Jim SinurBPM today mostly revolves around structured processes that can be mapped in a visual manner with pre-built exceptions baked right into the flows. When exceptions are found, the process model (map) then needs to be altered and the change process commences. This works well for “heads down” process workers or where there is a script that does not change much. Many of the BPM solutions today are of that ilk or are even more rigid straight through processes where there is a simple straight line process.
![MPj04305030000[1]](http://blogs.gartner.com/jim_sinur/files/2009/01/windowslivewriterknowledgeworkersandunstructuredprocesses-9608mpj043050300001-2.jpg)
Advancing to support more knowledge work is the goal that many organizations, thus there is a new swell of activity around unstructured processes. Unstructured process is where the process map is more variable and in some cases only pictured after the fact. This is particularly true in BPM solutions that revolve around cases. There generally is not a process flow per se, but the achievement of an end state before the case is completed. There is generally not a predetermined sequence and many parallel activities. There are portions of the process that have some sequence (process snippets), but much of the work is collaborative in nature. Knowledge workers need the freedom of collaborating and juggling multiple parallel activities, so their processes a more unstructured by nature. Most end to end to end processes in an organization have both unstructured and structured processes though..
The challenge, going forward for BPM, is to learn how to deal with these unstructured processes. We will have to learn how to take the best practice patterns in unstructured activity and make these patterns more structured. This will be a cost savings opportunity as these patterns can be passed down to lesser qualified and paid workers.
Category: BPM Business Process Improvement Business Rules Optimization Tags: BPM, Business Process Improvement, Business Rules, Optimization
7 responses so far ↓
1 Oh Process, How Do You Flow? April 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm
[...] See (http://blogs.gartner.com/jim_sinur/2009/01/15/knowledge-workers-and-unstructured-processes-go-togeth... [...]
2 What is the Greatest Hurdle Facing BPM? April 29, 2009 at 6:16 pm
[...] While BPM has been helping with “heads down” process workers for a while now, BPM needs to move to supporting more people activities. This is particularly important as knowledge workers need support for their kinds of unstructured processes and the kind of collaboration that they are migrating to going forward. BPM has been doing fine with defined processes, but is now making its way into more undefined processes and interactions. BPM has to make this leap going forward. This would include case management and social networking for instance, but there are other opportunities. Please see http://blogs.gartner.com/jim_sinur/2009/04/16/social-nets-and-bpm/ and http://blogs.gartner.com/jim_sinur/2009/01/15/knowledge-workers-and-unstructured-processes-go-togeth... [...]
3 Neeli Basanth April 30, 2009 at 4:35 am
Jim,
I had dealt the aspects of work by knowledge workers at http://pragmatic2dot0.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/process-patterns-in-adopting-case-based-solutions/
Do you feel more aspects of flexibility need to be thought about?
4 Cases Managed The World Over « BPM Focus June 21, 2009 at 1:33 pm
[...] flow directed and portions that are completely dynamic. A combo looks to be the way forward.” See here, here and [...]
5 Managing unstructured processes | Big Fat Finance Blog July 30, 2009 at 9:17 am
[...] an unstructured process, and it is the way most knowledge workers function today.Gartner’s Jim Sinur, in a recent blog , describes it as such: “Unstructured process is where the process map is more variable and in [...]
6 Getting Painted in a Corner by Structured Business Processes? August 6, 2009 at 5:18 pm
[...] http://blogs.gartner.com/jim_sinur/2009/01/15/knowledge-workers-and-unstructured-processes-go-togeth... [...]
7 BPM Frontier: Dynamic Processes - Process Is The Main Thing October 24, 2009 at 4:34 pm
[...] “Tapping into Collective Knowledge Will Drive Unstructured Process Activity” - Jim Sinur predicts that organizations acceptance of collective knowledge, industry networks and even social networks will result in fundamental changes in BPM. His another post on the same subject: “White-collar and unstructured processes go together like cheese to wine“. [...]