What is Process Management Lifecycle?

The process management lifecycle is a term referring to the phases used in continuous improvement.

The Process Management Lifecycle refers to the end-to-end stages involved in managing and optimizing business processes within an organization. It encompasses the various phases that organizations go through to design, implement, monitor, analyze, and continuously improve their processes. The lifecycle approach provides a structured framework for achieving operational efficiency, quality, and agility.

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As mentioned above, business process management is a discipline consisting of 5 phases: design, modelling, execution, monitoring, and optimisation. Let us explore each phase further.

5 Phases of Process Management Lifecycle

Design

Process Design encompasses both the identification of existing processes and the design of “to-be” processes. Areas of focus include representation of the process flow, the actors within it, alerts & notifications, escalations, Standard Operating Procedures, Service Level Agreements, and task hand-over mechanisms.

Modelling

Modelling takes the theoretical design and introduces combinations of variables (e.g., changes in rent or materials costs, which determine how the process might operate under different circumstances).

Execution

One of the ways to automate processes is to develop or purchase an application that executes the required steps of the process; however, in practice, these applications rarely execute all the steps of the process accurately or completely. Another approach is to use a combination of software and human intervention; however, this approach is more complex, making the documentation process difficult.

Monitoring

The Monitor Phase is where process performance is measured. Monitoring encompasses the tracking of individual processes, so that information on their state can be easily seen, and statistics on the performance of one or more processes can be provided. An example of tracking is being able to determine the state of a customer order (e.g. ordered arrived, awaiting delivery, invoice paid) so that problems in its operation can be identified and corrected.

Optimisation

Process optimization includes retrieving process performance information from the modelling or monitoring phase; identifying the potential or actual bottlenecks and the potential opportunities for cost savings or other improvements; and then, applying those enhancements in the design of the process. Overall, this creates greater business value.

Further Resources on Process Management Lifecycle:

• Read our guide to creating a process improvement plan
• IT Knowledge Portal, Business Process Management

Related Links:

• Business Process Optimisation
• Risk Management
• DMADV
• Process Design
• BPMN – Business Process Model Notation

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Explore more about different process improvement terms in our BPM Glossary.