Process management – A simple guide to business processes

Process management helps organizations run the same work the same way—on purpose. It turns “how we usually do it” into clear, owned, measurable flows that improve over time. As a result, teams reduce friction, deliver more consistent quality, and scale without relying on tacit knowledge.

In this guide, you’ll learn what process management is, how it relates to Business Process Management (BPM), which types and stages matter most, and how to set up governance so improvements actually stick.

What is Process Management?

Process management is the discipline of designing, executing, monitoring, and continuously improving how work gets done across an organization. Instead of treating work as a set of isolated tasks, you manage it as an end-to-end flows: roles, steps, handovers, rules, and outcomes.

As one of the fathers of modern management put it:

”If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, then you don’t know what you are doing.”

W. Edwards Deming

It’s closely related to Business Process Management (BPM), which is the broader, systematic approach to improving how a business operates—often including process discovery, governance, measurement, automation, and continuous improvement. In practice, many teams use “process management” as the operational, day-to-day expression of BPM.

Process management vs. project management

Project management focuses on a temporary and unique effort with a defined start and end—like creating an entirely new product or implementing a new system. Process management focuses on repeatable work—like onboarding employees, handling claims, running recurring projects, monthly closing, or responding to customer requests.

Put simply: projects are for innovation and change; processes run the business.

Naturally, a project may redesign a process, and then process management keeps that new way of working alive. So the two are related and both are indispensable but their management disciplines are different.

To dive deeper into this, read Why your project is really a process (and why you should care)

Practical examples of process management

• Order-to-cash: From customer order to invoicing and payment, including approvals and exceptions.
• Incident handling: Logging issues, assigning owners, tracking resolution, and capturing learnings.
• Employee onboarding: IT access, training steps, compliance checks, and role-specific SOPs.
• Change control: Evaluating change requests, assessing risk, approving, and communicating updates.

Process management covers processes from levels 1-5; from end-to-end processes all the way to work instructions and task management.

If you’re looking to understand the different process levels, then you may find this lesson from our new Gluu Academy relevant:

Types of Process Management

Words like process, workflow and procedure are often mixed about. They refer to different process levels that serve different purposes. While some processes are system-driven, others depend on human judgment, and some revolve around documents and approvals. These three types help you choose the right focus—and the right tooling.

Human-centric BPM

Human-centric process management emphasizes collaboration, decision-making, and clear responsibilities. Think of hiring, customer escalations, or safety incident reviews—work where people need the right context at the right time.

Here, success depends on clarity: who owns what, what “done” means, and how exceptions get handled.

“If it doesn’t make at least three people mad, it’s NOT a Process.“
– Michael Hammer and Stanton, 1995

Integration-centric BPM

Integration-centric process management focuses on connecting systems so work flows automatically between tools. For example, an ERP creates a purchase order, a warehouse system updates inventory, and a finance system posts transactions—without manual copying.

This approach works best for high-volume, stable workflows where automation and integrations remove delays and reduce errors.

Document-centric BPM

Document-centric process management revolves around creating, routing, approving, and storing documents—contracts, policies, work instructions, audit evidence, and regulated forms.

This approach is especially useful when compliance, traceability, version control, and approvals matter as much as speed.

Stages of Process Management

A practical process management initiative typically moves through four core stages. They keep the work structured, but still flexible enough to improve continuously.

1. Analyze and identify processes
   Start by discovering how work actually happens today. Capture stakeholders, pain points, handovers, and the most common exceptions.
2. Design optimized processes
   Define the “to-be” process: roles, steps, rules, SLAs, alerts, and what good looks like. Keep it simple so people will use it.
3. Implement process models
   Publish the process in a format your teams can follow—process maps, SOPs, checklists, ownership, and training materials. If relevant, add automation.
4. Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve
   Measure performance, spot bottlenecks, gather feedback, and update the process. Improvement becomes routine rather than a one-off initiative.

Many teams also describe a more detailed lifecycle with phases such as design, modelling, execution, monitoring, and optimisation. Whether you use four stages or five phases, the point stays the same: define how work runs, support execution, measure results, and improve on purpose.

Business process management tools

Process management tools help you move from “we mapped it once” to “we run and improve it continuously.” The right platform supports both governance (standards and ownership) and execution (making it easy to work the right way).

• Process mapping and documentation: Visual maps, embedded work instructions, and searchable SOPs.
• Roles, ownership, and responsibilities: Clear process owners, task ownership, and accountability.
• Dashboards and measurement: KPIs, throughput times, bottlenecks, and compliance evidence.
• Feedback and improvement capture: Issues, ideas, root cause notes, and an improvement backlog.
• Compliance tracking: Version control, approvals, audit trails, and controlled distribution.
• Automation and integrations: Automate stable steps, connect tools, and reduce manual handoffs.

CTA: Read more about BPM tools and methods.

If you’re evaluating platforms, a BPM software selection approach helps you compare what matters: adoption (do people actually use it?), governance, measurement, and how well the tool supports execution—not just modeling.

Explore: BPM Software Selection Guide.

👉 Discover our Process Management features: Explore process management features.

Benefits of Effective Process Management

When process management works, you feel it in daily operations. Teams spend less time firefighting, leaders gain visibility, and customers get more predictable outcomes.

• Higher productivity: Fewer delays and clearer handovers reduce time lost to rework.
• Better quality: Standard work and built-in checks reduce defects and variation.
• Lower risk: Controlled processes make compliance, audits, and change control easier.
• Cost savings: Less waste, fewer errors, and more predictable execution reduce operational cost.
• Faster onboarding: New employees ramp up quicker with clear process guidance and SOPs.

To make improvements measurable, define KPIs that match your goal—cycle time, error rate, rework percentage, customer satisfaction, or cost per case. Then track them consistently, not occasionally.

“Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement.”

H. James Harrington

Real-world Examples of Process Management in Businesses

Process management applies across industries. The content changes, but the method stays the same: clarify the flow, assign ownership, define activities, measure performance, and improve continuously.

Banking: automating loan processes

Banks often manage loan origination as an end-to-end process—data collection, credit checks, approvals, documentation, and disbursement. When teams standardize requirements and automate routine checks, they shorten cycle time and reduce back-and-forth with customers.

Insurance: claims management

Claims processes benefit from clear triage rules, ownership, and status tracking. With structured handovers and better documentation, insurers improve first-time-right handling and increase transparency for both staff and customers.

Manufacturing: logistics and production

In manufacturing, process management reduces defects and delays by standardizing work instructions and capturing quality checks at the right steps. Lean improvements—like removing unnecessary movement or waiting—can significantly improve throughput.

Retail: customer service and order management

Retailers manage returns, refunds, and delivery exceptions through customer-facing workflows. When teams simplify routing and provide agents with clear process guidance, they reduce wait times and improve first-contact resolution.

Oil & Gas: safety and compliance workflows

Safety-critical industries rely on controlled processes—permits to work, incident reporting, risk assessments, and training evidence. Strong governance, version control, and audit trails help organizations manage risk while still operating efficiently.

Process Governance – Ensuring Ownership and Compliance

Process governance is how you ensure processes stay accurate, owned, and followed. Without governance, process maps become “documentation that drifts,” and improvements fade once the initial project ends.

Two roles matter especially:

• Process owner: Accountable for the process outcome, performance, and updates over time.
• Compliance officer (or equivalent): Ensures controls, evidence, and approvals support regulatory or internal requirements.

What is a process management plan?

A process management plan is a formal, approved document that defines how a process will be executed, monitored, and controlled. The process owner typically creates it with input from the team and key stakeholders. It can be short and practical, or more detailed—depending on risk, complexity, and compliance needs.

Process management plan checklist

Use this checklist to keep your plan actionable and audit-friendly:

1. Overview and context: Why the process exists, who it serves, and what “success” means.
2. Process description and implementation: Steps, roles, handovers, SOPs, SLAs, and exception handling.
3. Monitoring and measurement: KPIs, dashboards, review cadence, and escalation paths.
4. External dependencies: Systems, vendors, data inputs, and constraints that can create bottlenecks.
5. Preservation and storage: Where documentation lives, how versions are controlled, and how long records are kept.
6. Sharing and reuse: How teams learn from improvements and apply best practices elsewhere.
7. Legal and compliance aspects: Required controls, approvals, and evidence for audits.
8. Adherence and review: Ownership, training expectations, and scheduled process health checks.

CTA: Learn more about process governance.

How to implement process management strategies

To make process management stick, combine a simple improvement cycle with clear ownership. The steps below work whether you’re improving one workflow or rolling out a process management program across a department.

1. Pick the process that matters
   Start where pain is visible: delays, complaints, rework, risk, or cost. Then define the outcome you want.
2. Set goals and KPIs
   Choose a few metrics you can measure reliably. Keep them tied to customer value and operational performance.
3. Map the current flow
   Capture the real workflow, not the ideal one. Include exceptions and decision points, because that’s where complexity hides.
4. Design the improved process
   Simplify steps, clarify responsibilities, and define controls. If useful, standardize templates and automate repetitive work.
5. Roll out with training and support
   Make adoption easy: publish the process where people work, provide short SOPs, and clarify “who to ask” when exceptions occur.
6. Measure and review
   Use dashboards and regular reviews to spot drift, bottlenecks, and new risks. Update the process, then communicate changes clearly.
7. Create a feedback loop
   Let employees submit ideas and issues continuously. Over time, this builds a culture where improvement becomes normal.

If you want a structured template for improvement work, explore: Process Improvement Plan.

Conclusion

Process management turns daily work into a managed system: clear steps, clear ownership, and clear outcomes. When you combine lifecycle thinking (design → execute → monitor → improve) with practical governance, you reduce chaos and build operational consistency. Most importantly, you create a foundation where teams can improve continuously—without needing a major transformation project every time.

Explore more terms and frameworks in our BPM Glossary.

FAQ – Process Management