Using BPM governance to align systems and practice

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a business process management (BPM) governance model that sets BPM decision making, along with roles and responsibilities. The setting context of the study is a government-owned corporation operating in Australia. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study examined and analysed organisational documents using a content analysis approach. Results of document analysis are used to inform a series of in-depth interviews of key stakeholders in the organisation. Interviews are analysed using a constant comparison method to derive themes and build categories of description. Findings – A BPM governance model is proposed. Results of thematic analysis are interpreted against the framework of the BPM governance model, leading to findings that include implications for theory and practice. Practical implications – In practical terms, the research shows how BPM practice can be aligned and integrated with the corporate governance and management systems in the selected case study organisation. Originality/value – Despite research identifying the importance of governance, along with associated capabilities, there has been little progress on how the above mentioned capabilities can be effectively deployed across an organisation. This paper addresses a gap in the literature relating to how to deploy BPM governance in an organisation.