5 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Business Process Management (BPM) Consultant
Business process management (BPM) is an approach to organizational change that applies a structured, iterative methodology to process improvement. When BPM is successfully implemented, it results in (among other things) better efficiency, better productivity, lower costs, fewer errors, and a higher customer satisfaction rating.
Designing a BPM structure is a challenging, resource-intensive process. Often, businesses find it helpful to have the support of an experienced partner to help them manage the BPM process and maximize the benefits to the company. But because business process management (BPM) is a long-term commitment, finding a consultant with values and vision that mesh well with your own is essential. A consultant’s vision, ideals, and approach will have less impact in the short term. But for a long-term change to core business processes, value alignment will have a much more significant impact.
If you and the consultant share vision and values, the improvement of business processes can be exponential. Shared values - along with the proper knowledge, skill set, and tools - provide the foundation for a long-term partnership that meets business requirements. To help you in your search, we have identified some questions to ask potential BPM consultants to help you find the best possible match to help you meet your long-term business goals.
Question 1: What is your experience implementing BPM at companies similar to mine?
This is the primary question of ‘fit .’Does the consultant have practical knowledge gained from experience that they can apply to your business? BPM is a structured, but customizableprogram. It works across businesses of different sizes and across different industries. This question, referring to ‘companies like mine’ doesn’t mean your direct competitors, or even necessarily companies in your industry.
Instead, you are looking for experience solving your high-priority pain points. For example, inventory management and controls could apply to businesses in retail, manufacturing, healthcare, eCommerce, food service - the list goes on.
In asking this question, you’re not looking for a consultant that has implemented BPM at a company exactly like yours: you’re looking for a consultant that has applied BPM to a similar issue and has delivered measurable outcomes.
Question 2: Can you describe the discovery process for a new client?
All BPM consultants will claim to work with their clients to develop an understanding of the business, but the proof is in the practice. You’re looking for a consultant that has a results-focused approach in their initial assessment. Ideally, you want one that accommodates both an in-depth exploration of the business to the granular level, but that also begins identifying and implementing changes from the outset.
Many traditional consultants will conduct a complete discovery, regroup to consolidate their suggestions, and deliver you a full binder outlining the recommendations for change. The main problem with this is that there can be no effective results until the binder is delivered, reviewed, and revised. This can push the time to value realization out by weeks or even months!
Instead, consider a consultant that dives into the discovery process with an eye for immediate change and tangible results. Your business can begin to realize the benefits of BPM almost immediately - getting you closer to positive ROI and providing positive reinforcement for the changes to come.
Question 3: What does participation look like on my end? What is the expected level of effort or time commitment from my team?
Clarifying expectations about what each side is expected to provide is essential to creating alignment. The consultant may talk about gaining access to people, contracts, or written workflows; perhaps they will want to set up regular meetings or shadow people on their jobs.
This helps to define different roles and responsibilities, and is the first step in separating responsibilities - understanding who will do what on the project. The better you can define expectations in your initial interviews, the more specific your RFP will be, and the more accurate any strategies, plans, expectations, and cost estimates will be.
Interviewing different consultants is an opportunity for you to tell consultants what you need from them - and to learn what they need from you! This will ensure a more beneficial partnership and drive maximum outcomes.
Question 4: What strategies do you use to ensure that BPM solutions can adapt as my company grows and changes?
A long-term operational strategy must be focused enough to be drive immediate results, but flexible enough to accommodate future needs. You want to make sure that the consultant has considered how to support your business success now and in the future.
A rigid, inflexible system may drive short-term results - but if it can’t adapt to future needs, will find yourself implementing a new process every time you are faced with a change! This is not only a financial drain, but a drain on resources as well. This is the last thing you want!
Ideally, a consultant will respond with some details about their approach and how they bake adaptability into their solutions. If you want to dig deeper, ask them how they approach foreseeable changes (like growth to new products or markets) and unforeseeable changes (like the impact of industry-disrupting technology advancements).
Question 5: What is your BPM methodology? What makes it unique?
Even though BPM is a structured process with clearly defined steps, a consultant can approach implementation in many different ways. Asking about the specific methodology that a consultant uses will help you determine their level of expertise and give you an idea of their approach and how challenges are resolved. In short, do they genuinely understand BPM and apply their stated methodology in real-life situations?
There is a difference between talking about BPM and applying it. One of the primary things a business needs from a BPM consultant is help with using the BPM framework and adjusting it with agility to accommodate changes and challenges as they arise.
If you are interested in hiring a BPM consultant, consider Peak Process Group. Peak Process Group is a leading BPM consultancy with the knowledge, skills, and experience to ensure immediate impact and long-term results. Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation and see what Peak can do for your organization.
Want To Learn More?
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our experts.