BPM and EA as Green IT Initiatives
Reduce Paper
In the quest to eliminate paper, BPM software proves to be a highly effective solution, because it not only allows both commercial and government organisations to create online forms and documents, it also allows organisations to incorporate those online documents into automated processes that remove the need to manually route and track paper.
As a result, BPM eliminates the cost and environmental burden of paper, while at the same time allowing for more effective governance and control; including online audit trail capture, system-controlled security access to information, and online storage of documents, thus eliminating the overhead of physical storage facilities.
While some speciality applications can also deliver similar capabilities, those applications are typically limited in terms of their extensibility or ability to support the entire organisation across all business functions, documents, and processes. With BPM, there is no limit to the number of processes, or amount of paper that can be taken online; from mission-critical case management, to customer-facing applications and forms, to HR and accounting paperwork, BPM software can serve as the common platform for eliminating paper and automating processes throughout the organisation.
The environmental savings are huge, and at the same time you gain greater control and visibility to more effectively run your operations.
Similarly, the documentation of the processes themselves often results in volumes of paper being consumed and stored, this is further exacerbated if the organisation is engaged in formal quality programs like ISO or DMAIC, in which documentation of processes is a critical component of the methodology. In this situation, adopting common enterprise modelling, or EA software, across the organisation, will allow you to create graphical models of all of your processes, complete with annotations and documented interdependencies. The paper is largely eliminated, and it becomes much easier to maintain processes and keep them current, reducing the overhead of ongoing compliance and resulting in more accurate “virtual documentation.”
Reduce Fuel and Transport
Reducing or eliminating paper also cuts down on the amount of physical transport that is required to share information. The ability to complete and submit forms online eliminates the need to mail documents such as applications, purchase orders, and expense reports. In addition, because BPM also allows for the automation of labour intensive processes, and the movement of mission-critical paperwork such as case files and product design diagrams online, knowledge workers are now able to review, annotate, and collaborate online, eliminating the transport of large files to multiple office locations, and reducing the frequency of business travel needed to accomplish group activities.
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Interesting article! And aligned with the industry - maybe this would be a good time to introduce Green Process Management.
Its an initiative that started a while back by a group of Business Process Management professionals. If you're interested, check out the home page:
http://www.gpmhub.ning.com