Business Process Management (BPM) solutions have helped organizations manage structured business processes that are clearly documented and well understood. But organizations now face the challenge of managing unstructured or semi-structured processes that are collaborative, content-intensive, and subject to constant change. Case Management around a BPM solution – preferably in conjunction with an Enterprise Content Management system – solves many of the problems.

1. BPM the way we see it
Case Management
Managing chaos: unstructured processes and
dynamic BPM
Synopsis The challenge: processes that
Organizations increasingly need to are a moving target
deal with unstructured processes Business Process Management (BPM)
that ordinary Business Process solutions have helped organizations
Management (BPM) solutions were manage structured business processes
not designed to cope with. Case that are clearly documented and
Management is a way to govern and well understood. But organizations
control these unstructured processes, now face the challenge of managing
but Case Management solutions can unstructured or semi-structured
be challenging to develop. Developing processes that are collaborative,
Case Management around a BPM content-intensive, and subject to
BPM Trends Series
solution – preferably in conjunction constant change. These loosely
This paper is one of a series, Capgemini
with an Enterprise Content structured processes – sometimes, but
BPM Trends, which shares insights into
Management system – solves many not always, called “cases” – can vary
how to resolve today’s most pressing
of the problems. Companies that according to individual circumstances.
business challenges using the latest
Business Process Management tools and have used this approach are already
methodologies. reporting significant benefits.

2. Cases pose some challenges when it What is a case?
comes to automation. For instance, A “case” can be defined as a collection
let’s take the example of resolution of of tasks, actions, processes, and
credit card disputes. While a credit content in support of a specific
card issuer provides a standard form business objective. Cases can involve
for initiating the dispute, the activities multiple flows, tasks, and content,
required depend on many factors. and sometimes have sub-cases within
What is the reason for the dispute? them.
Were the goods or services delivered?
Were they defective? Was the defect In business terms, cases can be nearly
the fault of the manufacturer, the anything: complaint/grievance from
shipper, the customer, or some other a customer, an insurance claim,
party? Does the dispute concern the feedback from stakeholders, etc.
amount of the charge? ...and so forth. A case must be evaluated against
organizational policy or procedure to
Resolution of the dispute could determine the appropriate outcome.
depend on any or all of these factors,
each of which typically involves Some common characteristics of a
production and review of documents. case are that it is:
The credit card company may require • Collaborative – requires the
information from the customer; the involvement of multiple users and
manufacturer, retailer, or service multiple departments/groups in
provider; the shipper; possibly legal an organization
counsel, attorneys, or even law • Content-intensive – usually
enforcement. The rules involved could contains multiple supporting
depend on the customer’s location. documentation attached to it at
As the facts unfold, new tasks and various points in the lifecycle
documents may be added to the case. • Semi-structured or
Thus, most “knowledge work” unstructured – contains ad hoc
requires unique processing, and tasks which are added at various
processes that can adapt to situations. points
Case Management systems have • Hierarchical – multiple levels of
emerged to handle these untamed, tasks and actions to be managed
unstructured processes which may • Dynamic – requirements change
need to dynamically adapt at based on individual circumstance;
run time. each case is different
Figure 1. Relationship between Case Management, BPM and legacy systems
Business Process
Management
• Unstructured or semi-
• Multiple transactional • Structured business structured processes
systems processes • Collaborative,
• No structured • Clearly documented content-intensive and
process management and well-understood subject to constant
• Manual processes processes change
Legacy systems Case Management
Source: Capgemini
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3. BPM the way we see it
A case typically contains one or all of Case Management and its particularly in high-volume
the following: challenges scenarios
• Data Case Management is fundamentally • Limited functionality for
• Documents a process problem that is more providing consistent and
• Data fields challenging to deal with owing to its continuous feedback about a
• Content dynamic characteristics. Typically, case to customers and external
the process is partially defined in stakeholders
• Process advance by the case template, but with • Lack of a consistent way to track
• Tasks the flexibility to change at run time and manage cases
• Actions for each case. The actual steps and • Lack of tracking and reporting
information required to complete each cases poses risks when a litigation
• Policies case are determined by a combination is filed against the firm
• Status of human judgment, rules, and events. • Regulations pose a compliance
• History Most companies face the following risk with some types of cases
• Audit trails typical challenges when it comes to • Lack of a consistent way to
• Reporting Case Management: manage customer complaints/
• No standard system to manage grievances gives rise to
cases across the enterprise dissatisfied customers and
• Existing legacy systems are stakeholders, and leads to
disparate and limited to specific potential loss of business
business groups who need to
share the information Many of these problems can be solved
• No/limited collaboration between by building a Case Management
various groups handling a case solution, and we will discuss some
• No/limited enterprise-wide approaches to doing so in the
reporting on cases remainder of this paper.
• No automatic resolution of cases
based on pre-defined business
rules – and handling each case
manually is expensive
• No/limited straight-through
processing for cases – again,
manual intervention is expensive,
Figure 2. Illustration of a case
Case attachments Case
Internal
user
Task
Sub-case Sub-case
External
user
Task Task Task
Supervisor
Source: Capgemini
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4. Approaches to implementing ERP vendors still need to fill gaps in
Case Management handling unstructured processes.
To see how best to implement a Case Today, BPM and Enterprise Content
Management solution, it is helpful Management (ECM) vendors provide
to subdivide the business problems the basis for most Case Management
involved. Forrester1 classifies them solutions, and are well positioned to
into three broad categories – Service tackle the problem space.
Requests, Incident Management, and
Investigative. Examples of Service ECM vendors have strong content
Requests include on-boarding, loan management capabilities and
origination, benefits administration, workflows to handle documents,
patient medical records, etc. Examples which can be leveraged in Case
of Incident Management include Management. Many cases tend to be
product recalls, adverse event reports, content-intensive and this is a major
complaint management, etc. Examples plus for ECM vendors building Case
of Investigative Case Management Management solutions around their
include audit requests and regulatory content management capabilities.
queries. BPM vendors have extremely strong
workflow features, and can address
Among the different types of tools the people-oriented and agile
available in the market to handle requirements of a dynamic Case
Case Management, CRM vendors Management solution. BPM products
support the Service Request area of also have strong collaboration features
Case Management. ERP vendors have which enable case workers to tackle
the potential to support all areas of complex cases together. BPM tools
Case Management including order support the case hierarchy (case/
exception management, purchase sub-case/task), skill-based and ad
order anomalies, etc. However, the hoc routing, business rules to enable
Figure 3. Case Management categories
Government Financial services
• Freedom of information • Onboarding
• Permitting and client • Loan origination
• Customer inquiry response
Government
proposals
• Patent examination • Pitch book and proposals • Permitting
• Forensics management • Trade settlement • Benefits administration
• RAC • Social welfare benefits
applications
• Disability claims
• Aging and disability services
• Immigration applications
Financial services
• Audit requests
• Regulatory queries Investigative Service Healthcare
• Credit-card fraud requests
• Payer care management
• Insurance underwriting
• Health payer claims
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Patient medical records
• Provider care management
Incident
management
Government Manufacturing
• Homeland security • Product change requests
• Disaster relief • Quality management
• Police and fire • Adverse-event reports
• Vocational rehabilitation • Order-exception management
• Complaint management • Product recalls
• Asset management
documentation
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
1Forrester Research, Inc., Dynamic Case Management: Definitely Not Your Dad’s Old-School Workflow/Imaging System, September 28, 2011.
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5. BPM the way we see it
automatic case resolution, etc. Hence training effort, and also enables This is necessary because Case
these tools are well positioned to computer telephony integration to Management typically involves ad
meet most of the needs of a Case save time and effort for the CSRs by hoc processing, and deals with the
Management solution. avoiding re-entry of information. The unpredictable. To support these
approach minimizes average call time requirements, the solution should
A BPM-enabled Case and ensures uniform customer service. allow tasks to be added during case
Management solution execution, flows to be executed,
The content uploaded as part of the extra content to be added, and sub-
Putting BPM at the center of Case case can be managed within the BPM cases created. There could be various
Management system or (often preferably) through channels through which cases are
A BPM-enabled Case Management a connector to an ECM system initiated, and the source of a case
solution of the type illustrated in that the organization uses. Which could be either external or internal.
figure 4 can provide organizations option is adopted will depend on the The case hierarchy should preserve
with a way to manage various types organization’s preference, and also the case/sub-case/task relationships,
of cases, and establish a collaborative on the size and volume of the case and provide a central view for
environment for their users to work content and attachments. The decision management handling a specific case,
on and resolve cases. is also driven by compliance needs. bringing together multiple related
transactions or multiple related cases.
A BPM system incorporating all Systematic yet flexible case For example, when US Airways flight
the business rules and the process handling is achievable 1549 ditched into the Hudson, that
engine should be at the center of With this type of solution, it is one case, the flight’s crash landing,
the Case Management solution. The possible to define case templates spawned many sub-cases where the
system’s customer-facing modules can that guide the overall case resolution passengers were also filing claims.
manage interactions with customers workflow, but can be dynamically
and other external stakeholders. changed or extended by case workers
This allows intelligent scripting and at run time.
coaching tips for the customer service
representatives (CSRs) to reduce
Figure 4. A BPM-enabled Case Management solution
Imaging
Customer service
Mail Sales
Phone/fax/email
Internal user
Outbound call
Case Management system (BPM)
Customer
Reports
Manager
Correspondence
Email/letter/fax
Perfomance
Integration services
metrics
Case Content
Management management
Source: Capgemini CRM Legacy system system of record system
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6. How a BPM-enabled Case various case stakeholders, etc. The Summary of features
Management solution is used ability to add actions/tasks to each Features that a BPM-enabled Case
A CSR can create a case using the case allows for the ad hoc nature of Management solution can provide
BPM system, and capture all relevant case processing. include:
information like case details, customer • Making case information available
details, subjects involved, case Each case can be broken down into to knowledge workers in the form
description, attachments, etc. Once a sub-cases if required, and these sub- of a shared case folder (subject to
case is created, it can be intelligently cases can be assigned to different security and access control rules)
routed, based on business rules, to the business groups for processing. The • Managing a library of processes
case workers who are best positioned main case acts as the container to that can be added to the existing
to resolve them. hold all the sub-cases and provides a cases as required, e.g. referral to a
comprehensive view to the interested loss adjuster or fraud department
The routing approach allows extensive users. The case is then resolved • Allowing new processes to be
collaboration among the various after all necessary actions/tasks are designed and added at runtime
case workers involved; cases can completed and all the sub-cases are where they don’t already exist
be accessed through common work resolved. Business rules determine • Managing case information in
baskets. The case workers can update who can resolve a case, according to the form of business documents
the case information, add actions on case type. rather than structured data
the case, capture all action-related • Allowing ad hoc tasks, such as
information, upload case attachments, requesting an estimate during a
generate correspondence to the claims process
Figure 5. Typical case lifecycle
Case lifecycle
Customer/external & Customer/external &
internal stakeholders internal stakeholders
Generate
Create case Route case Update case
correspondence
Route case/SLA/ Upload case Add actions/
Resolve case
escalation attachments comments
Search case View case
Workflow routing
SLA/escalation rules
Audit trails
Monitoring/reporting
Source: Capgemini
Supervisor/executive management
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7. BPM the way we see it
• Allowing cases to advance BPM solution is that it: is configured largely from existing
through external as well as • Enables collaboration between components, results can be obtained
internal events – for example, a and among all process much faster and more affordably.
customer contact might increase participants, both internal and
urgency external to the organization, and This approach does, of course,
• Providing a case portal/dashboard records and audits their activity require the organization to marshal
that relates similar cases to one in resolving cases adequate skills in both BPM and
another • Incorporates a library of processes Case Management. Fortunately,
• Allowing for case escalation based that a user can select from and there is now a growing body of
on Service Level Agreements add to the existing case when professionals who understand both of
(SLAs) required, or alternatively these disciplines. They need to apply
• Enables the user to create a their skills to both the technology
Conclusion totally new process at run time if implementation and the related
BPM on its own cannot cope required business change – for example, they
with unstructured processes; must ensure that the users involved
Case Management can, but with Until recently, organizations tended clearly understand what will be
conventional approaches it can to shy away from Case Management systematized and what will not.
be hard to implement. In order to on the grounds that it was too
build a Case Management solution, expensive, and so slow that a solution Successful early adopters of BPM-
an organization must understand could be obsolete by the time it enabled Case Management are
the differences between traditional was implemented. Building a Case reporting substantial benefits that
workflow/BPM and the new breed Management solution around a strengthen the business case. One
of unstructured dynamic process BPM platform overcomes these of our public-sector clients has
solutions. objections, along with a number of seen a 20% increase in employee
other earlier difficulties associated productivity, along with greatly
In our view, what truly differentiates with conventional Case Management. improved visibility and control of
a Case Management solution from a Because a BPM-enabled solution processes via real-time reporting.
Case study: Enterprise Case Management solution for handling stakeholders’ concerns
Capgemini has supported • Limited collaboration between on Case Management
implementation of an enterprise groups handling cases • Managing customer interactions
Case Management solution for a • Limited enterprise-wide reporting with the CSRs
large pharmacy benefits manager. on prescriber cases
The organization has multiple • Lack of visibility of issues until Business benefits from the Case
stakeholders: prescribers, patients, external or serious escalation Management solution included:
clients, etc. There are specialized Case occurred • Reduced case handling time
Management requirements for each
• Improved relationship/
individual stakeholder, but many Capgemini’s Case Management communication with customers
functions are common and reusable. solution focused on: • Ability to capture and manage
Capgemini suggested a best-practice • Establishing one single system to cases created across the
approach of building an enterprise handle cases enterprise
layer for Case Management, which • Building an enterprise Case • Better tracking of cases
holds the reusable functions and Management layer to store • Increased case resolution rate
components across the individual the reusable components and • Enterprise-wide reporting on
Case Management systems. The common services to access back- cases
organization faced the following Case end systems • Improved collaboration between
Management challenges: • Building case workflows various groups handling a case
• No single system to handle involving automatic routing rules • Removing or reducing redundant
cases. Different groups handled • Business rules to drive automatic activities
complaints, feedback, and case resolution and improve • Improved automatic resolution
grievances from stakeholders in straight-through processing of the cases and more straight-
different ways • Reporting to senior management through processing
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8. About Capgemini
With around 120,000 people own way of working, the Collaborative
in 40 countries, Capgemini is Business ExperienceTM, and draws on
one of the world’s foremost providers of Rightshore®, its worldwide delivery
consulting, technology and outsourcing model.
services. The Group reported 2011 global
revenues of EUR 9.7 billion. Together Learn more about us at
with its clients, Capgemini creates www.capgemini.com
and delivers business and technology
solutions that fit their needs and drive the Rightshore® is a trademark belonging
results they want. A deeply multicultural to Capgemini Group
organization, Capgemini has developed its
This article has been written jointly by Nicholas Kitson, Ragavendran Ravisanskar
and Rajesh Nair Soudamini.
Nicholas is Head of BPM of Capgemini’s Financial Services Global Business Unit.
He has considerable experience in business transformation through the use of
technology and has implemented transformational programs for clients in the
areas of Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Content Management
(ECM) and Business Process Management solutions. Discuss BPM with Nicholas
via Capgemini’s Expert Connect program.
Ragavendran has extensive experience in program management and business
analysis on global large-scale BPM and Enterprise Content Management projects
involving distributed teams. His expertise includes consulting in BPM Strategy,
Six Sigma Process Consulting, Enterprise Case Management, IT Strategy &
Roadmap, and Agile/Scrum methodologies adoption.
Rajesh leads the BPM Practice at Capgemini Financial Services North America.
He has more than 15 years’ experience of process re-engineering, BPM, Enterprise
Content Management and Case Management system implementations. Rajesh
has set up and managed BPM and ECM practices for multiple global system
integrators.
Find out more about our approach to Business Process Management and about
the BPM Trends Series
visit:
www.capgemini.com/bpm
www.capgemini.com/bpm-trends
or email:
BPM@capgemini.com
Copyright© 2012. All rights reserved by Capgemini.
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