Service-oriented Business Process Management

(Incorporating Business Process Management (BPM) and enterprise Service Orientated Architecture (SOA))

What is SBPM and why is there a need for it?
The pace of change in today’s environment places challenging demands on business agility and flexibility. Shareholders and customers expect performance in multiple dimensions, simultaneously! Controlling simultaneous changes across business dimensions, divisions, technologies, applications and geographical boundaries represents a significant challenge. Different areas of the business jostle for prioritisation of their new initiatives, industry regulators become more insistent, and competitive forces necessitate frequent adjustments.

How can this complex, changing scenario be managed and governed to deliver results? The empowerment of people, the optimisation of processes and the enablement by technology of these processes converge in SOA-enabled Business Process Management which we have termed “SBPM”. SBPM is an integrated combination of Service-Oriented Architecture and Business Process management within an Enterprise Architecture framework. We view this solution as a business improvement tool.

The need for SBPM is therefore embedded in the fabric of a business’s need to improve performance, whether the focus be on reducing costs, increasing efficiency, raising customer loyalty or building competitive advantage. If the question is how to manage sustainable business improvement and “make it stick”, then the answer is a solidly architected SBPM as a new platform for business execution.

What is PwC’s solution?
PwC understands the convergence of the disciplines of BPM & SOA within an enterprise architecture. Our approach to improving business has as its foundation deep understanding of business processes and the effective management of process-centric change and the linking of underlying technologies to achieve specific, commonly agreed business improvement objectives.

The SBPM solution is one in which our process specialists work with our enterprise and solution architects, and integrate this work with our technology consultants in one holistic framework. Folded into this offering are various enabling solutions which support this framework, including ICT and SOA Governance, ICT Security, Change Management, Project and Programme Management.

The PwC approach comprises the following steps:

  • Understanding the business value chain
  • Defining high level processes
  • Defining prioritised “change initiatives” or “process changes”
  • Implementing a programme of managed change projects
  • Measuring business performance against agreed outcomes
  • Phased achievement of business objectives
  • Underpinned by continuous business process optimisation

During this process we utilise a number of globally proven methodologies which ensure that clients benefit from lessons learnt in other successful projects. They assist PwC to repeat previous success in your environment and context.

What are the benefits?
The focus on business performance via technology-enabled processes will yield results on multiple levels. People become performance orientated, the organisation becomes process orientated, and the ICT function learns to deliver services into a process enablement drive. There is only one common mission, to improve performance and only one framework within which to do it, so alignment issues fade under proper change management control in order to deliver embedded transformation.

There is one major benefit of this approach: It delivers systematic business performance improvement. What improvement does it deliver? The answer is a question: What are your top strategic business objectives and what financial and operational impact will it have on your business if they are delivered in less time in a more effective way?


How do I know if this will benefit my business?
PwC has delivered successfully on the SBPM promise in several vertical markets across the globe.

PwC usually conducts an intensive offsite workshop with prospective clients to assess the best way to achieve sustainable business improvement in the specific context, market and environment of the business. During this facilitated workshop various elements of the business architecture are investigated to determine maturity levels and identify high priority areas of focus.

In addition, the current business scenario is analysed to assess the impact of envisaged change initiatives and potential returns on investment.

The client benefits from significant value during the workshop after which informed decisions can be made as to which initiatives will best deliver the desired performance improvement.