Business Process Performance Management: Theoretical and Methodological Approach and Implementation

A process must have appropriate objectives and structure enabling it to function teleologically and efficiently. To function performantly, a process must be managed appropriately. Business process management (BPM) includes: (1) target management, which includes functional sub-targets at each critical project stage; (2) performance management, which includes receiving regular feedback on the process outputs, monitoring the actual performance by measurement dimensions set in targets, providing feedback, identifying and correcting the process shortcomings, i.e. monitoring and controlling process progress and performance; (3) resource management, which includes supporting each step in the process of managing equipment, human resources and budget required for achieving set goals in all process stages; (4) process interface management. This article also presents the results of empirical, i.e. development-based research conducted by the authors on a sample of organisation, for the purpose of a composite and complex process, well modelled and automated with ERM functionalities. Process compositeness is determined by the fact that it includes several processes mutually connected through single interface, with postulates of radical holisms. Results obtained by this research point to the need to integrate ERP systems and BPM tools. ERP is necessary, but not sufficient, for its functionalities support and point to cross-section-outcomes in process activities, while BPM, with its set of various tools largely built in BI technology, points to events, outcomes and latent sets of flows, dynamics and hidden clusters of process flow, dynamics and longitudinal process overview.