BPM Lifecycles and Their Core Cycle Steps: Identification, Processing and Clustering

Business Process Management (BPM) constitutes an organizational discipline with an emphasis on continuous process improvement. Given the fact that BPM is divided into concrete phases and steps, it is translated into a circular model, defined as a BPM lifecycle. However, BPM lifecycle models are heterogeneously defined in the literature. The high presence of a variety of components within the proposed models, indicates the differences in perception throughout the research community. The latter signifies the need for a more systematic BPM lifecycle that would sufficiently substantiate the importance, the associations, and the placement of each included cycle steps. To harmonize the variety of the proposed BPM lifecycles, this study aims at elaborating the notion of Core Cycle Steps (CSSs), as previously introduced by the authors. For this purpose, the placement of each CCS in the BPM lifecycle range is examined, facilitating their clustering. After examining twelve lifecycle models, 11 out of the 22 identified CCSs bear a unanimous agreement among the authors who place it in the same quarter of their cycles. Contrary to the intuitive sense of their irresolute positioning in the proposed models, each step entails a minimum of 50% authors agreement regarding their placement in the BPM lifecycle range. Altogether, this study is expected to shed light on the ordering of BPM steps within a BPM lifecycle range, while shifting the discourse towards a meta-BPM lifecycle model.