A grey-based DEMATEL model for evaluating business process management critical success factors

Although business process management (BPM) is an important organizational practice for improving operational competitiveness of organizations, research has shown that as many as 60–80% of BPM initiatives are unsuccessful. This study provides a methodology to evaluate BPM implementation critical success factors (CSFs) that can aid project managers make proper BPM investment strategies. Through a review of the literature, eight CSFs for the successful implementation of BPM are identified. To help advance research on the implementation of BPM, this paper uses multi-site field study data with a novel grey-based DEMATEL (the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory) approach to visualize the structure of complicated causal relationships between these CSFs and obtain the influence level of these factors. The field study data uses three Chinese manufacturers as the setting. The four most important factors found in the field study, from amongst the identified CSFs, include Strategic alignment, Top management support, Project management and a Collaborative environment. We also found a number of direct and indirect relationships amongst the CSF factors. Insights into the application of the technique and results from both a research and managerial perspective are presented. Aggregate analysis for the methodology and future research directions are also introduced in the final section.