Social Business Process Management
Social Business Process Management
Social Business Process Management (Social BPM) integrates the principles of Business Process Management (BPM) with the collaborative and interactive capabilities of Web 2.0 technologies. This approach aims to enhance traditional BPM by incorporating social elements that facilitate improved communication, collaboration, and decision-making within organizations.
Overview of Business Process Management
Before delving into Social BPM, it's important to understand the fundamentals of Business Process Management. BPM is a systematic approach to improving an organization’s processes. Processes are defined as related, structured activities or tasks carried out by people or equipment to achieve a specific organizational goal. BPM involves various stages, including:
- Discovery: Identifying and documenting existing processes.
- Modeling: Representing processes visually to analyze and understand them better.
- Analysis: Examining processes to identify areas for improvement.
- Optimization: Making adjustments to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- Automation: Utilizing technology to execute processes with minimal human intervention.
Social BPM: The Intersection of BPM and Social Technologies
Social BPM extends traditional BPM by leveraging social tools and technologies to create more dynamic and adaptive processes. The integration of social features allows for real-time communication, enhancing the ability of teams to work together efficiently. Key aspects of Social BPM include:
- Collaboration: Utilizing social networks, blogs, and wikis to enable team members to share knowledge and insights.
- Collective Decision-Making: Facilitating group discussions and consensus-building to make informed decisions.
- Knowledge Sharing: Creating a repository of shared information that can be easily accessed and updated by team members.
Implementing Social BPM
The successful implementation of Social BPM requires a strategic approach that transcends the mere adoption of social tools. It involves:
- Framework Development: Establishing a conceptual framework that integrates social dimensions into BPM, ensuring that social technologies are effectively utilized.
- Social Ontology: Developing an ontology to define relationships and interactions within social processes. Tools like Protege can be used for ontology development.
- Knowledge Inference: Using rules and queries, such as SWRL and SPARQL, to infer knowledge from social interactions.
Benefits and Challenges
While Social BPM provides numerous benefits, including improved agility and responsiveness, it also poses challenges. Organizations must navigate issues related to technology integration, cultural change, and data security. Furthermore, there is a need for a coherent and reusable framework that is independent of specific technologies to ensure sustainable adoption.