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Business Process Management: an Introduction to Process Thinking

Understand the importance of process thinking today. Improve organisational performance through business process management (BPM).

23,234 enrolled on this course

A graphic showing cogs turning together - a metaphor for business process management (BPM)
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours

Start to see the world through a business process management lens

Every organization today has many business processes, which determine what gets done, when and how. This online course exposes you to process thinking and the benefits of systematically managing these business processes through BPM.

Learning with BPM experts at Queensland University of Technology and internationally, you’ll look at the ingredients of business processes, how BPM can improve organisational performance, and the key phases of a BPM project.

You’ll discover that business processes are all around you, and play a key role in the products and services you both consume and provide.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 5 seconds In today’s dynamic business environment, every organisation runs a large number of business processes. There are process for acquiring resources, selling goods, assessing applications, handling requests, and so on. So the question is, how can we leverage knowledge of these business processes to improve organisational performance, in this complex changing world? Business processes determine what gets done, when and how, allowing organisations to achieve their strategic goals. Active and effective business process management, better known as BPM, can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful organisation. BPM is a well established discipline for continuous improvement of organisational performance based on the principle that every work in the organisation is a part of a business process.

Skip to 0 minutes and 56 seconds BPM is interdisciplinary in nature bridging across IT, business management and industrial engineering. I’m Marcello La Rosa, a Professor of BPM here at QUT. This short course will introduce you to BPM and value-driven process thinking. As you engage with the course you will learn how business processes are critical to organisational success and what are the essential steps for managing business processes through the so-called BPM lifecycle. You will also have the opportunity to engage with other learners from around the world and share your insights and experiences. If you are interested in the fascinating world of BPM this is the right course for you. So enrol now in ‘Business Process Management, an introduction to process thinking’.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to the redesign of business processes through the Ford Motor case study.
  • Exploration of strategic goals which enable a business to improve its processes.
  • Investigation of the value of BPM to support a business to retain its competitive edge.
  • Identification of the phases in the BPM lifecycle.
  • Assessment of process identification and its role in the BPM lifecycle.
  • Explanation of the process discovery phase in the BPM lifecycle to capture what work is done, when it will be done and who will do it.
  • Introduction to the purposes and techniques of qualitative analysis in business process management.
  • Overview of the technique of value-added analysis of a business process.
  • Explanation of the technique of quantitative analysis and the three dimensions which inform it - time, cost and quality.
  • Analysis of process redesign and the prospects redesign offers an organisation to review how it conducts its business.
  • Overview of redesign approaches and the three dimensions which characterise these approaches - transactional vs. transformative, analytical vs. creative and inward-looking vs. outward looking.
  • Discovery of how to monitor and control the performance of the redesign process and associated artefacts.
  • Overview of BPM and the Internet of Things (IoT), Web of Open Things (Woot), Business Process Management Everywhere (BPME) and the Social Internet of Things (SIoT).

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify a business process problem
  • Explain the difference between internal and external values that drive business process management in organisations
  • Apply creative thinking approaches and design thinking to process improvement
  • Develop strategies for how you can successfully use BPM in your business or workplace

Who is the course for?

This BPM training course is designed for business professionals and those interested in better understanding business processes. No prior experience or knowledge is required.

What do people say about this course?

"This has been my first MOOC. I liked it very much and feel confident now to know some basic terms about BPM which will help me to enter my new job."

Who will you learn with?

Professor of Information Systems with the School of Computing and Information Systems at The University of Melbourne

Adjunct Professor with the Information Systems School at Queensland University of Technology and Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Tartu.

Full Professor in Business Process Management with the Institute for Information Business at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU Vienna), Austria.

Full professor in Business Informatics at the Department of Computer Science of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).

Who developed the course?

Queensland University of Technology

QUT is a leading Australian university ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide by the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Located in Brisbane, it attracts over 50,000 students.

  • Established

    1989
  • Location

    Brisbane, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 180Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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