanding of the organization's strategy rather than merely adhering to a fixed plan. This understanding helps align project activities with strategic goals that might evolve over time, thus fostering a proactive approach to strategic management .
The "Understand" phase in a BPM project plays a crucial role in managing financial resources by establishing process baseline metrics and identifying possible quick wins that can provide early benefits. This phase involves gathering essential data and performing root-cause analysis to elucidate baseline costs and potential savings . By identifying and implementing quick wins, the project can potentially become self-funding, thus alleviating the need for continued extensive financial support from the business .
The "People" phase integrates with other phases in the BPM framework by ensuring that roles, activities, and performance measures align with organizational strategy and process goals. It focuses on matching human resources needs to strategic objectives, emphasizing the primacy of effective human function over technical automation regardless of the degree of process automation . This phase permeates every phase of the BPM project, ensuring that personnel changes complement process changes and are synergistic with structural implementations and strategic innovations, which are handled in other phases like "Develop" and "Implement" .
Challenges in the "Launch Pad" phase may include determining the initial scope of BPM projects and aligning them with strategic objectives. The 7FE Project Framework addresses these challenges by providing methods for selecting where to start and setting clear process goals and visions in alignment with organizational strategy and process architecture . It facilitates agreement among stakeholders and ensures that chosen projects enhance strategic goals. Additionally, it aids in forming the project structure and scope, and in establishing stakeholder management and initial business cases to align expectations and outcomes .