ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the governing principles behind successful process management, which is at the core of all process-oriented improvement programs that have surfaced over the last couple of decades. The integration and consolidation of the governing principles and process improvement programs from different disciplines are today often referred to as business process management systems. Process design is an important element in successfully managing a process; however, so are the implementation of the design and the continuous improvement and control systems necessary to reach a desirable level of process performance. Process management originated in the field of modern quality management. A process focus remedies the issues of coordination and transparency by creating a clear emphasis on work output and the fact that this output must meet the customers’ requirements. The difficulty in assigning process ownership is essentially a function of process complexity, culture, organizational structure, and management attitudes.
