1. Process Architecture
A business process architecture (BPA) is the main artifact of process management and improvement. If you don’t have a process architecture, you’re not doing process management. If you don’t have a documented and agreed-upon understanding of the relationships and interdependencies between your key business processes, you can’t be sure of truly effective process improvement. Cross-functional business processes (“Value Stream”) are the only way an organization can deliver value (products or services) to customers and other stakeholders outside the organization. A process architecture is more than an image or a model, business process architecture is an aid to strategic and operational management in an organization focused on continuous improvement and the delivery of an excellent service.