Master of the processes

New developments for the automation of business processes

A conversation with Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer and based on a white paper he wrote are orientation in the discussion about focal points during an S/4 conversion project. Professor Scheer is one of the most influential scientists and entrepreneurs in German information technology. The Aris method for process management developed by him is used in almost all DAX companies and also internationally. His scientific books on business informatics are standard works and have been translated into several languages. The focus of his research is on information, innovation and business process management.

“When improving business processes, a model-based approach is used with tools such as SPR.“

August-Wilhelm Scheer,
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult., Scheer Group

Ultimately, algorithms, i.e., business processes, and data structures appear as the two sides of the same coin. Professor Scheer's work makes the importance of processes clear. Data is very much the ERP foundation and triggers the processes. Conversely, a data lake without processes and structures has hardly any added value.

Accordingly, Professor Scheer defines: The benefits of new digital business models are more apparent in the top line, i.e., in the revenue of our customers. When it comes to streamlining, standardizing, accelerating and automating existing business processes, the benefits are more apparent in the bottom line, i.e., in cost reductions. Sales and costs, both aspects have to be analyzed transparently and clarified with an existing SAP customer. Professor Scheer is convinced that challenges to the change of business models and processes, which affect us and our customers equally, result from the development of digitization.

In the case of innovations such as S/4 Hana, the priority is to develop business models and processes that are designed by the customer benefit (outside-in) and can be implemented quickly. For this purpose, Professor Scheer has developed a development platform with the Scheer PAS product: New processes can be integrated with existing back-end systems (composite applications). Model-based approaches are used to improve existing business processes. Professor Scheer recommends developing modeling tools for this purpose and setting up ready-made reference processes with SPR (Scheer Performance Ready). The references contain process models based on the best-practice experience of Scheer consultants. In the automatic analysis of business processes (process mining), concepts are developed for the automated improvement of processes using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and software modules.

After the implementation of the process model, the execution phase begins. By using algorithms, the valid real process model can be generated automatically from the log data of an elapsed period (process discovery). This can be compared with a target model (Compliance Check). 

For mining, some start-ups like Celonis have successfully established themselves. SAP has made a strong commitment to model-based business process management with its acquisition of the software company Signavio and its Rise program. Professor Scheer says that these developments confirm the model-based approach that SAP has been pursuing for decades. We maintain close conceptual cooperation with SAP and feel the tailwind for our model-based approach. With the SPR concept, Scheer offers its customers added value in terms of content and is expanding this. 

One criticism of the mining approach is that it only points out deficiencies, but not how they can be remedied. In the meantime, this has led to discussions in practice about the usefulness of mining systems. Therefore, Professor Scheer explains in the E-3 discussion a procedure so that from a mining approach, which gives insight into the current process behavior, an improvement approach develops, which offers solutions (actions) for it, i.e. leads from insight to action.