Companies of all sizes are looking for ways to better manage time, assets and employees, whether this means new technology, new techniques or both. One of the ways that is gaining in popularity across industries is business process management, or BPM, which uses a combination of methods to better manage a company's payroll, invoicing and much more.
What Is BPM?
Business process management is a discipline within operations management and usually focuses on the logistics side of things to streamline various processes. The discipline uses the concepts of agility, visibility and efficiency in streamlining, monitoring and designing processes. This streamlining can affect employees, customers and shareholders in a variety of ways, many of them for the better. The methods used in BPM are not always technological, but most can benefit from the assistance of tech solutions such as payroll apps. For example, you can use business process management methods to find improved ways to track and record your construction timesheet applications to speed up the clocking in and clocking out process as well as automatically update the payroll and calculate overtime, thus saving time and improving efficiency.
How Does It Work?
Those trained in business process management use various methods to discover, model and analyze processes to better measure, optimize and automate them. Some methods can include big data analysis, integrated software solutions and forecasting. When these same methods are applied to projects, they are not looking for repeatability because projects generally have an end whereas processes are repeated things a company does. Hiring and human resources handle many processes, so do client intake and customer service departments. Most construction work is in finite projects, but there are still repeated processes involved in the structure of the business and the logistics of those repeated tasks can be streamlined for better agility, visibility and efficiency.
How Is It Used in the Construction Industry?
BPM was initially used by large corporations in just a few industries such as retail and marketing, but it is becoming more available for all business sizes and industries with more college graduates having training in this area as well as more software solutions being developed to help. In the construction industry, companies in various trades can manage a variety of processes by hiring a full-time management employee or by partnering with an outside firm for evaluations and solutions. This can bring the core concepts of agility, visibility and efficiency to the processes of hiring, scheduling and billing as well as many others.
What Are the Benefits for Employees?
While BPM is designed to primarily benefit companies, there are some real benefits for employees at all levels as well. Streamlining processes can involve automating many of the mundane tasks that take up so much of their day. This can free up everyone from the highest levels of management to the temp answering phones to focus on aspects of the job which need the human touch. For construction companies, it means spending more time building and less time doing paperwork. The more processes you can streamline, the more on time and budget you can bring each project.
Where Can You Find It?
Business processes management is being taught to more and more operations management majors in colleges and universities around the world, but you do not have to hire a recent grad for this service because you can find several BPM focused companies with a quick internet search. These companies can help you find the software solutions, analytics and expert advice you need to streamline your company. Many times, the companies you purchase your timeclock, payroll or other solutions from can help you with BPM consulting and other tech options.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to managing the many business processes your construction company uses, the methods and tools of BPM can help you streamline everything from employee time cards to hiring and training new recruits. You can find many of these methods in the form of software solutions and analytics from online companies determined to help increase your efficiency.
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