Business process monitoring & measurement in a large bank: challenges and selected approaches

In order to gain competitive advantage, many companies are engaging in the reorganization of their business processes and in implementing automated or semi-automated process execution based on workflow and process engines. In order to improve business processes continuously, closed-loop systems are required. This paper describes how a combination of process modeling, process execution, and process measurement has been applied at Credit Suisse, a large Swiss bank operating internationally. The paper shows that explicit process models are a vital requirement for process measurement. Moreover, it illustrates the strengths and limitations of a particular performance management tool that has been in place for about a year. Based on practical experience with different process engines and a process performance management software, alternative architectures are suggested to support process monitoring, process measurement, and business activity monitoring (BAM).