On April 11, 2023, Intecracy Group consortium hosted an exclusive offline event in the format of the Intecracy Executive Breakfast, dedicated to one of the most pressing challenges of modern corporate management. The main topic of discussion was the detailed analysis of failures in technological changes: “Why digitalization without managed processes does not yield the expected result.” The speakers of the event were recognized IT industry experts — Yurii Syvytskyi and Mykhailo Vihovskyi. They presented a systemic view on how organizational miscalculations and low process maturity negate significant investments in information technology.
Connection Between Process Maturity, Costs, and Results
Today, most companies strive for rapid digitalization, viewing the latest technologies as a universal cure for operational inefficiency. However, as practice shows, automating unmanaged or chaotic processes only accelerates the creation of chaos at a higher technological level. The central aspect of the discussion at the Intecracy Executive Breakfast was the direct connection between the level of an organization's process maturity, the volume of financial costs, and the ultimate results of digital transformation. Without clearly defined rules of the game within the company, any IT solution becomes too expensive and ineffective.
Low process maturity is characterized by a lack of standardization, fragmented information transfer between departments, and dependence on specific executors. When such an organization begins to implement complex software suites, it faces the need for constant software modifications to accommodate “unique” and often illogical procedures. This leads to an avalanche-like growth of development and integration budgets, and project launch deadlines are postponed by months or even years. Ultimately, the company spends significant resources but does not receive the expected increase in productivity.
BPM and Process Consulting as the Foundation of Transformation
To prevent such scenarios, Intecracy Group experts recommend using a comprehensive approach that combines BPM (Business Process Management) and professional process consulting. Process consulting allows for a deep audit of the enterprise's current activities, identifying duplicate functions, redundant approval steps, and information gaps. Only after business processes are optimized on paper and in models is it advisable to transfer them to the digital environment using modern BPM systems.
“Many executives believe that purchasing a modern IT system will automatically solve all the company's internal problems. However, technology is just a tool that scales what already exists. If your processes are opaque, uncoordinated, or outdated, digitalization will only accelerate the accumulation of errors and increase the cost of fixing them. Process consulting helps first build a healthy framework upon which any automation then naturally and painlessly fits,” noted Yurii Syvytskyi.
BPM as a methodology and technological tool ensures continuous management of the business process lifecycle: from modeling and execution to monitoring and continuous improvement. This allows companies to respond flexibly to changes in the external environment and quickly implement new regulations without the need for a complete overhaul of the IT infrastructure. Process consulting in this context acts as a navigator that helps identify priority areas for automation and calculate the real economic effect of future changes.
Concrete Mechanisms of Achieving Manageability
The event participants analyzed in detail the mechanisms that allow reducing the cost of transformation and guaranteeing its success. The first step is to create a single repository of business processes, where all operational chains are recorded. This eliminates discrepancies in the understanding of tasks by different departments. The second step is the appointment of process owners — individuals responsible for the final result of the entire chain, and not just for an individual function. The third step is the implementation of performance metrics (KPIs) integrated directly into the processes, which allows for detecting deviations in real time.
“We often see attempts to implement complex technological solutions in organizations where there is no clear distribution of responsibility for processes. In such cases, implementation costs grow exponentially, and the end user receives an inconvenient tool that sabotages work. A successful transformation begins with the realization that processes must be managed before their automation starts. Only then will BPM technologies bring the expected value and return on investment,” emphasized Mykhailo Vihovskyi.
This approach allows avoiding the classic digitalization trap, where outdated and inefficient procedures are automated. Thanks to the preliminary analysis and adjustment of processes, the company gets the opportunity to implement IT solutions much faster and with fewer risks. This creates a solid foundation for long-term development and increasing business competitiveness in an environment of constant change.
Conclusions for Business
The main conclusion of the Intecracy Executive Breakfast is that digital transformation is not just the introduction of new technologies, but primarily a change in management philosophy. The success of changes depends on the leadership's ability to combine technological capabilities with a high process culture. Investments in BPM and process consulting are a necessary prerequisite for digitalization to become a real driver of efficiency, rather than a source of uncontrolled costs and organizational chaos.