Management methods are constantly evolving as the business landscape grows. New technology has led to recent advancements in team management and the development of various tactics for tackling different workflows.
Business process management (BPM) is used to identify adjustments that need to be made to improve workforce processes via data analysis. This method has been popularly applied through software and tech solutions, and a report by Market Research Future predicted the BPM market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7% by 2026.
Now, adaptive case management (ACM) has been introduced as a way of utilizing automation and enterprise technology to refine the workflow of an organization. But how is adaptive case management different from business process management, and how can these methods be merged and applied to improve your workforce management?
Read more: Workflow Management vs BPM vs RPA
What Is Adaptive Case Management?
Adaptive case management is an approach to managing work cases with the help of software. It can support work that requires specialized knowledge and execution by applying structure to knowledge work.
ACM supports knowledge work as well as unpredictable business processes that require flexibility. This knowledge-based work is also data-intensive, so workers can make more informed decisions. Additionally, ACM involves using updated data that is collected automatically, which can enable users to adjust workflow processes as necessary.
Not all aspects of knowledge work can be predicted or performed through automation, and therefore, traditional management models designed by IT professionals cannot support these unstructured processes.
ACM allows for human involvement and knowledge application. The method and technology are flexible enough to allow non-technical users to adjust aspects of their work process as necessary for the case at hand.
Adaptive Case Management Uses
ACM is used in knowledge work, or workflows that involve processes that a system cannot fully automate. This is because the work that ACM is applied to is generally unpredictable and requires workers to use their knowledge and judgment to carry out certain aspects of these tasks.
Examples of unpredictable tasks would be those driven by unknown events, tasks that require the addition of rules at any time, or those requiring actions with unforeseeable consequences. Some professions and processes where ACM can be applied are law, engineering, medicine, business collaboration, and data processing.
Read more: 10 of the Best Options for Workflow Automation Software
Defining Business Process Management
Unlike ACM, traditional business process management takes on a more rigid production and workflow management approach. BPM involves following preestablished steps to analyze and carry out business processes.
BPM allows a workforce to optimize their business processes for increased efficiency by implementing a structure for executing tasks based on analyzed workflow efficiency. The processes can be adjusted based on the monitoring of workflow data to determine the best method to carry out tasks and processes.
While ACM is designed to allow users to adjust certain aspects of case workflows as needed, BPM does not. Instead, BPM provides guidance and structure to streamline each process, and any adjustments are based on data — and applied to the entire workflow.
For work tasks that generally involve the same repetitive processes, BPM can be a practical approach to workforce management, as these situations do not require knowledge-based human involvement.
Use Cases for Business Process Management
BPM is a suitable management strategy for workflows with standard, repetitive tasks. However, it can also be used for individual workflow processes to increase efficiency. Examples of tasks that could benefit from this approach would be employee or client onboarding, customer approval automation, or managing HR processes.
Read more on TechRepublic: 3 Things to Consider Before Implementing Business Process Automation
How Does Adaptive Case Management Affect Business Process Management?
ACM relates to BPM, as they are both methods with software solutions to manage workflows within an organization. However, there are some key differences.
For starters, BPM is more often applied as a rigid model to complete workflows. Conversely, an ACM framework can be applied more loosely for processes that are prone to adjustments and require situational expertise.
BPM processes cannot be adjusted case by case, as ACM software is designed to do. And while BPM analyzes data for insights on the best ways to refine the process management systems, ACM software analyzes timely data for the purpose of allowing its knowledge workers to make well-informed decisions.
ACM affects BPM by enhancing the BPM method for knowledge-based work. For example, it accounts for processes that require its users to make frequent case-by-case adjustments. It can also help users make decisions about more specific operations per case based on newer data. On the other hand, BPM cannot provide these insights, as it measures the data of an organization’s processes as a whole.
Combining These Methods
It’s not always easy to determine which method is best for your organization. Some prefer BPM automated tools, which enhance business processes based on the entire organization’s productivity. Others may desire a unique approach to workflow situations with unpredictable aspects, which require tweaks and applied knowledge.
Fortunately, ACM and BPM approaches can be combined, so users can reap the benefits of both strategies. By merging the two methods, you can manage your organization’s structured and unstructured workflow processes. ACM and BPM can each be applied to structure particular workflow strategies, or they can be utilized for separate use cases within an organization, depending on the situation.
For businesses to thrive, they need to have efficiency on a case-by-case basis as well as with their overall practices. Therefore, using automation to derive insights from data specific to certain instances is as essential as determining the organization’s efficiency as a whole.
By collecting and analyzing these different sets of data and making adjustments to both the predictable and unpredictable aspects of your organization, you can significantly improve the way your company processes and benefits from generated data.
Read next: Top Business Management Software Solutions
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