Should Your Non-profit Choose a Business Process Management or Case Management System?

Business process management and case management system are two software solutions corporates use to keep track of their workload. Where companies are drowning with the number of projects they take, it is helpful to have a digital platform to help speed the process. Whether that includes being able to easily view the progress of a specific project or see which member is in charge of completing each task, having a transparent system to carry out administrative and financial tasks gives an advantage. Such an organised system helps to ensure that all projects meet their deadlines and that they can stick to their budget.  Non-profit companies especially have to implement such measures responsibly. This is because they must rely exclusively upon their donors’ generosity to achieve their goals and carry out operations.  Therefore, charity organisations should decide on the software solution they want to implement to ease their processors by considering all the factors. Thus, this article provides a comprehensive guide for organisations in the non-profit sector for better decision-making.

What Is Business Process Management?

The main focus of a BPM is to make business operations seamless and achieve its goal. It ideally helps companies to manage all types of work, including designing, modelling, automating, and executing processors. It can be customised and adopted by any company, including the non-profit sector. Traditionally, a BPM includes sub-processes which are not connected. In other words, while each department carries on individual responsibilities, it is common knowledge that it is at some level interrelated. However, business process management focuses on individual processors, ensuring that it is precisely executed flawlessly. It systemises the steps involved in the process, thereby automating it. For instance, where documentation is concerned, the system can easily find a mechanism that categorises documents according to different purposes, automate that process and quickly retrieve the required documentation promptly. It monitors this process and implements changes to improve it further on its own. While this is perfect for ensuring that one step is carried out correctly and consistently, it may not help companies to understand the loopholes of the anomalies existing in their companies due to being separated. As there is a lack of connectivity among the functions, responding to specific situations would be slow.

What Is Case Management System?

Case management systems are far more complex than typical business process management since it focuses on the entire process. In other words, rather than only perfecting individual processes, it groups them. This means the processes involved in different departments in an organisation are integrated through the software solution platform, helping a company manager to have a birds-eye view of all operations. Thus, a case management system can manipulate the data it needs to help managers plan their corporate functions, fundraisers, and other events more efficiently. One drawback of a traditional case management system is the tendency not to be structured. This is why a human may have to intervene to make the final decisions that would help streamline processes.

In contrast, in a business process management system, the system automatically makes and implements decisions that will help to make the process better on its own. This is nevertheless an excellent solution for organisations that cannot have standardised processors because they cannot be predicted. Hence, as the next course of action depends on the context, a case management system can adapt to any situation.

A Business Process Management in Practice

It is common to find organisations in the non-profit sector open applications for volunteers to execute a project. As various individuals will eventually have to be responsible for specific tasks in the project, it is vital to have accurate information on each volunteer accepted. Due to this, enough information must be collected during the registration process. This would typically involve an application form that has to be submitted. It may include sections that must be filled, and potential volunteers can opt not to fill them. Instead of manually checking whether mandatory sections are filled, a typical business process management system can automate this process. Thus, once an application form is submitted, they can easily filter out documents which have not been correctly submitted. Because this is a set process, which will not require any changes, a business process management system will constantly work to ensure that this function is optimised and no errors are made. This also makes the retrieval of applications extremely easy for organisations. 

A Case Management System in Practice

As a non-profit organisation, multiple projects are carried out annually. While specific organisations carry out events with a common underlying social theme that contributes to the exact cause, some would champion various causes in different projects. This is one strong indication of why a project’s process may not always be the same. Depending on various aspects, the course of action that is needed to be taken by the organisation can differ. It would usually require the team to decide what must be done and allow the system to take the reins. This is what a case management system does. Similar to business process management, a case management system automates processes. However, it gives the team the flexibility to decide what requires to be done next and can adapt itself to meet each goal.

So Which One Is the Best for a Non-profit Organisation?

In deciding between the two solutions, a non-profit organisation may find that both include disadvantages. The good news is that in today’s digital age, modern solutions integrate the features of both solutions. Therefore, charities can now find a compact solution that can provide sufficient attention to ensuring individual processes are executed correctly. At the same time, it is also able to provide one that can adapt to situations which are not predictable. To specifically carry out the latter function, an ideal solution should include data analytical capabilities, which allow the team to decide on the next best course of action with greater certainty. This helps organisations to guarantee that their decisions have a high probability of success and eliminates wrong decisions taken by individuals whose biases may have traditionally clouded their choices.

Two Solutions, One Common Goal

At the end of the day, a business process management and case management system is implemented to optimise business operations. However, the way they approach it makes them both different from one another. While a traditional business process management system can automate individual processes by carrying out repeated tasks without errors, a case management system can adapt to changing situations and ensure the overall operations in an organisation are optimised. The ideal solution for a non-profit organisation should capture both of these features. With the number of technologies that have emerged today, charity organisations’ real challenge is finding a reliable vendor that offers top-notch solutions. Tigernix, a renowned Singapore company recognised for its standardised solutions, is a trustworthy brand that optimises processes. Equip your charity organisation with the best tools to help it drive ahead in the non-profit sector by adopting a feasible solution.