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Interface concerns play major part in BPM programs

Tara Charles
November 29, 2012

Implementing business process management on a procedural or technological level presents a few key challenges for organizations. However, the difficulties are far outweighed by the benefits offered by BPM solutions. As a result, it is vital that companies identify the pain points associated with BPM deployment and work proactively to resolve the issues. According to a recent eBizQ report, getting workers to seamlessly accept BPM-related functionality is a major issue when implementing new solutions, making interface concerns a vital consideration when choosing a BPM provider.

Addressing the interface issue

In most offices, the routine is what keeps employees going. Most workers come into the office, follow a fairly standard ritual of settling in and begin going through their day-to-processes. Disruption breeds inefficiency and creates frustration, while maintaining the routine keeps workers happy and productive. The report explained that implementing any type of new solution can mess with a worker's routine and create major operational challenges at the outset.

In many cases, implementing new software, particularly BPM software, often looks like a top down measure that disrupts day-to-day activities from an end-user perspective. The report explained that many employees may be inherently against the change simply because it is something different they have to deal with. There are also problems created by the fact that some workers will interpret the technological investment as a way of telling them that what they are doing is wrong. This means that day-to-day processes and worker confidence are often disrupted when implementing new technologies.

Because of this, most new software deployments are met with some workers who are able to adjust and move on to the new technology and others that refuse to accept change and struggle to adapt to the new operational climate, the report said. This creates an environment in which productivity is disrupted and problems can emerge. This can be overcome, however, with an intuitive interface that is accessible and even customizable.

Choosing an easy-to-use BPM system

In theory, the core goal of an BPM software is to make operations easier and streamline process completion. However, what the end user actually sees when he or she looks at the screen has a major impact on how much BPM can accelerate processes. Therefore, companies considering a BPM solution have to not only evaluate the cost and technological sides of the system, they also have to take a close look at the interface and their employees to find a platform that aligns well with general operational trends.