A common question we get asked at Triaster is: “how long will it take to implement a business process management (BPM) system?”
Of course the answer generally is, “it depends!” However we will aim to give you a more considered answer in this article.
There are three main streams involved in implementing a BPM software system:
- Technical
- Design
- Training
And they can all be delivered in parallel.
The Triaster deployment process is set out in the process map below.
To explore the process please click here: Triaster Process Library
Technical implementation of your BPM software system
How long the technical implementation takes depends a great deal on the specific system being implemented.
If the system is cloud hosted, the time will be significantly reduced. However, it is extremely likely that some liaison between your BPM supplier and your internal IT will be required in any event.
At Triaster, we find that how long it takes to set up this liaison varies significantly between internal IT departments. So whilst the actual technical implementation is likely to take no more than a day, even for on-premises installations, the time delay is usually in the technical due diligence and co-ordination. This can take several months if your internal IT don’t prioritise your project.
Design implementation for your BPM system
How long implementation of the design of your BPM system takes depends on the type of design adopted.
If a standard design is adopted, this can obviously be quite quickly ‘dropped’ into the system. It might even be that your chosen BPM system is deployed as is and without the option to choose the design.
At Triaster, we offer a bespoke design for our BPM systems and find that adoption of these helps significantly to increase usage of the system. To read more on this please see:
How to ensure that your Business Process Management System will be used: 10 key steps
Implementing a bespoke design can take a little time – but it is more than worth it.
The time needed is for liaison with our designer who, amongst other things, will want to explore:
- Your target audience:
- Who the system needs to appeal to
- What visual approach will work for that audience
- How you want the users to interact with the system
- Tone of voice – the style you want to adopt, the key messages that you want to communicate
- Themes – any internal themes that you want to draw upon
The process of developing and delivering a bespoke design takes a couple of weeks. However, the time frame over which this is delivered usually takes longer than this – because agreeing on a design is a very subjective business.
If you want to keep the time to a minimum, consult as few people as possible! However, it is important to get feedback from the intended users, so that you are confident the final design will appeal to them.
Training for BPM systems
How long this takes depends on the training services that you purchase with your BPM system. It also depends on whether the training purchased is delivered on-site or by webinar, conference call or e-learning package.
Generally it takes longer to arrange on-site delivery of services, but some customers much prefer this.
At Triaster, our basic training services can be delivered in under a week, but we know that it is important to match the knowledge transferred with the customer’s readiness to receive that information – either in terms of the other streams of implementation or their level of understanding.
So in summary, it is possible to have a BPM software system designed and implemented within a couple of weeks – although in practice this usually take much longer.
However, following implementation, two main components of your BPM system will still be outstanding:
- The content
- Communications
Creating the content for your BPM system
The content is ultimately the key aspect of the system. However well designed the system is, it will only be used if it contains accurate, useful information.
There are several ways of creating the content for your BPM system as follows:
- Employ consultants
- Use a specialist process mapping team within your organisation
- Train your employees to process map
At Triaster, we enable all three methods. However, in each case we ensure that the person doing the job is fully involved in the capture of the processes they deliver. This has several benefits both in terms of engaging them in the project and ensuring that the process captured is accurate.
For more on this please read the following articles:
Capturing a Business Process: 3 tips for Process Discovery Workshops
5 Business Process Mapping Tips for getting your entire team involved
Process Mapping: 6 methods to create process maps
Process Mapping: 5 Key Skills you need to have
How long capturing your system’s content takes really does depend on a number of factors. It is key, however, not to try and process map your entire organisation all in one go.
Break it down, set key milestones. Have a plan.
Communications
Communications regarding your BPM system implementation are also key and very easily overlooked. However, for your BPM system to fully deliver benefit, the rest of your organisation has to know about, why it was implemented and how using it will benefit them.
This is where the returns start to be delivered. For more on this please read:
Problems with Business Process Management (BPM): Getting employees to follow the process
Again, how long this takes depends on your organisation, project and approach.
Triaster offers communications services with our BPM systems which can reduce the time you need to spend on this. We create a bespoke communications plan and materials aligned with the system’s design.
Your internal coms team may also be able to develop and deliver a very effective communications plan.
The key thing is that it happens!
We hope that you havefound this article useful. Triaster has been implementing BPM software systems for over 20 years. We have helped some customers to go live with their populated BPM systems within three months – whilst others have taken quite a bit longer.
We know that the Triaster systems won’t suit everyone. But if you are interested in learning more about them and how they are implemented, please contact us or attend one of our webinars.
Related articles:
How to ensure that your Business Process Management System will be used: 10 key steps
Capturing a Business Process: 3 tips for Process Discovery Workshops
5 Business Process Mapping Tips for getting your entire team involved
Process Mapping: 6 methods to create process maps
Process Mapping: 5 Key Skills you need to have
Problems with Business Process Management (BPM): Getting employees to follow the process
How to cost a Business Process Management (BPM) system
How much does Business Process Management (BPM) software cost?