In this blog post, we will discuss when and where a case management solution fits in the spectrum of processes in an enterprise. The spectrum for process in an enterprise can be illustrated as below in diagram 1.

Diagram 1: Spectrum of process in enterprise

As illustrated in diagram 1, on one side of the spectrum, we have highly structured, well defined procedures for achieving a process objective, while on the other side, we have highly contextual, well defined results for achieving the objective. The conventional business processes (based on Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)) can help to model these processes, while the other end can be catered to by case based processes.

The other distinction for implementing BPMN based processes or case based processes, is the level of empowerment needed for achieving the process objectives. This is illustrated in Diagram 2 below – adapted for the evaluation framework by Derek Miers.

Diagram 2: Empowerment for work force

As illustrated in Diagram2, the processes which require high empowerment on the part of work force are better implemented using case based processes as they allow the flexibility required to use the skills of the knowledge involved.

The next differentiating need for application of BPMN based processes against case based is the amount of collaboration required to achieve the process objectives. This is illustrated in Diagram 3 – adapted from a research paper by van der Aalst, W.M.P., Berens, P.J.S.

Diagram 3: Collaboration needs
As illustrated in Diagram3, Case based solutions are best suited in the process spectrum requiring semi structured in terms collaboration and flexibility. This is catered through the features like follow-ups and mandatory activities that need to worked on.