Professional K2 blackpearl®

Chapter 1. Introduction to BPM and the K2 Platform

Mike Talley

Businesses run on processes. Processes develop out of necessity and become part of a company's culture, or a way of doing things, and define its day-to-day operations. How those processes work determines a company's success. Efficient processes enable the business to thrive. Inefficient processes drag the business down and can ultimately ruin it if the competition is more efficient.

Everything from making phone calls, to sending e-mails and instant messages, to filling out electronic and even paper forms, most actions that employees take are a part of a larger process. Whether that process is bringing a new employee onboard or paying a supplier, from start to finish the process can be described and documented. Often the details of a particular process are known by a handful of people, and sometimes by just a single person. In large processes involving many people, the full details of the entire process may not be known by any one person, which makes it more difficult to document. In fact, determining the exact nature of a process in large organizations is not easy. But writing the process down pays big dividends, because once the process is documented it can be optimized and improved, which helps the business become more efficient. Parts of the process may remain a manual task for an employee, but many parts can be automated, which can take the efficiency of the business to another level.

What if your business has other ...