Data governance is essential in the digital age we live in. It ensures data quality, security, and usability within any modern organization. 

Process automation, in turn, plays several important roles in data governance, such as ensuring the standardization of the application of governance policies and procedures, and eliminating deviations that can occur with manual intervention.

It can also significantly reduce the time and effort required to manage large volumes of data. This allows teams to focus on strategic activities instead of repetitive tasks. 

Undoubtedly, companies of all sizes and sectors need both data governance and process automation to collect, store, and analyze their information. 

For this reason, it is crucial to understand why governance is so important and how the integration of automated technologies brings agility, error reduction, and compliance. 

What is data governance? 

Data governance is a methodology that manages the entire information lifecycle, from creation or collection to disposal. 

This includes creating internal policies and procedures to ensure that data is properly processed when entered, accessed, stored, handled, and deleted. 

Governance is responsible for establishing infrastructure and technology; configuring and maintaining processes and policies; identifying and appointing professionals with the authority and responsibility to handle and protect certain data. 

In other words, data governance’s mission is to ensure that data is usable, available, accurate, secure, and private. 

These elements are essential to ensure compliance with regulations and external standards, such as laws, decrees, and government requirements. One of the biggest examples of data regulation is the LGPD. 

While governance establishes how data accuracy, reliability, integrity, and security will be preserved, its management involves implementing these procedures, including process automation. 

The large volume of data that must be processed daily justifies the inclusion of this type of governance. This concern is an important step to a company’s digital transformation and its overall success. 

What are the benefits of data governance? 

As data is a source of information, one of its main advantages is supporting and substantiating decision-making. 

Among the various benefits that can be achieved, the following stand out: 

• Better and more reliable data; 
• Centralization of information contributes to easier access; 
• Facilitated coordination and communication; 
• Increased agility and productivity; 
• Version control of data; 
• Regulatory, legal, and industry compliance; 
• Cost reduction and control; 
• Avoid working with incorrect or obsolete information; 
• Improved customer service; 
• Identify opportunities; 
• Standardization of governance policy and procedure application; 
• Elimination of variation due to manual intervention; 
• Reduces the time and effort needed to manage large volumes of data; 
• Lower incidence of risks associated with non-compliance; 
• Risk management; 
• Rapid adaptation to new data-related laws and regulations. 

The structure of data governance 

In practice, the structure that will enable data governance to meet the internal policies and procedures that have been established consists of the following components: 

• Data governance committee: representatives from different departments and areas responsible for defining strategies and policies for governance; 
• Data policy: a document that describes the principles, guidelines, and standards for data management; 
• Goals and objectives: must be clear and aligned with the organization’s needs; 
• Roles and responsibilities: defining which professionals or teams will be involved in data governance; 
• Processes and procedures: documentation outlining how data collection, storage, handling, analysis, and availability will be conducted; 
• Employed technology: resources that provide process automation and data security; 
• Metrics and indicators: used to measure data governance performance and progress toward set objectives and goals. 

In parallel with creating or maintaining these components, it is necessary to promote a data culture, encouraging the responsible and ethical use of information. 

The structure varies according to the complexity or size of the company. However, for this structure to function effectively, support from top management, training, and appropriate technological tools are essential. 

Process automation in data governance 

Process automation is an essential tool for data governance. 

With its help, there is validation and standardization in the application of policies and procedures. In this way, the time and effort spent managing the large volume of data produced is considerably reduced. 

By automating repetitive tasks with high error rates, the company can focus on strategic activities that add value to the business. 

Specifically in data governance, this tool works in data identification and correction, providing consistency and quality in the obtained information. 

Fusion Platform as a data governance tool 

By using Neomind’s Fusion Platform, data from different sources can be easily integrated. Being a complete platform, Neomind’s solution centralizes and facilitates the search and quick retrieval of information. 

Regarding data security, Fusion Platform uses encryption and other features to ensure that data is handled precisely and consistently. 

Since the platform includes authentication and access traceability, the risks of leaks and unauthorized access are reduced. Automation ensures data origin and usage tracking, storing useful information for audits and compliance verification. 

In addition, all activities are logged in the system, allowing suspicious activities to be flagged. With the Risk Management module, incidents are identified and handled quickly and efficiently. 

In its Analytics Central, it is possible to monitor data governance performance. Reports with relevant real-time information and predictive analysis can be generated to identify trends and patterns. 

BPM helps optimize processes through mapping, optimizing, and managing the activity flow. The solution is fully customizable and supports scalable and secure data storage and processing. 

Data governance can be applied to all types of processes. After all, all departments need data and information to make strategic and coherent decisions. 

For example, marketing uses data to understand customers, while the supply team uses it to manage inventory, and so on. 

Although it is recommended that data governance be implemented gradually, with high volumes of data being produced daily, there is no time to waste. 

Try Fusion Platform and benefit from a complete solution for process management, documents, indicators, risk management, and digital signatures. 

Although they may seem very similar at first glance, there are key differences between the Process Management and Process-based Management concepts — they are definitely not the same thing. These two approaches still spark a lot of debate. After all, they are two management models that complement each other, each bringing concepts and guidelines that make all the difference in the way they’re put in practice.

When it comes to management models, literature typically leans towards the Process Management model. However, many of our contemporary organizations are already employing Process-based Management, sometimes without a clear definition, which often leaves us with even more questions.

To clarify the matter once and for all, let’s understand the difference between Process Management and Process-based Management, along with each of their characteristics and how they can fit into your company. Let’s dive in!

First, what is Process Management?

Processes have always been present in organizations and all types of businesses, whether for purchasing materials, recruiting new employees, paying bills and issuing receipts, you name it.

But what exactly are processes? According to the Business Dictionary, a process is a sequence of interdependent and linked procedures. At each stage, they consume one or more resources (employee time, energy, machinery, money) to convert inputs (data, materials, parts, etc.) into outputs. These outputs then serve as inputs for the next stage until a known goal or final desired outcome is achieved.

In practice, think about your own’s company workflow. When you finish a product, isn’t it necessary to start a new process for purchasing inputs for new units or batches? In short, sets of activities like these can be considered a process or at least part of it.

Until a few decades ago, activities occurred without the aid any specific methodology. This is where Process Management, better known as Business Process Management (BPM) in the corporate world, emerged.

And what about Process-based Management?

While Process Management represents the methodology and specific actions known in the field, Process-based Management aims to integrate all departments and its processes. It structures and integrates functional processes within organizations towards common goals.

Traditional organizations developed based on a culture of managing each department’s processes and activities.Process-oriented companies on the other hand, use a Process-based Management approach, leveraging management systems to handle everything involving the company and its departments.

This broadens and systematizes management, with less interference from departmental managers. The main objective here is to optimize the organization’s performance.

Ultimately, Process-based Management aims to integrate all company processes, resulting in clearer common objectives. This lets processes to be conducted in a better organized manner, benefiting the entire company, not just a specific department or sector.

In this sense, process management provides a holistic view of the company, making decision-making more effective. Additionally, it’s easier to identify bottlenecks, and teams and departments are more integrated and collaborative.

In summary: what are the differences?

Essentially, a company that practices process management has its tasks and activities mapped and monitored with complete control. They know that all processes will occur as planned and described.

When Process-based Management is adopted, there’s connectivity between processes, which favors a trully comprehensive view of the organization. Activities are integrated, and the result stems from the effort of a correlated whole.

Indeed, companies that operate with Process-based Management are more focused on developing their activities to ensure customer satisfaction.

With a process-oriented company culture, decision-making, employee management, document sending and viewing, and team interaction become integrated activities, improving overall productivity.

Additionally, there’s alignment of strategy for product or service development for the customer. At this point, having available indicators for better decision-making becomes essential.

Undoubtedly, Management through Processes is very advantageous for companies. However, its application requires management to focus on analyzing the entire value chain, ensuring that activities and processes are geared towards creating value for the customer.

BPM systems in context

Digital Transformation is a great ally to companies looking to manage their processes. They provide tools capable of automating and optimizing routine activities, facilitating execution and internal communication.

In this sense, software is essential for both process management and process-based management.

Although each term has a specific objective, both generally represent concepts such as continuous improvement, clear and simple processes, sector organization, and more assertive decision-making in any type of organization.

In this regard, Neomind has developed the BPM module, which integrates and manages structured processes. This provides effectiveness and agility in responses, enhancing company results, with greater transparency and collaboration among stakeholders.

Fusion Platform enables companies to reduce processes errors and automate repetitive and manual activities. Additionally, it improves corporate performance, enabling greater competitiveness and assertiveness for your business.

The purpose of adopting BPM software is the convenience in carrying out activities as well. Because of that, Neomind’s Fusion Platform is a low-code tool, fully user-friendly and adaptable to your needs.

Curious about how process management happens in practice? Try Fusion Platform for free, or talk to our consultants.

Whether you’re considering investing into process management or process-based management, Neomind is your business partner!

Does your company practice process-based managament? Tell us about your experience. Or if you have any questions, write it to us in the comments. We’ll be happy to assist you.

The 21st century is marked by non-stop technological innovation. Take Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company, for example. The organization is a reference in Brazil when it comes to process management and innovation. In 2007, in order to sustain its financial growth, it chose to transform its management model and organizational culture.

Administration became process-oriented, allowing the responsibility for corporate results to be shared among process owners. This shift enabled Natura to grow by 5.6% in that year’s first nine months. There was also a 49% increase in its market share through consultants, who, in turn, observed a 46.2% reduction in wrong deliveries.

Similar to this case, we can recall various other transformation stories that revolutionized businesses. In another example, in 2016, the Williams Formula 1 team set the record for the fastest pit stop with pilot Felipe Massa in 1.89 seconds. In 1950, pit stops took approximately 1 minute. Analogously analyzing, how is it possible to transform processes and improve results?

To answer this question, we first need to understand what types of transformation can be applied to a process. The CBOK book from ABPMP says: process transformation has a range of impacts that include continuous improvement, redesign, reengineering, and paradigm shift.

Within our organizations and even driven by Lean Manufacturing, SIX Sigma, and TQM (Total Quality Management), we tend to evolve processes through a lens of continuous improvement. This is a strategy that indeed generates results, and the impacts of the change are smaller, making it much easier to apply with great adoption from its involved parties. However, often a given process, as it was originally designed, no longer follows the overall business evolution, and in these cases even continuous improvement will not yield the same significant results.

Redesigning a process presents itself as a solution for these situations, as we rethink the business end-to-end while maintaining fundamental concepts. This makes it necessary for us to advance and study the need for reengineering.

Reengineering impacts all levels of the business, radically transforming how functional areas should work. These two forms of transformation, redesign and reengineering, commit to changing the process and cause minor impacts on the product or service offered. In other words, even after the reengineering of an automotive process, we will still have a car as the result of the process. Perhaps in less time, eliminating waste, causing fewer environmental impacts, and improving the financial result of the company, but the final relationship with the customer will still be through the purchase of the car.

One might think that these three forms of business process transformation would be sufficient for a company’s survival in the competitive market. But often the only way out is a paradigm shift. Still analyzing the example of the automotive industry, we can conclude that a person buys a car with the ultimate goal of traveling from one destination to another. Given this need, the factory offers its customer a solution: the car. What would happen to the automotive market if Fiat stopped selling cars as a product and leased them as a service? In this model, the customer would pay a fixed monthly fee entitling them to a complete car with all safety features and key technological accessories. For the customer, this would change the way they consume the product of that brand, and for the company, it would be necessary to completely rethink its vision, mission, and values.

This happened with the mobile phone industry with the arrival of smartphones, with the music and film industry after the advent of iTunes and Netflix, and also with the transportation service through Uber. The truth is that a paradigm shift impacts first on customer habits and beliefs, and consequently, on the entire market consumption dynamics.

In conclusion, it is evident that due to ease of implementation and the impacts caused, the market initially adopts continuous improvement as the primary tool for process transformation. However, in the century we live in, we need to reverse this order, first analyzing the feasibility of a paradigm shift, moving on to reengineering, redesign, and finally, continuous improvement.

If your company cannot change market behavior, others certainly will, and you will be forced to catch up with the losses. Try Fusion Platform for 15 days and see how optimizing your company’s management can bring more results to your business.