What is Business Process Management? | IBM

Business process management (BPM), as defined by Gartner (link resides outside of ibm.com), employs methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve and optimize business strategy and processes. While it is sometimes confused with task and project management, its scope is broader than these adjacent topics. Task management focuses on individual tasks whereas BPM observes the whole end-to-end process. Project management refers to a one-time scope of work while BPM focuses specifically on processes that are repeatable. Through continuous process reengineering, organizations can streamline their overall workflows, leading to increased efficiencies and cost-savings. This concept isn’t new; six sigma and lean principles are examples of BPM methodologies.

By incorporating advanced analytics, activity monitoring, and decision management capabilities, business process management suites are able to coordinate people, systems, and information and material to achieve business outcomes. As a result, they have been particularly helpful in accelerating digital transformation strategies.