Choosing the right business process maturity model

Business processes (e.g. supply chains) are at the heart of organisations by describing their way of working. Globalisation, higher competitiveness, more demanding customers, growing IT possibilities, etc.; all those challenges put pressure on organisations to perform better, and thus to obtain mature (or excellent) business processes. Consequently, many business process maturity models (BPMMs) exist to gradually assess and improve business processes. Although their aim is to assist organisations, their proliferation also confuses organisations. Organisations have no overview of existing BPMMs and their differences, which makes an informed choice (i.e. conform to decision-making theories) difficult. Therefore, this article elaborates on decision criteria to choose a BPMM that fits organisational needs. Particularly, an online decision tool (called ‘BPMM Smart-Selector’) was built and tested. 14 decision criteria were identified by a content analysis on a large sample (N=69 BPMMs) and an international Delphi study (N=22 experts). They were weighed by using the Analytical Hierarchy Process, and summarised in a decision table. Thoroughly considering BPMM selection pays off by saving money and efforts afterwards. Consequently, the BPMM Smart- Selector is paramount for managers trying to excel, and for scholars applying BPMMs in their research. Besides tool development, this article intends to build a theory (i.e. a design process or methodology) for building BPMM decision tools.