(Get my whitepaper! Why Process-Aware BPM is Key to Health Plan IT Agility, Integration, and Transparency!)
Transparency is a hot topic in healthcare these days. Folks mostly talk about price and cost transparency (and frequently confuse the two).
since cost ≠ price, cost transparency ≠ price transparency sorry, just a pet peeve, premed Accy
— Charles Webster MD ()
There’s less conversation, if any, about process transparency, one of the most important benefits of using what academics call process-aware information systems (PAISs). I decided I needed to find a good definition and description. And this is what I came up with. I actually found it on a pretty cheesy web ad-incrusted website (take a look). I searched around to see if it’d been cribbed from elsewhere, but couldn’t find an alternative source. So, I guess they wrote it. And it’s pretty good!
Process Transparency
Process Transparency means a process’s capability of being monitored, controlled and managed by decision makers (those who control and manage the process) in the way that ensures higher process performance and increases the likelihood of successful completion. When the process is transparent, stakeholders (those who are impacted by or have an interest in the process) are better explained about the process functioning.
Transparency of a process entails more than just simplicity in monitoring, controlling and managing the process. It allows decision makers to address three important issues, such as:
- Factual Issues
- Normative Issues
- Stakeholders’ Concern
When a process is transparent, decision makers are enabled to compare actual (factual) process performance against expected (normative) performance to determine any discrepancies and then develop a corrective action plan. Meanwhile, process requirements and expectations of stakeholders will be the primary condition for such a plan. It means in case of any performance gap detected, decision makers need to create a solution that meets stakeholders’ requirements. Such a solution should also ensure that current level of process transparency remains the same.