Now a day, the downfall of the economy is forcing many companies to pay very close attention to their financial position. While most organizations are juggling with innovative business projects and ideas to find ways to remain profitable, other companies are face an uphill battle as they begin to consider business process as road to success.
Even though these companies begin to document and implement processes, they do not hire the staff with the right level of competence and finally these workers don’t have the know-how to ensure the success of a business process.
A business process never stops at a “border” of a department neither the “border” of a company. Therefore business process management needs its own role and more importantly its own set of responsibilities, budget and trainings.
That's where the chief process officer (CPO) comes in. He is an executive responsible at the highest level of an organization. He usually reports direct to the CEO or board of directors. He oversees the business process activities, is responsible for defining rules and guidelines to ensures that the main objectives follows the company strategy as well as establishing controll mechanismn.
The following guideline is very important if an organization wants to use business processes management as part of its structural change. It explains briefly the responsibilities of the CPO and the main roles inside his organization.
Whereas the Process management consultant, the Process management coach, the Process management assistant and the Process management IT coordinator are part of his organization and reporting directly to him, are the Process owner, the Process manager and the Process member part of the business organization.
Depending on the organization, the Process controller and the Process auditor plays a different role. They can either be integrated in the organization of the CPO as well as function as totally independend roles.
Future challanges
The main challanges for the CPO in the near future will be the following:
Initiate the change of an classical vertial oriantated organization into an horizontal process oriantated organization.
Ensure that the defined business processes acquire their own budget responsibility
Establishing a efficient change management to support the business process management implementation
Process management roles
CPO – Chief Process Officer
Definition of process management strategy and related objectives
Development, documentation, introduction of process model
Definition of methodology
Guarantee of process compliance
Process management consultant
Analysis and conception of the entire enterprise and process specific process management methods
Support of analysis and optimization of processes
Find underperforming activities and develop solutions for improvement
List of project plans and consult the transition
Execution of project activities and consultation of all roles in the process management
Development of organization-specific concepts to the adjustment of the organizational structure or for the execution of change projects
Process management coach
Examination and analysis of the entire enterprise process management methodology
Improvement of process management methodology incl. roles, organizational integration and process rules
Coaching of responsible persons in their specific process management roles
Sparring partner for content related discussions with process responsible persons
Process management assistant
Description and modeling of processes
Collecting process information
Analysis of process weak points and development of improvement capability
Documentation of all process information
Process management IT coordinator
Transfer from the business process model to a technical realization
Similar knowledge and duties than a Business Analyst (BA)
Controlling roles
Process controller
Modeling of management process within the process management process
Support during the strategic definition of process goals and Key Performance Indicator (KPI’s)
Consulting with the CPO regarding the coordination of all processes
Consulting with process manager and process responsible persons regarding the process achievements
Development of an efficient process reporting
Process auditor
Examination of all process descriptions and documentation
Definition and use of maturity models to evaluate a methodical and content related process efficiency
Ensure the transparency of compliance requirements
Guarantee the compliance requirements
Business roles
Process owner
Operational process controlling
Planning and execution of the operational process achievement
Ensure competence and resource planning of processes on an operational level
Coordination with other processes
Process manager
Strategic process controlling
Introducing a working process control
Ensure competence and resource planning of processes
Coordination with other processes
Process member
Realization of customer requirements in the process execution
Measurement of concrete process achievements in their on processes environment
