…Sounds obvious, but it is more expensive than you know

Interestingly enough, the true cost of poor process is not in doing the process badly.  Clearly there is some cost there, but often it is the knock-on effect that the poor process has on other areas of the company, the downstream of the problem, which is the real cost multiplier. 

However, this is rarely calculated. If you have poorly documented and followed processes, you won’t even be able to identify the potential costs downstream—let alone measure them. (Note: processes must be documented AND followed to be valuable). So, like an iceberg, you only see a small part of the problem at surface level. Assuming an iceberg is a problem is looking at an iceberg from the Titanic’s rather than the penguin’s perspective.

A Practitioner’s Guide to BPMN 2.0 as a Process Improvement Tool

The “Text Annotation” Element (or shape) within the BPMN 2.0 standard is the unsung hero of Process Mapping. Using this shape, a skilled Process Modeler can resolve conflict and inspire innovation from Process Owners, Executives, and front-line employees alike. In the real-life examples that follow, we will explore uses for this simple shape, and discover how it has been used to elevate Process Flow Diagrams from a simple documentation tool into a true process improvement tool.

Text Annotations as Described in the BPMN 2.0 Standard

The formal BPMN 2.0 standard is maintained and governed through the Object Management Group. The standard defines what the Annotation shape is intended to accomplish:

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Process Governance

Most companies have launched digital transformation initiatives (Kirchmer, Franz, Lotterer, Antonucci, Laengle, 2016). Hyper-Automation has become a reality which changes the way business processes are organized and executed (Stoudt-Hansen, et al., 2019). However, only a small number of organizations have their business processes sufficiently under control to realize the full potential of new digital technologies (Kirchmer, 2019) (Cantara, 2015). Appropriate business process management (BPM) capabilities have a significant impact on the value achieved through digitalization (Antonucci, et al., 2020).