5th success factor for practically effective process orientation - usable data, information, and knowledge management in process management

In the sixth part of our blog series, "7 Success Factors for Sustainably Effective Process Orientation," we explore the fifth success factor: usable data, information, and knowledge management. Together with Thomas Hardegger and supported by my Intellior colleagues Guido Langer, Christoph Klett, and Christopher Schaffert, we examine how targeted information and knowledge management in process management can transform the implicit knowledge of individual employees into explicit, accessible information for all users within a BPM tool. For example, those responsible for execution can see exactly which system to use and can "click through" directly to it or view information such as system training materials. This makes connections visible, improves execution quality, and supports decision-making.

As part of a seven-part series, we will discuss all seven success factors for sustainably effective process orientation in more detail every two weeks.

Overview of previous parts of the blog series: 7 Success Factors for Sustainably Effective Process Orientation:

• Part 1: 7 Success Factors for Practically Effective Process Orientation
• Part 2: 1st success factor for practically effective process orientation – defining process management goals and a vision for the future
• Part 3: 2nd success factor for practically effective process orientation – clear customer and stakeholder focus through graphical process landscapes
• Part 4: 3rd success factor for practically effective process orientation – process documentation as a means to the end of effective process orientation
• Part 5: 4. Success factor for practically effective process orientation – Transparent role concept and responsibilities

Everyone talks about information and knowledge management – but how does it actually work?

As we all "produce" more and more data every day and leave behind an increasing number of digital footprints, the question arises as to how this can be effectively utilized in process management. We draw on our own application experience and observations from a multitude of projects to provide practical guidance on using BPM software for your knowledge management.

We use the following definitions:

• Data = Objects and their attributes/states (e.g., the system name of the CRM system being used)
• Information = Purpose-driven use of data (e.g., using the CRM system for the "capture lead" activity)
• Knowledge = Learning and evaluating information in a specific context (e.g., a sales manager's understanding of the "qualify lead" process, including its preceding and subsequent processes, and the importance of consistent CRM entries for efficiency and customer satisfaction)

There are two important perspectives in knowledge management:

1. The user-oriented knowledge management approach (top-down): What have I always wanted to know about my business, for example, to make management decisions or to better execute a specific process activity? With Aeneis, we make relevant knowledge available and usable for all participants at the critical points in the process. For example, those responsible for execution can see which specific system they should use and can "click through" directly to it or view information such as system training materials. This makes connections visible, improves execution quality, and supports decision-making.
2. The data-driven knowledge management approach (bottom-up): Which data and information are available via which systems to improve our business? This question lies at the heart of every organization's dilemma. We have so much data, but which sources should we use? Where is the data located? Is it current and of sufficiently high quality? Are we even allowed to use it? This approach requires at least a minimum level of digitalization as well as a structure and resolution for the data. With Aeneis, we enable the digitalization of organizational and process management, as well as any human workflows, and provide target-group-specific views, analyses, and visualizations of organizational and process data (e.g., which processes have already been improved multiple times by which managers?).

1. The user-oriented knowledge management approach (top-down)

We have concretized the knowledge pyramid, known in various forms, using the example of process orientation. Guiding questions lead to important insights for organizing your own data and information, ensuring that processes are lived—meaning they are applied with conviction, continuously reviewed, and further developed as needed.  

For process information, the top-down approach is used by structuring processes according to their importance for customer focus and business success in process maps with the involved knowledge holders, and then mapping them in easy-to-read diagrams. The activities within the processes then serve as carriers for the information required for execution. For the respective target groups, this information, via their own context and learning, is the decisive key to building knowledge.

Where does the data come from?

The required data can be captured in Aeneis or imported via a wide range of available interfaces (from CSV and SharePoint to SAP and a generic REST API). By networking objects with each other and linking them to activities with defined responsibilities, the data becomes valuable, target-group-specific information for every user. In "My Aeneis," each user sees "their" processes, activities, or documents, as well as their own tasks related to improvements, reviews, process approvals, or acknowledgments.

It is extremely important to bring employees on board without overwhelming them. If sufficient digital footprints for individual processes are already available, the actual process and its variants can also be imported and further processed via the interface of a process mining tool, provided that the effort and quality justify it compared to traditional process surveys via workshops.

Process management promotes knowledge management – and vice versa

Knowledge workflows within a company – the creation, documentation, transfer, use, updating, further development, and acquisition of knowledge – are excellently supported through process documentation with the process participants, based on clear conventions for mapping and modeling. Many key questions for practical knowledge management (Source: Wuppertaler Kreis e.V. Knowledge Management in Medium-Sized Enterprises. Cologne, 2000: Dt. Wirtschaftsdienst, p. 58) can be answered very effectively:

1. Where/in which processes is knowledge missing?
Processes are defined, implemented, and continuously improved with clear goals and involved roles, with regard to resource consumption and criticality.

2. In what form do we record our knowledge; how do we document experiences gained, operational routines, etc.?
Process maps and processes with their activities serve as essential carriers of all information regarding connected objects and data relevant to execution.

3. Have we, for example, made provisions to ensure that departing employees pass on their knowledge and valuable experience to their successors or document their know-how in a generalizable way?
Through the aforementioned process documentation, process improvement, as well as succession and onboarding processes.

4. (How) are contacts between our employees and customers, suppliers, and other interest groups documented and evaluated – and according to what criteria? How systematically are the results made available to and used by others in the company? Do we have reliable information about the quality of this implementation and its success? Do we have a consistent structure and uniform categories for documentation?
Employee activities are documented, including the documents or IT systems to be used; through records and evaluations, all process runs (instances) can be reconstructed and process KPIs can be used for management.

5. Is information categorized and labeled in such a way that potential users can easily identify and access useful knowledge?
Aeneis works consistently with categories and networked data, allowing it to be evaluated from different perspectives to gain information and knowledge.

6. Have we created systematic "distribution channels" for sharing documented knowledge? How reliable are they, and how successfully are they used?
The Aeneis portal offers every employee automatically generated, target-group-specific, and subject-specific views; dynamic evaluations and visualizations also contribute to high acceptance.

7. Do we have networks for the regular exchange of knowledge and information? In what form are the individual areas, departments, groups, and hierarchical levels connected within our company?
Collaboration, communication, and improvement based on the common thread of transparent, collaboratively developed processes constitute lived knowledge management. This can be further intensified through additional exchange formats (e.g., for executing, leading, or consulting roles).

At the level of a process or an end-to-end process chain, it is easy to define which data and information are required in which activities for work execution and stable process performance. Data and information can be very effectively structured via processes. The required skills can be derived from all activities assigned to a role (swimlane in the process). Competency management is easily and transparently established by linking it to the employees.  

Information and communication – both are critical to success

While data, rules, and information are linked to activities and processes, the dialogue between people—and thus the exchange of knowledge and information—remains crucial, even in processes with strong digital support. The process shifts communication from repetitive clarifications about the "what" and "how" toward sharing best practices for task execution or addressing new customer requirements. The results of this communication are then anchored back into the process, turning the participants' implicit knowledge into explicitly available information. Furthermore, the transparency of a well-documented process helps facilitate objective exchanges and break down departmental silos. In this sense, every process serves as a tool for dialogue and communication before it even becomes a tool for knowledge management. This allows knowledge to be shared and expanded, fostering improvements, ideas, and innovations.

2. The data-driven knowledge management approach (bottom-up)

For this approach, we start at the bottom of the knowledge pyramid—with the data. This data is stored in an organization's core systems, such as ERP, CRM, GRC, as well as in portals, wikis, numerous external sources, and Aeneis itself. For this alone, it is useful to have a "Data Governance Framework" or at least an overview of internal and external systems and their data sets. Data objects should be systematically managed regarding their criticality, key attributes, permissions (read, edit, delete), and data quality.

"Data governance encompasses measures for managing and directing data and information within a company with regard to its quality, security, usability, and integrity."

Leveraging unstructured data for organizational and process management

Data structured within IT systems can be easily imported and synchronized with the BPM system. But what happens to the data and information that is unstructured and scattered across countless individual documents, drives, and folders? Here, we pursue the vision of a "Digital Twin of an Organization": all data not found in core applications is captured in Aeneis, where it becomes evaluable. Broadly speaking, this concerns everything needed to steer and manage the organization. In this way, Intellior provides the platform with Aeneis to serve as the "operating system" for your process-oriented organization and digital transformation.

Aeneis, as the "operating system" for your process-oriented organization and digital transformation, supports you with the following core functions:

• Managing roles, responsibilities, and competencies
• Managing documents
• Designing and developing the organization
• Making processes controllable
• Managing resources (personnel, IT, equipment)
• Managing permissions
• Digitizing human workflows
• Managing security and risks
• Providing updates (acknowledgments, change management)

The BPM system's metamodel is critical for information quality

Aeneis features an easy-to-use repository where various objects and master data with different attributes and characteristics can be maintained or imported from other systems. The underlying metamodel and its relationships are pre-configured based on best practices mapped within the system. However, it can also be adapted or extended to meet specific company requirements very flexibly and easily, without compromising updateability. This turns previously disconnected data into valuable information that can be used for process execution and management.

As a result, the data is highly structured and can be used for digitalization and automation. With Aeneis, data and all its relationships can be flexibly analyzed, for example:

• Which processes with which maturity levels are connected to which customer touchpoints?
• Which high-priority processes have which opportunities/risks?
• Which processes with high risks are managed by whom?
• Which employees in which roles and from which organizational units are involved in the process?
• Where are there "loose" process ends that are not linked to any other process or recipient?
• Where is mandatory information missing in processes, or are other conventions being violated?

Dynamic visualizations such as organizational charts, OBASHI diagrams, or dynamic process maps transform data and its relationships into easy-to-understand and meaningful graphics. Data can be easily exported to Excel, and any desired reports or manuals can be generated as needed. "Exploratory discovery" when analyzing networked data enables new insights; similar to typical BI systems, Aeneis also uses memory analysis and dynamic "click-through" visualizations.

WIKIs waste potential in information and knowledge management

This is also the decisive difference compared to unstructured data collection, e.g., in so-called Wikis (such as Confluence as a well-known business representative): Their limitations lie in the poor evaluability of unstructured data and the lack of guidance for users to turn implicit knowledge into explicit knowledge through networking and analysis. Proponents of Wikis point to the simplicity of decentralized maintenance and the resulting broad acceptance, but in doing so, they "sacrifice" many advantages for information and knowledge management. We pursue an approach that combines simple collection, usage, and target-group-specific information gains.

Connecting systems with structured data, on the other hand, can make important contributions to additional information and further knowledge building; here are some concrete Aeneis examples.

Potential of the SAP connector

• SAP Best Practices and actually used SAP transactions are available in Aeneis for process documentation
• The process structure (process map) is also visible and navigable within SAP Solman
• Aeneis processes are available in Solman, ready for immediate configuration and testing
• Test status and involved parties are available in Aeneis

Potential of the SharePoint connector

• Documents are managed primarily in SharePoint and are available in their current valid version within processes via the seamless SharePoint interface
• Lists can be maintained in both SharePoint and Aeneis; they are mirrored in the respective other system and can serve as a basis for evaluations, process modeling, etc.
• Through a combined search, users have a single entry point for the company and can view aggregated information relevant to them. Aeneis users find information in SharePoint and vice versa – everyone works in their preferred environment.

Potential of BPM|Flow (workflow engine integration)

• Processes are prototypically implemented and automated based on best practices
• Evaluatable ad-hoc tasks are available within the process, allowing new or unforeseen cases to be handled effectively.
• Flexibly adaptable forms make it possible to collect a wide variety of information from process participants throughout the process and/or to subsequently evaluate this data or automatically pass it on to third-party systems.
• Process runs (number, processing time for individual activities, bottlenecks), ad-hoc tasks, and participants are evaluated for further process development, incorporated into the next process version, and iteratively improved.

Identify data gaps and inconsistencies – then clean them up

Aeneis provides significant added value when it is stringently integrated into the company's data and IT architecture and connected to relevant peripheral systems. The connection of these systems follows the "single point of truth" principle, meaning data and information are maintained in a leading system and distributed from there. Often, the connection and subsequent data analysis reveal inconsistencies or gaps, which are then cleaned up in the source systems, thereby generally increasing information quality.

In summary, different stakeholder groups and hierarchical levels have different requirements for data and information. Not least, the distinction between working in a process (execution/service delivery) and working on a process (review, approval, improvement, maturity enhancement, or digitalization) requires different knowledge. Through object-oriented modeling in the Aeneis BPM suite and the networking of objects, these specific views can be generated via the portal, evaluations, and automatically generated reports: processes, organization, roles, opportunities/risks, customer touchpoints, documents, IT services, etc.

Access to this information must always be intuitive and fast for all users, both through an object-oriented, refinable search function and a well-thought-out structure. The rule of thumb is: "reach your goal in 3 clicks."

And last but not least, with its ISMS module, Aeneis also offers full support for information security management in accordance with ISO 27001.

Best practices in our blog

In a series of follow-up posts, I will be working with colleagues from Intellior and our partner network to present "good practices" for each of the 7 success factors. These are supported by the intellior BPM platform Aeneis and will help you achieve effective process orientation. We look forward to your comments, discussions, and experiences.