Process with Purpose: Building an Enterprise Business Process Analysis Team

Have you ever launched a major technology project, only to discover that the underlying business process was broken? Many higher education IT departments are consistently tasked with implementing enterprise software to solve deeply rooted operational inefficiencies. This often results in heavy customizations, ballooning budgets, and frustrated end users. To combat this, we expanded our traditional Project Management Office into a holistic department of Planning, Projects, and Process Strategy by building a Business Process Analysis (BPA) team from the ground up. In this session, we will explore why we needed a dedicated BPA function to serve as neutral facilitators across the institution. We will share how we structured the team, secured executive buy-in, and established our standard operating procedures—from intake and statements of work to producing actionable Business Process Requirements Documents (BPRDs). Finally, we will provide a portfolio overview of our first year, highlighting how our embedded analysts successfully supported 18 cross-functional initiatives across academic and administrative divisions. Attendees will learn how prioritizing process over technology clarifies scope, breaks down departmental silos, and drastically reduces implementation risks before any software is procured.