Drivers and Evolution Paths of BPMS: State-of-the-Art and Future Research Directions

Abstract

The aim of the article is to identify drivers and limiters of the development of Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) from the point of view of the industry and the academia, and to formulate practical recommendations. Their identification is crucial in order to remove a considerable gap between the approach to knowledge-intensive business processes (kiBPs), which require dynamic management and are decisive with regard to the competitive position of the organization under the conditions of Industry 5.0, as well as the possibilities offered by ICT solution, and the current possibilities and needs of BPM practitioners. The authors applied a methodological approach based on a theoretical literature review and a review of practice through online structured expert interviews with key BPMS solution providers. According to the literature, the main drivers pertain to the enterprises’ efforts to reduce costs and improve their productivity and efficiency, develop technology, and enact changes in business models and business processes. According to vendors, the main drivers for the combination of BPMS and Case Management Systems (CMS) were the users’ expectations, technology identity, and further development perspectives. The main limiters of the decision to combine both classes of systems were technological problems predicted by vendors related to the unification of historically different technologies used in both classes of systems, as well as implementation-based problems related to the likely need to reconfigure the software environments of software users. The article formulated original recommendations for both vendors and users of iBPMS software, including the basic recommendation of the selection of the methodology of implementation of BPM and iBPMS in accordance with the context of the organization’s operations (the nature of its business processes).