Gartner BPM summit: Don't mention technology when selling BPM to the board

If CIOs want top execs on the board to buy into business process management (BPM) projects, they should sell them as business rather than technology initiatives.

This was the general consensus at the Gartner BPM Summit in London yesterday.

BPM is the creation of systems that streamline an organisation's workflow making it more effective and capable of adapting to change.

"When you are trying to sell BPM to the business make sure it doesn't sound like an IT project," insisted Marja Meulblok of health specialist BPM consultancy MCA Gemini Groep.

"Essentially, it isn't an IT project, it's tool to streamline the business," she added.

Andrew Tully, business manager for BPM consultancy LSC Group, a company that has been implementing BPM solutions for the Ministry of Defence over the past few years, agreed that this was the case.

"We said this time and time again. This is not an IT programme, it's a business change programme. Yes you use tech to do it, but so what?," said Tully.

"The business doesn't need to know about the technology. They don't care, and it's not relevant. If you focus on technology you will lose them within minutes," he added.

Tully also suggested that the board should be made aware that BPM generates more business information that can be used to improve key performance indicators.

However, Meulblok and Tully both agreed that actually it is as important to gain support from the bottom first, before the board is approached.

"When I undergo projects I always find sponsors of the project within the organisation, this ensures I get the projects done," said Meulblok.

"It's easy to say you have to have buy-in from the top – and that is of course true," said Tully.

"But actually, more importantly, it's about getting the buy-in at the bottom from the people who are really involved. It has to come from both levels," he added.