The new BPM program: A focus on data-driven business outcomes

Efficiency and cost savings are the predominant, go-to goals of enterprise-wide business process management (BPM) program initiatives. As CEOs shift into enterprise-growth mode rather than focus on cost savings through consolidations -- as several experts say they are -- these executives are expecting CIOs to help them achieve and maintain this growth momentum with BPM initiatives.

Hence, business results and business outcomes are shaping up to take precedence over cost savings and efficiency gains in terms of the BPM strategy goals , with these expected outcomes ranging from revenue generation to competitive differentiation.

"The efficiencies are just an end result of giving people an easier way to do their jobs rapidly," said Matt Richard, CIO of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), which represents and acts as an advocate for 500,000 skilled construction professionals.

Richard's approach to delivering business outcomes is through the consolidation of membership management processes gathered in disparate systems across nine regions in the U.S. and Canada. This centralized system would give members insight into in-demand skills in specific geographic areas and provide construction contractors the ability to find skilled workers based on real-time data.

The centralized system, scheduled to roll out in the first quarter of 2014, is being built on Appian Corp.'s cloud-based BPM software. Once in place, it would give local and regional union offices data on which certifications individual members hold, where the job demand exists and how members may need to be trained to fit the needs of contractors seeking skilled laborers.

The customer service process optimization -- finding jobs for members -- may be more obvious in terms of business gains. Less obvious, but just important, is the competitive advantage that would result. The data would show LIUNA executives trends in contractors hiring their members versus hiring nonunion members and, in turn, where they need to train members. Contractors, who would also have access to the system, would gain access to member information as new contracts crop up.

"The whole point really is to get members jobs and better paying jobs, and for contractors to easily find the skills they are looking for in our members," Richard said. By having one system, we can ensure integrity of the data. With real-time, accurate data, not only will members advocate for us, but contractors will as well because they can get a better product from us and interact with us more effectively and efficiently to get the resources they need. "