Business Management Glossary

International association responsible for publishing the BPM CBOK, the main reference guide for the business process management discipline.

The process by which a competent institution or body attests to the technical competence of a company to provide a service or supply a product.

Element that represents a unit of work performed by people or systems. In BPMN, it can be a simple task or a subprocess, represented by a rounded rectangle.

Representation of the process in its current state, before any improvement intervention. Contrasts with the To-Be model, which describes the desired future state.

A procedure conducted to assess the conformity of activities with standards and regulations.

A comparative study between generic drugs and their brand-name equivalents.

Point in the process where the flow is slowed down by insufficient capacity, queues, or dependencies. Eliminating bottlenecks is one of the main objectives of process analysis in BPM.

Continuous and strategic approach to define, execute, monitor, and optimize an organization's processes end-to-end, combining people, technology, and methods.

Business Process Management Common Body of Knowledge. Guide published by the ABPMP that consolidates the essential body of knowledge for the professional practice of BPM.

Phases that make up continuous process management: planning, analysis, modeling, implementation, monitoring, and refinement. Represents the iterative nature of the discipline.

International graphical standard maintained by the OMG for representing processes with standardized symbols. The current version is BPMN 2.0.

Software that allows modeling, executing, automating, monitoring, and optimizing business processes. It is the technological layer that enables BPM practice in organizations.

Automated execution strategy for tasks in a closed cycle of modeling, execution, and measurement; it is the operational layer of what BPM defines.

Statement that defines or constrains an aspect of the process, such as approval conditions or deadlines. Guides automated decisions within the execution flow.

Certification issued by the ABPMP that validates competencies in process management. It is the main certification in the BPM area recognized in the global market.

A collection of international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice aimed at promoting food safety, protecting consumer health, and facilitating international food trade by ensuring the harmonization of food regulations and standards worldwide.

A drug registration dossier for regulatory submission.

Any undesirable substance present in food as a result of environmental contamination or equipment used in food processing and/or preservation.

A continuous improvement process focused on Lean Manufacturing, aiming to reduce costs and enhance processes and services.

Repairs performed after failures occur.

Interactive visual panel with real-time process performance indicators. Allows managers to track instances, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions.

OMG standard for business decision modeling. Compliments BPMN by visually representing decision rules (such as decision tables) that govern process behavior.

A digital system used to record, track, and manage information generated during batch manufacturing, including materials, equipment, operators, process parameters, quality controls, and deviations. EBR replaces paper-based records, improving traceability, data integrity, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Strategies and technologies to capture, store, and distribute documents related to processes. Frequently integrated with BPMS solutions.

System for capturing, organizing, and retrieving digital documents. Integrated with BPM so that documents are automatically attached and archived during execution.

Integrated business management system. In BPM, it is integrated into the BPMS so that automated processes can read and write data in modules such as finance, inventory, and HR.

An occurrence that affects the flow of a process. Can be start, intermediate, or end events, represented by circles in BPMN.

A preventive methodology that identifies and evaluates potential failures in processes, products, or systems before they occur.

FDA regulation on electronic records and electronic signatures.

'First Expired, First Out' inventory management method, where products with the nearest expiration date are used first.

Any substance or combination of substances, whether solid, liquid, pasty, or in another appropriate form, intended to provide the human body with the necessary elements for its formation, maintenance, and development.

Ingredients added in small quantities to food during processing. They modify or preserve physical, chemical, biological, or sensory properties (color, shine, odor, taste, and texture).

Element that represents decision, merging, or branching points in the flow. Controls how the process splits (parallel or exclusive) or converges. Represented by diamonds in BPMN.

Coordination of all processes involved in product production and delivery.

Transfer of an activity or responsibility between participants in a process. Poorly managed handoffs are a frequent source of delays and loss of information.

The agency responsible for overseeing and controlling products and services that impact public health.

Any substance used in the manufacture or preparation of food and that remains in the final product, even if modified. Includes food additives.

International standard for quality management systems.

Monitoring adverse effects and drug safety.

Study of a process to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and opportunities for improvement. Central stage of the BPM lifecycle, executed after mapping the current state.

Hierarchical structure that organizes an organization's processes into levels (macroprocesses, processes, subprocesses), creating a view of how processes relate to each other.

Measure of a process's ability to produce results within specified limits. Evaluates whether the process is predictable, stable, and capable of meeting defined requirements.

Degree to which the actual execution of a process follows the modeled flow. Measured by Process Mining tools. Indicates deviations that require correction or redesign.

Mechanisms that ensure process execution as modeled, within expected parameters. Includes alerts, escalations, and monitoring dashboards.

Stage of the BPM lifecycle where the future process is designed based on opportunities identified in the As-Is analysis, defining how it should work in an optimized way.

Relationship between delivered results and consumed resources. Efficient processes produce expected results with the least waste of time, effort, and cost.

Deviation from the standard flow of a process. Exception handling ensures that atypical cases are managed in a controlled manner, without compromising the main process.

Logical sequence of activities, decisions, and events that make up a process. In BPMN, the Sequence Flow indicates the execution order of activities.

Digital interface for data collection and user interaction with a running process instance. Configured in the BPMS for each human activity of the process.

Policies, roles, and control mechanisms that guide how processes are defined, managed, and improved. Ensures strategic alignment and consistency in execution.

Individual execution of a process. Each instance has its own history, data, and status—created every time a process is started.

Formally responsible for the performance and continuous improvement of an end-to-end process. Strategic role in BPM, acting as the main accountable person for the process's success.

The stages a product goes through, from conception to market discontinuation.

Ability of a process or BPMS platform to grow in volume without loss of performance. Scalable processes are standardized and replicable.

Set of strategic activities that an organization performs to deliver value to the customer (Michael Porter's concept). In BPM, it is a reference for identifying which processes are critical to the business.

Technique that classifies each process step into: adds value to the customer, adds value to the business, or is waste. Serves as the basis for optimization initiatives.

Set of sequential steps that define who does what, when, and in what order. It is the operational representation of a process modeled in BPM.

Council for the harmonization of technical requirements for pharmaceuticals for human use.