Enterprise patterns: Maturity Of Process System (MOPS)

Business situation: You want to reach a particular level of maturity (in accordance with CMMI ) of a process-based business system - what BPM functionality will help you?

Note This is blogpost a short version of  http://improving-bpm-systems.blogspot.ch/2009/12/bpm-for-cmmi.html

We know levels of maturity applied for process-based work:

1. A performed process is a process that accomplishes the work necessary to produce work products.
2. A managed process is a performed process that is planned and executed in accordance with some policies. 
3. A defined process is a managed process that is tailored from the organization’s set of standard processes. 
4. A quantitatively managed process is a defined process that is controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques. 
5. An optimizing process is a quantitatively managed process that is changed and adapted to meet relevant current and projected business objectives.

We know that BPM (as a discipline) has 6 following functions:

1. Model / Plan / Simulate 
2. Automate / Instrument 
3. Execute 
4. Control 
5. Measure 
6. Optimise / Reflect / Refactor 

The table below shows what all functionality of BPM discipline is involved at each level of maturity. But, the nature involvement maybe different: “implicit” (informal or ad-hoc), “explicit” (formal or systematic) and in between (marked as “I/E”).

BPM functions vs levels of process maturity	Performed process	Managed process	Defined process	Quantitatively measured process	Optimising process
Model	I/E (black box)	Explicit (locally and approx.)	Explicit (globally and detailed)	Explicit(globally and detailed)	Explicit (globally and detailed)
Automate	Implicit	I/E	Explicit	Explicit	Explicit
Execute	Implicit	I/E	Explicit	Explicit	Explicit
Control	Implicit	I/E	I/E	Explicit	Explicit
Measure	Implicit	Implicit	I/E	Explicit	Explicit
Optimise	Implicit	Implicit	Implicit	I/E	Explicit

So, you can easy evaluate the needed BPM functionality to deliver a particular level of maturity of a process-based business system.

Thanks,
AS