Methodology adopted for BPM programs/projects plays very important role in outcome.
There are several well defined methodologies for managing and executing BPM programs. However most of them remain as marketing tools and restrict themselves to a bunch of slides or whitepapers. Unless, there is disciplined approach in execution, methodologies are never followed. This in turn causes unpredictable outcome, higher maintenance cost, long deployment/change cycles and lack of collaboration between business and IT.
For a longer term success, predictable outcome, and accountability of all stakeholders; it is imperative to ensure that the most appropriate methodology is followed. Every BPM vendor or BPM implementation company claims to have some methodology. While such methodology can be a very useful starting point, a BPM program manager must make sure to tune that up to suit the culture and practices of the organization. Once again, first pilot project becomes even more important from this perspective.
Above points are of course in addition to best practices that should be followed and are being discussed in this series of blog.
See also
BPM Implementation Best Practices – Part I