Chief process officer

A chief process officer (CPO) is an executive responsible at the highest level of an organization. CPOs usually report direct to the CEO or board of directors. They oversee the business process activities, are responsible for defining rules and guidelines to ensure that the main objectives follow the company strategy as well as establishing control mechanisms.

The weakening economy^{Of where?} is forcing many companies to pay very close attention to their financial position. While most organizations are juggling innovative business projects and ideas to find ways to remain profitable, other companies are facing an uphill battle as they begin to consider business process as a road to success.

Even though these companies begin to document and implement processes, they do not hire the staff with the right level of competence to ensure the success of these business processes.

A business process never stops at a “border” of a department or the “border” of a company. Therefore business process management needs its own role and more importantly its own set of responsibilities, budget and training.

The following guideline is very important if an organization wants to use business processes management as part of its structural change. It explains briefly the responsibilities of the CPO and the main roles inside his organization. Whereas the Process management consultant, the Process management coach, the Process management assistant and the Process management IT coordinator are part of his organization and reporting directly to him, are the Process owner, the Process manager and the Process member part of the business organization.

Depending on the organization, the Process controller and the Process auditor plays a different role. They can either be integrated in the organization of the CPO as well as function as totally independent roles.

Future challenges

The main challenges for the CPO in the near future will be the following:

• Initiate the change of a classical vertical orientated organization into an horizontal process orientated organization.
• Ensure that the defined business processes acquire their own budget responsibility
• Establishing an efficient change management to support the business process management implementation

Process management roles

CPO – Chief Process Officer

• Definition of process management strategy and related objectives
• Development, documentation, introduction of process model
• Definition of methodology
• Guarantee of process compliance

Process management consultant

• Analysis and conception of the entire enterprise and process specific process management methods
• Support of analysis and optimization of processes
• Find underperforming activities and develop solutions for improvement
• List of project plans and consult the transition
• Execution of project activities and consultation of all roles in the process management
• Development of organization-specific concepts to the adjustment of the organizational structure or for the execution of change projects

Process management coach

• Examination and analysis of the entire enterprise process management methodology
• Improvement of process management methodology incl. roles, organizational integration and process rules
• Coaching of responsible persons in their specific process management roles
• Sparring partner for content related discussions with process responsible persons

Process management assistant

• Description and modeling of processes
• Collecting process information
• Analysis of process weak points and development of improvement capability
• Documentation of all process information

Process management IT coordinator

• Transfer from the business process model to a technical realization
• Similar knowledge and duties as a Business Analyst (BA)

Controlling roles

Process controller

• Modeling of management process within the process management process
• Support during the strategic definition of process goals and Key Performance Indicator (KPI’s)
• Consulting with the CPO regarding the coordination of all processes
• Consulting with process manager and process responsible persons regarding the process achievements
• Development of an efficient process reporting

Process auditor

• Examination of all process descriptions and documentation
• Definition and use of maturity models to evaluate a methodical and content related process efficiency
• Ensure the transparency of compliance requirements
• Guarantee the compliance requirements

Business roles

Process owner

• Operational process controlling
• Planning and execution of the operational process achievement
• Ensure competence and resource planning of processes on an operational level
• Coordination with other processes

Process manager

• Strategic process controlling
• Introducing a working process control
• Ensure competence and resource planning of processes
• Coordination with other processes

Process member

• Realization of customer requirements in the process execution
• Measurement of concrete process achievements in their on processes environment
• Continuous improvement of process achievements