Business process management (BPM) is an ideal platform for implementing Six Sigma, according to a recently released book.In 2006 Workflow Handbook (Workflow Management Coalition, 2006), author Setrag Khoshafian highlights the similarities of BPM and Six Sigma as they relate to continuous improvement. The book also includes a discussion about the evolution of BPM from a human-centric workflow to today’s more comprehensive methodology that unifies process automation and business rules.

“It is not an accident that BPM is increasingly becoming an ideal platform for implementing successful Six Sigma projects,” says Khoshafian. “It has to do with maturity. BPM [has] evolved significantly over the past few decades. The core capabilities [of] BPM, including support for business rules, integration, reporting, piloting and activity monitoring, are critical to Six Sigma.”

Khoshafian is vice president for BPM technology at Pegasystems Inc. For more information, visit www.pega.com.

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