Is yourbusiness

Driving
process
business optimization
fit
in
forthe
a digital
digitalage
Emerging trends in the BPM domain
world?
Contents Page number

Executive summary 1

Introduction 2

Trends that will define the success of BPM projects 3

1. Emergence of social, mobile and cloud BPM 4

2. RPA and BPM are not same, but can be powerful when integrated 6

3. iBPM to gain prominence relying on real-time analytics to manage processes better 7

4. Managing unstructured processes via dynamic case management 8

5. Integration of BPM and EA 9

Think ahead, embrace the change 11

How EY can help 11

Acknowledgement 12
Executive summary
Business process management (BPM) is a management discipline that
integrates the strategy and goals of an organization with the expectations
and needs of the customers by focusing on end-to-end processes. To be BPM is embedded
successful in any organization, a BPM project must be dynamic to respond
to the changing needs of the organization, its environment and people.
in everything, no
matter where the
In todays environment, the lead triggers for process improvement or process organization is
transformation projects are the disruptive digital technologies, competitive threats
and customer expectations. However, BPM (people, process, technology) still in its change
remains at the heart of such projects. BPM is embedded in everything, no matter journey or
where the organization is in its change journey or maturity curve.
maturity curve.
Digital and smart technologies, and sophisticated data analytics are some of the
key forces that are gaining prominence. These forces have the potential to disrupt
the way businesses operate. They impact every aspect of an organization and have
become an essential part of running a successful business. BPM domain is also
transforming due to this.

Process management platforms that enable social, mobile and cloud access
are gaining more prominence over others as these provide enhanced digital
experience and capabilities to users. Using real-time analytics to manage
processes will also play an important role in the digitization of BPM.
Robotics is another force that will disrupt the way process transformation
is being thought of. It will be important to embrace robotics process
automation (RPA) and integrate it with process improvement projects
to go beyond process re-engineering and optimization.

Delivering enhanced customer experience has always been a priority for

organizations. This is gaining significance even in the BPM domain, and
organizations are looking for ways to improve the customer journey.
Dynamic case management and enterprise architecture (EA) will emerge
as key trends to address this need and provide more holistic and
enhanced customer experience.

With changes in the business environment and the advent of the abovementioned
forces, some key trends have emerged that may define the success of BPM
projects in the near future. In this document, the major trends emerging in the
BPM domain have been explored. The trends are:

Emergence of social, mobile and cloud BPM

Integration of RPA and BPM
Real-time analytics to manage processes better intelligent BPM (iBPM)
Managing unstructured processes via dynamic case management
Integration of BPM and EA

Although there are other upcoming trends in the domain, these trends
emerged at the top on the basis of the extensive research and views of BPM
professionals within EY.

EY has collaborated with clients who have proactively embarked on the

process excellence journey by embracing many of these trends in their
existing organizational setup.

1
 Introduction
In order to survive in todays competitive and fast-changing world,
it has become imperative to not just respond to the changes but
to stay abreast with the upcoming trends and disruptions and The entire concept
predict their impact.
of BPM (people-,
Organizations are increasingly becoming mindful of the digital process- and
demands and the evolving technological environment. With the technology-focused) is
accelerated speed of technology improvements and changing client
expectations, it is important to keep the business process operations being confused with
flexible and agile. In this context, there is no scope for incurring digital revolution,
additional costs or spending precious time without a clear goal or
purpose. Customers are spoiled for choice and are willing to switch
which is mostly
to another product or service if their expectations are not met. technology-focused.
To help guarantee a successful customer journey, organizations
need to address the changing dynamics and pre-empt the varying
customer needs.

Organizations are increasingly investing in digitization projects

without completely understanding their impact. The entire concept
of BPM (people-, process- and technology-focused) is being confused
with digital revolution, which is mostly technology-focused. Due
to lack of understanding of situations where digitization should be
chosen over BPM or vice versa, many organizations are investing
in digitization projects over BPM projects. Therefore, it is becoming
increasingly important to understand the difference between the two
and identify the scenarios where digitization and BPM projects should
be undertaken as well as integrated.

Digital disruptions are influencing how we view BPM projects and the
value they deliver. The emergence of new technologies, platforms
and environments is transforming the way BPM projects are being
carried out. Traditional approaches to BPM are no longer fit for
purpose and require integration with the emerging trends to enhance
customer experience. As with other products and services, customer
experience is increasingly playing a more significant role in process
transformation projects. Therefore, identification of a customers
expectations prior to starting a BPM project will be essential.

2
Trends that will define the success
of BPM projects
There are several upcoming trends in the BPM space; however, this report explores the top five trends
that would have a noteworthy impact in the near future and should be considered for BPM projects.
These have emerged as the top trends on the basis of an extensive research on this topic and the points
of view shared by EY BPM professionals who have worked with clients who underwent operating model
disruptions and are experiencing the impacts of the key BPM trends.

1
Emergence of social,
mobile and cloud BPM

5 2
RPA and BPM are
Integration of not the same, but can
BPM and EA be powerful when
integrated

4 3
iBPM to gain prominence
Managing unstructured
relying on real-time
processes via dynamic
analytics to manage
case management
processes better

3
 1
Emergence of
social, mobile and
cloud BPM

5 2
Integration of RPA and BPM are
BPM and EA not the same, but
can be powerful when
integrated

4 3

1
Managing iBPM to gain

Emergence of social,
unstructured prominence relying
processes via on real-time analytics
dynamic case to manage
processes better

mobile and cloud BPM

management

Impact
Key thought

Collaboratively designed processes are Increased collaboration, reduced time-to-solution

accessible on the go to enable real-time and cost-effectiveness
decision management.

One of the most critical factors Traditionally, customer service

for the success of a BPM project is
the collaboration across different
functions, stakeholders and teams in
an organization. Most BPM projects
fail to understand the criticality of this
collaboration and dont measure up
to the success that was envisioned at
the beginning of the project. With the
advances in technology, this challenge
can be overcome by leveraging a
social BPM.
A social BPM helps in breaking
silos by increasing transparency
and encouraging a collaborative
environment for process
improvement. It enables real-time
collaboration between the process
modelers, decision-makers and
users of the process, i.e., the
people responsible for carrying
out the process.
As per the Gartner IT glossary,
social BPM is a concept that describes
collaboratively designed and iterated
processes. These processes mirror the
way a work is performed from a doer
perspective and is experienced from a
receiver perspective to harness the
power of continuous learning from
the collective.1
solutions were based on inbound
customer contacts; however, with the
focus shifting to provide customers
with a better experience, social BPM
will have a much greater role to play.
Similar to the emergence of social
BPM is the BPM service delivery
via cloud. Delivering BPM projects
via cloud enables organizations to
remain cost-effective as they dont
need to install the entire toolset of
business process analysis suite (BPAS)
or business process management
suite (BPMS), thereby reducing the
infrastructure requirements. Instead,
the tool is available via cloud, which is
deployed over the internet or intranet
and helps in faster provisioning and
lowering costs of the BPM project.
It allows organizations to quickly
understand the features and build
pilots before purchasing enterprise
licenses, and enables faster
time-to-market.
The cloud capability also supports
mobile BPM, wherein the process
models can be accessed via a mobile
application, enabling the workers
to perform their work on the go.
Mobile capabilities provide seamless
A social BPM helps
in breaking silos by
increasing transparency
and encouraging
a collaborative
environment for
process improvement.
experience to the users with the
flexibility to view, design and analyze
processes on mobile devices. This
is a fast-growing trend as it enables
process modelers, process owners,
decision-makers and end users of
the process to remain connected
and collaborate on the go. Instant
accessibility of models, documents
and feedbacks coming in as a result
of collaboration accelerates the
delivery of a BPM project.
These solutions ensure an enhanced
ease of use, reduced time-to-solution,
human collaboration, integration
with social media, mobile access and
real-time decision management.

Social BPM, Gartner IT Glossary, www.gartner.com/it-glossary/social-bpm/, accessed 30 July 2016

1

4
 2.5b
40% smartphones will
of global workforce be in use by 2017.
will be mobile.

129m
employees worldwide 50%
take advantage
of human tasks need
of bring your
near-real-time
own device.
responses.

Figure 1: Mobile The game changer for business2

2
Josphe Blondaut, Dr. Peter Mller, Adding new dimensions to business process analysis, Software AG, April 2016.
5
 1
Emergence of
social, mobile and
cloud BPM

5 2
Integration of RPA and BPM are
BPM and EA not the same, but
can be powerful when
integrated

RPA and BPM are not the 4 3

2
Managing iBPM to gain

same, but can be powerful

unstructured prominence relying
processes via on real-time analytics
dynamic case to manage
processes better

when integrated
management

Impact
Key thought

Automation using robots or software is an

Drives efficiency, reduces costs and improves
emerging technology and several businesses
quality due to reduced rate of errors,
have started adopting RPA as the tool for
standardization and control over operations
digital transformation.

RPA or robotics is a buzzword that Though RPA is often confused with

is emerging as one of the most
sought-after solutions to make
business processes more efficient.
However, it is often confused as a
substitute for BPM or as BPM itself.
What is becoming increasingly
important is to understand RPA and
how it relates to BPM.
Automation using robots or software
is an emerging technology and several
businesses have started adopting
RPA as the next major tool for digital
transformation to drive efficiency,
reduce costs and improve quality.
RPA is the automation of processes,
activities or tasks which are usually
of high volume, repetitive, highly
transactional and dont require
human intervention or decisions while
performing. Therefore, automating
such processes results in increasing
efficiency by reducing time and costs
of executing them. It also helps in
increasing staff retention as it reduces
the dissatisfaction associated with
repetitive manual processes which
often leads to higher attrition rate.
BPM, it is actually an outcome of the
Though RPA is
end-to-end BPM. RPA is relevant for
the processes which are rule-based often confused
and do not require human judgment. with BPM, it is
Whereas, BPM is applied across all
actually an outcome
types of processes irrespective of
whether requiring human judgment of the end-to-end
or not. A BPM project will ensure BPM. RPA is relevant
a better monitoring and stronger for the processes
control of all processes, whereas RPA
is focused on saving costs and time, which are rule-based
and reducing the rate of errors. RPA and do not require
addresses process improvement human judgment.
only at the surface level. BPM is an
in-depth analysis of how processes
Whereas, BPM is
are operating, identifying areas of applied across all
improvement and recommending types of processes
solutions which could include
irrespective of
automation, reengineering or
transformation. whether requiring
human judgment
Therefore, it is essential to
or not.
understand that RPA and BPM are
different enablers with different
purposes. Organizations will have to
understand when one should be used
instead of the other as well as how
they can be integrated to accomplish
better results.

6

iBPM to gain prominence relying
3
on real-time analytics to manage
processes better
Key thought
Companies will combine real-time data
analytics and process workflow execution
to help drive process improvements.
Future is made of high-volume,
high-velocity and high-variety
information assets that demand
cost-effective and innovative
forms of processing for enhanced
decision-making. The need of
real-time analytics for the massive
data flowing in will set in motion
a perpetuating cycle of enterprise
process improvement. The vast
amount of data that businesses have
access to should be presented in a
way that makes it easy to interpret
and make informed decisions. This
requires organizations to analyze
processes more deeply and simulate
potential improvements.
One of the challenges facing BPM
is how to analyze and interpret
the data related to processes and
transactions in order to discover
opportunities for improvements.
In the world of big data, this
challenge can be overcome with
the data and analytics platforms.
A small change in processes
can have a big impact on their
performance; therefore, it is
critical that BPM projects leverage
sophisticated intelligence for data
gathering, storage, distribution,
analysis and decision-making.
Successful BPM initiatives leverage
3
Virender Jeet, Top 4 BPM trends for 2016, Economic Times CIO, 08 January 2016
1
Emergence of
social, mobile and
cloud BPM
5 2
Integration of RPA and BPM are
BPM and EA not the same, but
can be powerful when
integrated
4 3
Managing iBPM to gain
unstructured prominence relying
processes via on real-time analytics
dynamic case to manage
processes better
management
Impact
Better visibility of process inefficiencies,
exceptions and improvement opportunities to
automatically initiate performance-based events
and dynamically manage the flow of enterprise
processes
data analytics for more effective Report the results of process
process analysis. According to changes, learnings and behaviors,
analyst reports, seventy percent which may alert about the need of
of high-performing companies will intervention for more significant
manage their business processes disruptions and change in the
using real-time predictive analytics strategic direction
or extreme collaboration by 2016.3
Additionally, predictive analytics
Another challenge facing BPM is can help drive process improvements
learning from process discoveries and by automatically initiating
taking the right decisions for process performance-based events and
effectiveness and optimization. This dynamically managing the flow
is where a new dimension comes to of enterprise processes. The results
the BPM space the iBPM. Leveraging from predictive analytics can be
analytics with BPM projects will enable integrated with BPM suites so that
organizations to: the events can trigger a set of
predefined business rules and
Mine processes, including discover, work flows.
monitor and extract information
from event logs that are readily In todays world, managing business
available in the operations systems processes at such an advanced
level is a challenge. However, there
Combine real-time data to are tools and software available in
streamline and optimize business the market that can enable these
processes to help in identifying advanced functionalities. The iBPM
existing inefficiencies and suites (iBPMs) have emerged as the
rectifying them new offerings in the BPM space and
can support these functionalities.
Incorporate business rules processing, Still, organizations will have to do
to distinguish between exceptions a cost-benefit analysis in order to
and rules, by defining constraints and determine the feasibility of deploying
implementing criterial aspects that such platforms in their businesses
are intended to guide the behavior and whether it is aligned to their
and future of a process overall strategies.
7
 1
Emergence of
social, mobile and
cloud BPM

5 2
Integration of RPA and BPM are
BPM and EA not the same, but
can be powerful when
integrated

Managing unstructured 4 3

4
Managing iBPM to gain

processes via dynamic

unstructured prominence relying
processes via on real-time analytics
dynamic case to manage
processes better

case management
management

Impact
Key thought

It is becoming increasingly important to handle

exceptions to processes and dynamically adapt Fast and accurate response to the changing
them as per the circumstances. This follows a customer needs by creating new processes at
design-by-doing approach, replacing traditional run time as the situation demands
process modeling approach.

Despite BPM implementation, there
may be real-time instances where
unpredictable and unrepeatable
business situations arise. These
situations lead to performing a set
of tasks or actions that were not
foreseen, and, in some instances,
even defined. These are called
cases. Examples of cases can be
dispute resolution (which, depending
on the circumstances, will require
analysis of various aspects to define
the set of activities that need to
be performed) or the treatment
of a customers complaint or a
claims analysis.
Managing such unstructured or
semi-structured processes is a
challenge for organizations in todays
world and depends on a combination
of human judgment, rules and events.
These processes do not follow a
specific work flow and need to be
adapted as per a given situation or
scenario and hence, are difficult to
manage. Most of these processes
cant be automated as they require
unique processing on the basis of
the facts and need to be dynamically
adapted to circumstances as they are
prone to constant change.
Case management or management of
such processes, therefore, becomes a
challenge as BPM helps organizations
in managing processes by clearly
documenting them so that they are
well understood. However, due to
the nature of such cases, it becomes
difficult to standardize the processes.
Dynamic case management handles
such exceptions by following the
design-by-doing approach, in addition
to the traditional BPM. With the
advancement in technology,
it has become possible to
effectively manage such processes
by integrating with BPM solutions.
The BPM suites have capabilities
that can address the agile and
dynamic nature of the processes,
along with the collaboration features,
which enable even more complex
case management. What is important
to understand is the difference
between the traditional approach
to BPM and the more dynamic and
collaborative approach to BPM, which
can help create new processes at run
time as the situation demands.

8

5
Integration of BPM and EA
Key thought
When BPM and EA initiatives are combined,
they become more relevant and provide
a more comprehensive solution to the
organizations challenges.
Process improvement, optimization
and transformation are the most
sought-after solutions in organizations
to increase efficiency and effectiveness
of processes. However, these solutions
are not effective if done in isolation
without considering how the systems
support the processes and how the
data is exchanged or accumulated
across the business. The importance
of integrating a companys process
architecture with technological
architecture is increasing and the
focus is shifting from managing only
processes to the complete EA.
A logical and streamlined
understanding of the companys
technological environment enables
faster decision-making and lowers the
cost of addressing digital challenges. It
has been observed that the integration
of value chain with the systems
landscape across the organization has
resulted in integrating and reusing
systems, thus proving to be more
efficient and cost-effective.
As per the survey conducted by the
Business Process Trends Community
in 2016, develop an enterprise
1
Emergence of
social, mobile and
cloud BPM
5 2
Integration of RPA and BPM are
BPM and EA not the same, but
can be powerful when
integrated
4 3
Managing iBPM to gain
unstructured prominence relying
processes via on real-time analytics
dynamic case to manage
processes better
management
Impact Impact
Logical and streamlined understanding of
the companys technological environment to
enable faster decision-making and lower the
cost of addressing digital challenges
architecture, continues to be at the
top of the agenda for organizations in
The traditional
terms of investments in BPM initiatives.
BPM initiatives will no longer be as approaches are
appealing if considered in isolation no longer attractive,
without a strong integration with the and BPM practitioners
complete EA knowledge. When BPM
and EA initiatives are combined, it are looking for ways
becomes more relevant and provides to deliver end-to-end
a more comprehensive solution to solutions to the clients
the organizations challenges. The
traditional approaches are no longer
to increase customer
attractive, and BPM practitioners are satisfaction and provide
looking for ways to deliver end-to-end a more memorable
solutions to the clients to increase
customer experience.
customer satisfaction and provide a
more memorable customer experience.
However, the integration of BPM
and EA does have challenges there
could be situations where executives at
senior levels might not understand the
technical aspects in EA and might be
more inclined toward the financial
aspects of cost savings via process
improvement techniques. Therefore,
it will be important to determine
the key drivers for senior
stakeholders and adapt the BPM
and EA initiatives accordingly.
9
 Where companies will be investing more in the BPM initiatives

38%

2011 Develop an EA
31%

43%

26%

2013
Coordinate process
26%
management efforts

26%

26%
2015
Coordinate enterprise
26%
process change efforts

26%

24%
Develop an
enterprise
performance 20%
management
system
19%

24%

Offer process
20%
manager training

19%

22%

Undertake balanced
14%
scorecard installation

13%

Figure 2: Companies investments in future BPM initiatives (Source: BPTrends, 2016)

10
Think ahead, embrace the change
The BPM space is evolving at a fast
pace. Some of the trends emerging
in this space can be considered
as disruptors, and some can be
considered as fads with a short-lived
future. However, it is important to
understand how these trends will
transform the way BPM projects are
being thought of or being carried
out. Most of these trends would have
to be embraced to provide better
customer experience and be at par
with competition. These will become
more of a necessity than trends in the
near future.
How EY can help
EYs knowledge in the BPM domain
integrated with standard, proven
and lasting delivery approach,
refined through the numerous
similar engagements makes sure
that the clients witness the projects
being delivered by professionals in
the domain.
With a diverse team of global
consultants and industry professionals,
EY has invested in centers of excellence
(CoE) in BPM across the globe
Customer experience and digitization
are the major emerging trends
impacting the future of the business
process world. Customers are
expecting to have remarkable digital
experiences. To address customers
digital needs, companies usually tend
to ignore the process and the people
aspects, focusing only on technology.
However, BPM can help companies
overcome this challenge considering
the three transformation pillars
people, process and technology.
that are ready to help our clients
with differentiated and targeted
implementation approach. EYs
BPM capabilities are uniquely
positioned to support business
and technology organizations
with years of experience in
helping organizations with
similar endeavors.
Leveraging the BPM services within
the organization, EY is also on the
path of internalizing the BPM trends
Exploring the perspectives of
BPM professionals and credible
organizations, we clearly see a list
of top factors that will influence the
success of BPM projects in the future.
Looking at how BPM will be offered
in companies, the future will have
BPM platforms that enable social,
mobile and cloud BPM, EA concepts
and iBPMS. Looking at how BPM will
directly impact the organizations to
offer enhanced customer experience,
RPA, real-time analytics for iBPMS
and dynamic case management for
assertive and agile decision-making
will have a greater role to play to
define the success of BPM projects.
and using them for internal benefits.
An example of that is the Automation
CoE, which focuses on assessing
existing business processes within EY,
evaluating automation potential and
recommending a suitable approach
for implementation.
EYs relentless focus on asking better
questions and coming up with custom
solutions, can help our clients to realize
and demonstrate higher value to all
their stakeholders.
11
 Acknowledgement
The document could not have been completed without the contribution from
the BPM professionals within EY. The authors wish to thank the following
members for providing their inputs and experiences for the development
of this point-of-view document:

Deepak Tiwari, Senior Manager, Financial Services Office, EY LLP

Hela Atmani, Manager, Advisory Risk, EY Advisory
Hamilton Maia, Executive Director, Advisory Risk, EY Assessoria Empresarial
Rama Bhatlapenumarthi, Senior Manager, Financial Services Office, EY LLP

References
Gartner IT Glossary, Gartner Inc., www.gartner.com/it-glossary/, accessed 30 July 2016.

Josphe Blondaut, Dr. Peter Mller, Adding new dimensions to business process analysis,
Software AG, April 2016.

Katie Behrens, RPA vs. BPM: One Goal, Two Solutions, UiPath, 17 March 2015.

Paul Harmon, The State of Business Process Management 2016, BPTrends, www.bptrends.
com/bpt/wp-content/uploads/2015-BPT-Survey-Report.pdf, accessed 30 July 2016.

Sebastiraj Arulanandu, Is BPM an integral part of IOT, Wipro Limited, www.wipro.com/blogs/

is-bpm-an-integral-part-of-iot/, March 2015.

Susan Moore, Gartner Says Spending on Business Process Management Suites to Reach $2.7
Billion in 2015 as Organizations Digitalize Processes, Gartner Inc., www.gartner.com/newsroom/
id/3064717, 28 May 2015.

Virender Jeet, Top 4 BPM trends for 2016, Economic Times CIO,
www.cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/corporate-news/top-4-bpm-trends-for-2016/
50494087, 8 January 2016.

Viveka Sinha, Why Big Data needs BPM, BPM Institute.org, www.bpminstitute.org/resources/
articles/why-big-data-needs-bpm, accessed 30 August 2016.

Deepak Tiwari, Trends we are seeing in the BPM Technology Market Place, EY, 2014.

12
Feedback
We would like to hear your thoughts on this document.
Please click here to provide your feedback.

Key contacts

Ken P. Hammond Sumeet Tandon

Partner Associate Director
EYEA LLC EY LLP

Beatriz Moura Stuti Sethi

Supervising Associate Senior Analyst
EY Assessoria Empresarial EY LLP

15
EY | Assurance | Tax | Transactions | Advisory

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory
services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust
and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over.
We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all
of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better
working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the
member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate
legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by
guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information
about our organization, please visit ey.com.

2016 EYGM Limited.

All Rights Reserved.

ED None

This material has been prepared for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be
relied upon as accounting, tax or other professional advice. Please refer to your advisors for
specific advice.

ey.com