ADVANCING THE QUALITY OF BUSINESS PROCESS MATURITY MODELS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Over the years, academia has developed and published various business process maturity models (BPMMs) that supposedly assist companies in systematically identifying, evaluating, and improving their capabilities. However, as several authors have previously indicated, the quantity of the published models may not always meet the required quality. To examine whether these views are justified, this paper performs a publication outlet and citation analysis for articles from 1990 to 2019. The results show that BPMMs are predominantly published in less-recognized journals and are less frequently cited than other works in the domain of business process management. This finding highlights the need for improvement and motivates the derivation of criteria that help to enhance the quality of BPMMs. The presented criteria are particularly valuable for (1) researchers seeking to publish more transparent and replicable BPMMs and (2) reviewers deciding whether the models should be published. Eventually, they will likewise facilitate model application and dissemination in business practice. Keywords business process; maturity model; publication outlets; citation analysis; quality; criteria