Extending BPM by Treating Processes as Components of Work Systems that Produce Product/Services Valued by Their Customers

Rapid changes related to automation, digitalization, and AI have generated attempts to re-think established BPM ideas and methods. A new extension of work system theory (WST) and the work system perspective provide a path toward a multi-level understanding of situations that BPM addresses. This paper presents a new RAVC framework (Resources for Action, Value for Customers) that can be applied in different ways at six levels of granularity that apply the notion of using resources to produce product/services valued by customers. Basic ideas about WST are summarized and related to various aspects of BPM. The impetus for the new RAVC idea is presented along with assumptions underlying its application. RAVC is discussed using a medical example designed to illustrate selected ideas in each of six levels. The concluding section reflects on how WST and RAVC might inspire BPM extensions in directions that may not have been pursued to date.