BPMethods, a professional services firm innovating new ways to improve business process performance and results, has announced general availability of its business process portfolio management system.

The PORTFOLIO Approach for Continuous Process Improvement & Management provides software templates and management tools, enabling companies to classify, document and scorecard their business processes as a portfolio of strategic assets.

With this latest offering, management teams can learn how to structure a continuous process improvement program to manage performance and outcomes, increase quality and widen profit margins.

Investment and transformation can be focused on processes that create customer and shareholder value, and consolidate or decommission those that do not, said company officials.

Noting that improving quality, profits and customer satisfaction is a constant challenge for every business, Carl Lehmann, founder and Principal Analyst at BPMethods, said that Business Process Management (BPM) is gaining momentum as a managerial discipline that promises to bring order to such efforts.

Lehmann said that when managers begin to research various quality management methodologies and BPM technology they quickly get overwhelmed. He said many struggle with where to begin, others abandon the effort disillusioned by steep learning curves, and some buy new technology and sign consulting contracts hoping for the best without sufficient preparation to guide their decisions.

“We saw this as an opportunity. Basically, most organizations need a simple way to learn what they need to know and proper tools that help them manage their efforts, before spending precious time and money on BPM technology and services,” Lehmann said.

The software tools and instruction guides included in the PORTFOLIO Approach are designed to help companies manage processes using a Business Process Portfolio, a database that takes inventory of processes, documenting details such as activities, policies and rules, performance measures, resources and costs.

Company officials said that it evaluates quality, effectiveness and efficiency using scorecard techniques, and classifies processes by value helping manage process lifecycles and prioritize improvement projects.

“Essentially it’s ‘BPM consulting-in-a-box’ packed with self-help ‘how-to’ documents and software that do all the things a high-priced consulting firm would do,” Lehmann said, adding that it’s an inexpensive way for companies to learn what they need to know before committing to a ‘big bang’ IT project or consulting contract.

“Companies can use it as a ‘do-it-yourself’ toolkit, or as a roadmap to better manage BPM technology vendors and consultancies,” Lehmann added.