BPM motivations framework for digital challenges: lessons learned from customer use cases

Abstract

Abstract In this paper we develop a BPM motivations framework for the era of digital transformation. An investigation of the motivations that trigger and guide Business Process Management (BPM) initiatives enabled us to examine whether these initiatives take advantage of the traditional understanding of BPM or of the emerging new perception of BPM in the time of digital transformation. This research is based on an analysis of 290 customer use cases published on-line by BPM systems vendors. We used the empirical/conceptual approach to framework development, basing the empirical analysis on a qualitative data-coding canon and conclusions from the literature regarding the role of BPM in the digital world. As a result of our research, we constructed a classification framework for BPM motivations that consists of four categories: operational and managerial motivations, IT-enabled motivations, customer centric motivations and motivations focused on digital transformation. In addition, we present the results of quantitative summaries for the distinguished categories and how they are embedded in the evolution of BPM. Our main contribution is the proposal of a framework of BPM motivations for the new challenges confronting BPM in the time of digital transformation, with highlights of the new role of BPM in this context. This framework serves as a guide for further research on BPM motivation patterns, particularly in the context of digital transformations.