5 Key Trends For Business Process Management In 2021

Let's keep BPM aside for a hot minute and do a quick exercise.
 
Are you on a desktop or laptop? Let's assume you are, now quickly check your desktop settings and see if any updates need to be installed. None? No problem. Why don't you check your smartphone for a system update? Oh, that's updated too? You seem to be on your A-game! However, you'll indeed have some apps on your App store/Play Store that need to be updated? Gotcha!
 
For those who've got nothing to update there as well, congratulations on the unlimited Wi-fi - how does it feel sitting on top of the world?! In case you had a couple of apps yet to be updated, we're sure you've hit 'update all' by now. It's hard to resist updates and upgrades, right? You don't want no FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)! More importantly, there's probably a new feature or function that would make things slightly more manageable than before, justifying your need to always stay updated.
 
Similarly, you need to download all the updates when it comes to your business. Just as mobile devices have an Operating System that needs to be updated to keep all apps and services running effectively, companies need to upgrade to ensure their processes are at par with the latest market trends. You don't want your business to be called one from the dark ages, do you? 
 
To make the task a little less cumbersome for you, we've noted down the top Business Process Management trends that you' need to align with to ensure you are keeping pace with the evolving times.
 

Trend 1: Get Set Bot – Process Automation Will Amp Up   

While Business Process Management tools have been helping out in making business processes more seamless, 2021 will witness bots entering BPM and automating processes entirely, Is this the first step of Viki's from iRobot's plan? Only time will tell. In the meantime, Artificial Intelligence would allow repetitive operations to be conducted faster and in an error-free manner by taking away the possibility of human error from the equation. That's why experts are terming the use of bots as the 'second coming of BPM'.
 
BPM bots in 2021 may not be able to manage end-to-end processes in an automated fashion. However, they will automate vast portions of business processes soon - as we like to say, Automation is awesome!


TechDogs' Opinion: In line with our current distributed and remote way of working, we will start to see automation being deployed in a more targeted way. Businesses will delegate repetitive and monotonous responsibilities to software bots, allowing employees to engage in tasks that demand a combination of higher-order skills and creativity. Assisted automation models will also promote an interface of human employees and software bots working together to finish jobs faster and with fewer errors. 
 

Trend 2:  Adaptive Case Management Will Be Added To The BPM Stack

If you didn't already know, the concept of BPM revolves around restructuring to make tasks and processes leaner, faster and better..ermm stronger? All BPM solutions are standardized and offer a set solution for each process. However, we all know life's not that simple, right? There are plenty of variables in any process and while BPM is a great solution, we need to rely on human intelligence to work around complex problems.
 
As a result, BPM manufacturers in 2021 are beginning to include the ability to deal with adaptive cases (Intelligent BMPs) in their models. These solutions allow process managers to steer away from established protocols and adaptively deal with issues through Adaptive Case Management (ACM). A significant milestone in BPM, helps improving productivity and efficiency in businesses in the long run so much that a genetic diagnostics company used ACM to upgrade manual process productivity by 50%.


TechDogs' Opinion: Adaptive Case Management tools will emerge as a complementary solution to traditional BPM models. Business processes would be standardized yet manageable through ACM tools allowing operations managers to modify the process in case unpredictable and unforeseen events come up. Thus, ACM tools will add a newer level of flexibility and agility to business processes – and that’s a win!
 

Trend 3: Everyone Would Become Low-key Developers

While businesses want readymade solutions to automate workplace processes, they also are looking for tools that can help them personalize these solutions in days rather than month. Time is money, isn't it? That's where the need for a low-code tool development solution comes into the picture. Everyone wants to build their tool but no one wants to code it from scratch - aah, such dilemmas!
 
The fact that 76% of IT leaders feel that a low-code solution keeps their business partner relationships positive is a testament to the likeability of these tools. Needless to say, BPM solutions with customization that requires little or no coding effort will be in demand in 2021.


TechDogs' Opinion: Market leaders in the BPM industry would not let their existing products go obsolete due to this trend. Instead, they will go ahead and roll out updated versions of their existing products, allowing process-focused low-code tool development and staying relevant, irrespective of the disruption.
 

Trend 4: Communication And Collaboration Would Be Needed Too

Your BPM tools could be as robust as Iron Man's suit, yet it would be restricting and frankly a little painful if every time a part of a process takes place, your team has to bounce off to a different tool to communicate about it.
 
With teams working remotely, communication and collaboration is the greatest challenge for businesses. Chat and data sharing capabilities are literally the new oil now. So, BPM solutions with collaboration, sharing and communication features are as precious as diamonds for the modern-day businesses working in the new normal. Yes, my preciousss!!
 
Such features not only make internal communication smoother but also help in improving customer experience. For instance, pairing a chatbot service with a BPM solution takes away the need for redundant conversations to understand what the customer is looking for. The bots ask boring questions for you and generate a workable customer profile. All in all, such capabilities allow 85% of customer-enterprise communication to happen without involving a single human.


TechDogs; Opinion: BPM platforms will integrate modern collaboration functionalities like content and file sharing, internal communication channels, personnel management, etc. Sharing the right data at the right time will be the key to eliminating inefficiencies and miscommunication among teams, both crucial factors in a successful BPM integration. The rising fusion of communication and collaboration features will directly translate to cost reduction, higher productivity and customer satisfaction.
 

Trend 5: BPM On The Go – The Rise Of Mobile BPM Solutions

With a global workforce operating out of different time zones, adopting a collaborative approach to work might demand more than just working out of the designated system device. People want to get work done anytime, anywhere. Hence, BPM solutions now will be accessible on mobile devices.
 
As a matter of fact, mobile BPM solutions are not a novel concept. It has been gaining popularity for the past few years now. So much so that the mobile BPM market worldwide is projected to grow by $5.4 billion by 2025 It seems that the pandemic has just acted as a catalyst for this growth.


TechDogs; Opinion: BPM solutions will soon combine with mobile application developers to become the Iron Man of the process management industry - and by that, we mean spectacular! In the times to come, the concept of mobile BPM will become standard in process management, as real-time access to information for any process will become available through mobile applications. As a result, managers can follow the status of every step in a process - no matter where they are. What's more, such apps would also generate push notifications to inform when a process is complete, delayed or needs intervention.

Over To You Now

We have said it before and we will repeat it, Business Process Management is integral to every business. While we're all in for staying informed about the latest technology, we also would advise some caution when it comes to BPM trends. In the case of Business Process Management, it is imperative to understand that every business is unique and so are its processes. A trend that's working for one company may be counterproductive for the other.
 
So, trust your own judgment when it comes to adopting any of these trends in your business. You may not need to go all out and embrace them all. The key is to understand them well enough to make an informed decision.