Business process analysis is a special method found within the larger and broader concept that is business process management. This technique branches out to other procedures that’ll ultimately help business in analyzing if their current strategies, tactics, and methodologies are letting them meet goals.
The use of business process analysis also helps organizations in identifying detrimental elements in operations and other areas of concern. Gathering important data requirements is a vital aspect of analyzing problems and issues, as well as it’ll help businesses in formulating strategies and solutions to overcome obstacles. Without the assistance of a proper analysis or the services of a business analyst, teams will waste time and effort in trying to solve problems that might not be there in the first place. [G1] [G2]
Business Process Analysis is Different From Business Analysis
Even though business process analysis (BPA) and business analysis (BA) do sound alike, they’re not exactly the same. There are overlapping concepts between the two methods, but they are two entirely distinct disciplines. For starters, BPA allows for the collection of important data and lets the business create recommendations. However, it only focuses on the core processes of the organization. BA, on the other hand, is useful in identifying problems, needs, or areas of concern within an organization. It may involve market research, cost cutting, hiring practices, and financial controls.
The Right Time to Apply BPA
BPA offers a clear understanding of the entire organization’s processes to its owners and workforce to create a sound judgment as to how to tackle a problem. Firms can use BPA to try and pinpoint unidentifiable issues such as increased customer complaints or regular delays in production. It’s also a useful process for managing and communicating to stakeholders that might find some business operations unclear. BPA is also great in ensuring that new automation introduced to the company is optimized and compatible with all affecting parties and objects.
The Stages of Applying BPA
It may look like BPA is a broad concept, but we can put all its branches into a 4-step plan. Companies will start in identifying the process on how they should tackle the problem. It’s important to recognize a clear start and end of the process. After knowing and understanding how the business should tackle the problem, the next step is to collect and process important pieces of information. Gathering as much data as possible is essential to understand all the issues and objectives. It’ll also allow the organization to take a look at the scope of improvement and other possible outcomes of the project. Analyzing the process is the next step of the plan. In doing so, businesses can get to the bottom of the issue, create flowcharts and other detailed diagrams on how to tackle the problem, and finally measure its overall effectiveness. Lastly, all things planned are now put into action, but not before creating hypothetical solutions and outcomes. Businesses need to be prepared to different options just in case one path may fail.
Benefits of Using BPA
As a whole, the use of BPA allows companies to gain a better understanding of their operations. Also, the entire scope of BPA helps organizations find potential challenges that’ll ultimately allow them to improve and grow. Using BPA will also deliver robust information on how certain processes are performing, and it’ll also assist in identifying challenges that might be the main reason for certain delays in particular business processes. [G3] Lastly, let’s not forget that BPA makes for a great way to improve employee productivity in the short and long term.[G4] [G5] [G6]
Business analysts might take advantage of different tools and methods to dissect all the possible problems, challenges, and solutions to measure the overall performance of the company. The professional might even use an automation software to greatly assist in developing solutions to problems and identifying key points of interests for the benefit of the organization.
