The Business Process Lifecycle

Описание: Every organization, regardless of size, sector, or geography, ultimately functions through business processes. A business process is the structured arrangement of activities through which inputs are transformed into outputs that create value for customers, stakeholders, and society. While strategies define direction and goals, it is business processes that convert intent into reality. An organization may have a compelling vision and abundant resources, but without well-designed, well-executed, and continuously improved processes, that vision remains unrealized.
Historically, business processes were treated as static workflows. Once designed and documented, they were expected to run unchanged for long periods. This approach was feasible in relatively stable environments. However, modern organizations operate in conditions characterized by rapid technological change, regulatory evolution, environmental constraints, social expectations, and continuous market uncertainty. Under such conditions, static processes fail quickly.
The contemporary view treats business processes as dynamic systems that must continuously learn, adapt, and improve. This chapter presents a comprehensive, chronological, and logically coherent framework for understanding the complete Business Process Lifecycle. The lifecycle consists of six tightly connected stages:
1. Business Process Design
2. Business Process Modelling
3. Business Process Simulation
4. Business Process Execution
5. Business Process Monitoring
6. Business Process Optimization
These six stages do not form a linear sequence that ends with optimization. Instead, they form a continuous learning loop in which insights from execution and monitoring feed back into redesign. This chapter develops each stage in depth, explains their interrelationships, and demonstrates why this specific ordering is the most realistic and operationally sound manner.