Introduction
One of the main challenges faced by leaders in the contemporary world is achieving prolonged success. It is important for leaders to apply effective strategies, which ensure that they achieve all objective within the set timeline (Rosemann 2010). This is particularly important when an organization has ongoing projects.
One important element that organizations use to ensure effective running of projects is Business Process Management (BPM). Project management experts define BPM as an organizational tool through which a business assesses, identifies, changes, and monitors its various processes to ensure efficiency.
The tool is often used to improve the overall performance of a business by ensuring the optimization of all processes that influence success (Ahmad & Francis 2007).
BPM helps to increase the asset value of organizational processes by ensuring that they are effectively managed and developed in line with the corporate culture. Proponents of this tool argue that it has the same effect on organizational success in the same manner as Total Quality Management (TQM) (Rosemann 2010).
Therefore, it is important for organizations to adequately invest in this tool because it has the potential to influence prolonged success.
Although many BPM critics define it as a piece of technology, experts argue that it more of a business practice because it focuses a lot on getting the best outcomes from organizational processes before they are automated.
In addition, BPM helps in ensuring great standards for organizational processes, an element that reduces errors through effective easing of risks (Ahmad & Francis 2007).
Discussion
BPM should be a continuous process because it’s effectiveness in maintaining workflow within an organization. A number of factors influence the manner in which an organization can achieve maximum benefits from implementing this business tool (Jeston & Nelis 2010).
One such factor is effective communication. Experts argue that the ability of an organization to acquire the right information on time, and deliver it to the right people ensures the effectiveness of BPM. Communication plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of projects in an organization (Jeston & Nelis 2010).
The same case applies to BPM, as there is a need to ensure that all the objectives of organizational processes are clearly understood by everyone. Effective communication during this business practice entails talking to people and sharing relevant information in an effective, as well as interactive manner (Rosemann 2010).
In addition, it involves a combination of oral, nonverbal, printed, skewed, and relative elements of sharing information with major stakeholders in each organizational process.
Stakeholders rely on the communication made by BPM moderators to know the progress of various processes and their required input (Bergener et al. 2012). Communication channels between organizational leaders and employees should always be open and highly accessible.
This plays a crucial role in influencing positive BPM outcomes, as good leadership during a project’s course helps to eliminate various obstacles (Ahmad & Francis 2007). Therefore, it is important for organizational leaders to ensure that communication is very effective.
In addition, they should ensure that employees give their best output. Experts argue that various strategies used to communicate between different departments within an organization are an effective strategy that can be used to achieve prolonged success (Rosemann 2010).
The effectiveness of BPM depends a lot on the nature of communication strategies used by organizational leaders (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011). Effective communication is an essential element in project management. It influences the level of success in terms of the ability of stakeholders to receive essential information on time (Jeston & Nelis 2010).
One of the best strategies that organizational leaders can use to achieve effective communication is developing a plan. The importance of developing a plan is that it helps in identifying all stakeholders and their communication needs.
In addition, it helps to establish the manner in which the necessary information will be communicated (Bergener et al. 2012). Stakeholders should be notified about any information that has potential to influence the quality, scope, risks, and outcomes of a process in an organization.
This will encourage them to express any concerns they have with regard to the level of communication, and its impact on the effectiveness of the decision-making process (Bergener et al. 2012). Effective communication also entails good interpersonal relationships between employees, organizational leaders, and project managers.
Business processes require an inclusive work environment that encourages all the involved stakeholders to express any concerns they have regarding a proposed or ongoing change process (Jeston & Nelis 2010). This helps to identify and eliminate any potential risks, especially during the initial stages of every process.
In order to achieve effective communication in BPM, organizational leaders should organize capacity building sessions with all stakeholders in a bid to enhance their skills (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011).
In planning for various organizational processes, organizational leaders should create enough time for setting good communication tools (Ahmad & Francis 2007).
The reason for this is that reliable communication between team members helps to increase the success rate of projects because everyone will have a clear understanding of objectives and the set timeline (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011).
Another important aspect that organizational leaders should consider in order to achieve effective communication is the diversity within a project team.
Studies have established that factors such as cultural diversity and educational background often influence the effectiveness of communication within a project team (Rosemann 2010).
Effective communication in BPM entails the use of culturally competent strategies that meet the needs of team members and the project at various levels.
Experts also argue that this barrier can be eliminated by ensuring that team members from diverse cultural backgrounds spend some valuable time together before the commencement of a project (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011).
This helps to improve the level of awareness among members towards other cultures, thus improving the efficiency of communication.
Studies have established that effective communication plays a crucial role in BPM. One of the main benefits of reliable communication strategies is that they help in enhancing the understanding of business processes by employees, project teams, and the organizational leaders (Bergener et al. 2012).
Organizational leaders use various communication channels to show their commitment towards achieving the objectives of various processes, as well as stating the roles to be played by employees within the course of projects (Ahmad & Francis 2007).
Effective communication also helps various stakeholders in understanding various methods used in project implementation. This is crucial in ensuring that all objectives are met in a timely and effective manner.
Miscommunication of crucial information relating to a project can easily compromise the ability of the working team to achieve its goals in entirety (Jeston & Nelis 2010).
Effective communication is also important because it helps to build demand (Antonucci 2010). Studies have established that a good communication plan for business processes helps to engage all stakeholders in the activities of the project, thus pulling everyone together for a common cause (Bergener et al. 2012).
Team members often develop an urge to work on a project when they know essential details of the task. Employees are easily motivated to work when they understand the objectives to meet, their role, and the ultimate reward for their efforts (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011).
Experts argue that stakeholders from within and outside an organization should be engaged in the process of building demand for projects, as their input is very influential at some point during the course of the project (Rosemann 2010).
Effective communication also helps an organization using BPM in developing a clear and competitive market perspective (Niehaves & Plattfaut 2011). Experts argue that effective communication during the implementation of a project helps an organization to develop a clear strategy for entering its target market (Rosemann 2010).
A good market perspective involves having the right products, identifying the appropriate market for them, pricing them accordingly, and promoting them among the target consumers. There are certain communication needs that should be met for an organization to achieve good performance in the market.
They include the need to establish consumer needs and preferences, as well as getting responses with regard to the quality of the products (Antonucci 2010).
A good communication strategy makes it easier for businesses to conduct market analysis for their products because interacting with potential customers, and learning the strategies of their competitors is always easy (Jeston & Nelis 2010).
Effective communication also helps to eliminate the occurrence of programming flaws. Experts argue that imperfections or weaknesses in a project are inventible when the communication strategies used in sharing information is ineffective (Ahmad & Francis 2007).
Good communication strategies help to create awareness of various project requirements among stakeholders, as well as establishing the capability levels of team members.
During the planning stage, effective communication ensures that all stakeholders are aware of the available resources so as to develop a workable plan (Bergener et al. 2012).
Conclusion
BPM is one of the most important elements that have great influence on organizational success. It is a business practice that focuses a lot on getting the best outcomes from organizational processes before they are automated.
In order to effectively benefit from using BPM, there are a number of essential organizational capabilities that are necessary.
They include exuding confidence in the project team, open communication, ability to share the vision with employees, promptness in responding to market changes, and trusting the ability of the management team.
Other essential capabilities include extensive use of information systems and ensuring the support of all stakeholders in the change management process.
One the most important capabilities is having effective communication strategies. Projects in the contemporary world are characterized by highly skilled and competent members who have a lot of information to share with regard to their work.
Communication channels used to communicate with stakeholders within and outside an organization should be effective in order to ensure success. A communication plan helps in identifying all stakeholders and their communication needs.
Effective communication entails creating good interpersonal relationships between employees, organizational leaders, and project managers.
References
Ahmad, H, & Francis A 2007, Business process reengineering: critical success factors, Business Process Management Journal, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 451-469.
Antonucci, Y 2010, Business process management curriculum, Handbook on Business Process Management, vol. 2. no. 1, pp. 30-56.
Bergener, K, Brocke, J, Hofmann, S, Stein, A & Brocke, C 2012, On the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education: design principles for international seminars, Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, vol.4, no. 4, pp. 415-436.
Jeston, J, & Nelis J 2010, Business Process Management, Routledge, New York.
Niehaves, B, & Plattfaut, R 2011, Collaborative business process management: status quo and quo Vadis, Business Process Management Journal, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 384-402.
Rosemann, M 2010, The six core elements of business process management, Handbook on Business Process Management, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 107-126.