BPM vs Case Management. There may be some confusion between BPM and case management and it’s important to understand the differences, especially when searching for solutions for better case management, improved business process management, or both. Let’s clear it up.
What is BPM? BPM, or business process management, is the term used to describe the overall management of workflow processes in an enterprise- whether business, agency, or non-profit. Overall, it focuses on individual workflow processes and how well they are working. Each workflow process is independent of other workflow processes, but can be clustered in relationship into a timeline. For example, in HR, a process may be employee on-boarding. There is a specific set of documents to complete for each employee in order for the process to be completed. While some documents may have sub-steps, once all the items have been completed and approved, the file, and process, is complete.
Business process management looks at processes such as this in order to create more efficiency, such as in automating where appropriate, systematizing for consistency, and filing appropriately for quick retrieval- which are all possible with BPM software.
In traditional BPM, the processes, while they may have sub-processes, aren’t connected to each other. So, in this HR example, each employee will run through the process at any given time. The timeline is tied to the employee, so each time there is a new employee, the process runs, sometimes parallel with another employee going through the same process. The BPM model then assumes a processes will be mostly consistent.
What is case management? It is a group of processes, and therefore are more complex. Cases typically involve actions by multiple people and/or departments and case management works to organize, compile and track cases. While BPM puts emphasis on single processes, Case Management puts emphasis on the complete and complex unit of processes that make up a case.
An example of a case could then be an investigation. While there may be steps, the direction of those steps could be widely varied. And, it’s not just the outcomes that make it a case, but that the process itself is not consistent, as it would be in BPM. In case management, multiple people need to be able to complete their required tasks, but within the context of understanding of the case.
Again, if we use HR as an example, it could be a case of an employee injury. The employee may need to go to the doctor and be treated and released, or they may need to take a leave. Worker’s comp may be filed and they may have several doctor visits before returning to work, or they may be terminated. HR, Payroll, Operations, Medical Doctors, and Insurance may all have tasks to complete. This then, is a case.
Many businesses and non-profits have the need for both BPM and adaptive case management, and often the lines between the need for either is rather blurred. The reason we cover it is because some may believe they need one specific product or service only to discover their needs are more robust, more complicated, than the system or software they purchased. They become frustrated and may give up because they are trying to squeeze their cases and processes into a solution that doesn’t fit. So instead of thinking it as BPM vs case management, think of it as BPM and case management operating together to improve process efficiency.
Process Director BPM software from BP Logix was built with case management solutions in mind and is a core feature within the software. Are you ready to see for yourself if Process Director is the right fit for your BPM and case management software needs? Why choose BPM vs case management when you can have both. To learn more, contact us and speak to one of our software experts and schedule your free demonstration today.
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