The Basis and Core Knowledge of Business Process Management

In the era of globalization, there are intense competitions among organizations at an international level. To increase adaptability, efficiency and competitiveness in a global market, enterprises widely recognize that business processes play a pivotal role in their success. The criticality and complexity of operational business processes necessitate the development of methodical approaches for a wide range of practitioners and professionals. In response, theories and methodologies have been developed in the domain of business process management. Business process management (BPM) is the study of the design, analysis, verification, simulation, visualization, metrics and workflow patterns of business processes. BPM is cross-disciplinary by nature that integrates business management with information technology (IT). The main notions, techniques and theoretical foundations of BPM build upon some wellestablished methods and formalisms that often stem from other domains in computer science. These include software engineering, formal methods, temporal logics and design patterns. The aim for this article is to provide an overview of various concepts, approaches and foundational theories pertaining to BPM from the IT perspective. A wide spectrum of topics is covered in order to exhibit the different facets of BPM. Specifically, the emphases are on their positions within the BPM arena and their interrelationships.