Business process management is a responsibility all leaders and decision-makers must face head-on to ensure the long-term integrity of their operations and continued financial growth over time. In the past several years, strategies have changed dramatically, partly as a result of a more robust market of automation solutions and also because of the speed with which industries, customer preferences and regulatory compliance statutes are evolving. 

As many leaders have already learned in practice, simply automating certain processes in piecemeal fashion will not necessarily come back with the advantages and returns one might expect, whereas comprehensive overhauls, systematic integration of tools and centralized management can yield optimal outcomes. This can be a tricky matter for virtually every business given how quickly the rules of engagement have changed, and how the best practices of running operations show no signs of slowing down in their progression. 

Automation, when backed by a strategy that is suitable for modern times, can significantly improve a company's BPM performance, which will inherently yield lower risks of accumulating waste, fewer issues with inefficiency and a greater level of consistency with respect to productivity. Many core business processes are exceptional candidates for an automation-based overhaul these days, as so many companies have made the rapid transition into the digital era of corporate operations and thus see their operations founded in the Internet. 

Looking ahead, it should be clear that companies which have not embraced modern digital technologies are going to be at a competitive disadvantage, and those that continue to balk at such investments might lose their relevance in their respective industries. This is not to say that digital management and operations are the only matters that need to be covered in a business plan, but they are certainly among the most important with respect to keeping up with the competition. 

Fluidity is key
Gartner recently explained that digital businesses will need to take a more unique and modern approach to process management in the coming years should they hope to survive the dramatic fluctuations in market demand and competition. Now, although general reasoning would lead a decision-maker to believe that BPM strategies should be as structured and concrete as possible to consistently guide the firm in the right direction, these analysts had a different idea in this regard. 

According to the researchers, companies will need to begin leveraging what they refer to as "deliberately unstable processes," which can be characterized as operational management frameworks that are purposefully loose rather than stagnant or immutable. First and foremost, no one is arguing that businesses should completely throw away structure and preparation when developing and managing strategies, but rather that agility will need to be key. 

Gartner stated that the fact of the matter is that industries, consumer preferences and other factors are changing rapidly and appear to be set to continue doing so for years to come, and only the most fluid and agile firms will survive. 

"It's imperative to break away from linear business processes and deploy a spectrum of standardized and variable processes to reap the benefits of digital business," stated Gartner Research Director Julie Short. "The need for this shift is intensified by the introduction of many types of Internet-connected 'things' into the business environment. Things like smart machines generate real-time information for other machines. Business processes must be designed for change to enable organizations to exploit this information. Large, stable processes that have no ability to dynamically change according to new information will not enable organizations to deliver on the promise of digital business."

Finally, Gartner stated that companies should focus on becoming more adaptive, resilient to change and prepared for what would otherwise be highly dangerous and threatening fluctuations in their respective markets. 

How automation can help
One of the core benefits of BPM automation is the ability to allow managers and other leaders to focus more upon strategic matters rather than repetitive, mundane and service-level tasks. This essentially gives decision-makers more time and resources, not to mention information and analysis, to become a bit more proactive in their changes to policies, strategies and the like. 

Additionally, automating business processes can further boost the flexibility of the company to change given its more efficient functionality when compared to manual tasks and responsibilities. To say the least, a firm is certainly not completely evolved or modernized when it has not started to automate at least a handful of business processes, as this is a sign hat it remains reliant upon traditional structures. 

Change is already circulating through industries and regions, and it is only a matter of time before each and every business has to face these disruptive forces head on. With BPM automation and an agile strategy behind the technologies in place, companies can capitalize on these shifts rather than being crushed by their weight.