BPM Goes to School

Boston University and online news and information source Business Process Trends (BPTrends) announced on Wednesday that they are collaborating on a BPM education initiative to be added to BU's Corporate Education Center course offerings. The new program will enable enrollees to gain an understanding of BPM software systems while learning how to assemble and implement effective BPM programs using BPTrends' tools. With more than 20,000 readers, BPTrends is a community exchange that provides consultants, managers, and vendors with the education and communication necessary to implement the best practices in all areas of business. Gina Westcott, director of Boston University's management development programs, says, "BPTrends has the enterprise BU was looking for in a partner." The first course to be offered through this partnership, "Planning for BPM Systems," will start sessions this May. The class will take a practical approach to BPM education by focusing on when and how BPM should be used, and by allowing participants to practice the analysis of BPM design problems and solutions through examining case studies. The course is intended for business, process, and systems analysts, as well as designers and architects with process experience. Under contract with Boston University, BPTrends will create this course and continue to supply all of the university's public courses centered on BPM education. Cofounders Celia Wolf, CEO and publisher of BPTrends, and Paul Harmon, editor and analyst, have committed to work closely with the Corporate Education Center to offer comprehensive courses covering all facets of business process change. Wolf states that BPTrends "will develop the curriculum and provide all content and instructors." The addition of this course comes at a time when BPM is becoming more and more important in business. As Westcott reports, BU added the course in response to "an increasing need by organizations to understand current [BPM] processes." Wolf says, "BPM is the best way and really the only way you can very directly tie [business process change] strategy to implementation." The growing importance of business process management in professional frameworks prompted BU to integrate BPM into their course listings, and it seems that other universities have been following suit. "Many universities and colleges around the world are incorporating BPM education into their curriculum," Westcott says. "This is due to a demand from industry for individuals to have this knowledge." With schools like University of Chicago, University at Albany's School of Business, North Carolina A&T University, and Indiana University all offering courses focusing solely on business process management, it seems that BPM is already finding its place in higher education and that the BU/BPTrends partnership is only a model for many more to come. Related articles: BPM Speeds the Purchase Request Plow How BPM Technology Helps CRM Deliver on Its Promise