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DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.15219/em104.1661

The article is in the printed version on pages 91-98.

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Sliż, P., Berniak-Woźny, J., Brzychczy, E., Gabryelczyk, R., Gdowska, K., Grzesiak, M., Napieraj, A., Podobińska-Staniec, M., Potoczek, N. R., Szelągowski, M., Senkus, P., & Kluza, K. (2024). Business Process Management education in Poland: A manifesto for academic teaching. e-mentor, 2(104), 91-98. https://doi.org/10.15219/em104.1661

E-mentor number 2 (104) / 2024

Table of contents

About the authors

Business Process Management education in Poland: A manifesto for academic teaching

Piotr Sliż, Justyna Berniak-Woźny, Edyta Brzychczy, Renata Gabryelczyk, Katarzyna Gdowska, Marzena Grzesiak, Aneta Napieraj, Marta Podobińska-Staniec, Natalia R. Potoczek, Marek Szelągowski, Piotr Senkus, Krzysztof Kluza

New trends in education

Abstract

This paper critically assesses Business Process Management (BPM) education in Poland and provides evidence-based recommendations for improvement. Through a survey of 44 BPM educators, the study evaluates BPM lifecycle coverage, IT tool utilization, and incorporation of the Six Core Elements of BPM. The findings reveal a focus on process modeling and analysis, identifying gaps in the way the entire BPM lifecycle is addressed. Despite the utilization of various IT tools, there is a notable absence of coverage for emerging topics such as process mining, AI, and Robotic Process Automation. Only 12% of courses cover all Six Core Elements of BPM, and there is a critical gap in student education, which is the underrepresentation of the People and Culture elements. The paper concludes with a manifesto for greater alignment between academic education and industry needs through comprehensive BPM curricula, dedicated software tools, and more robust coverage of the strategic and governance aspects of BPM. This will bridge the gap between academic education and real-world BPM applications, so that graduates can be better prepared for the challenges of the modern business landscape, which can enhance the quality and effectiveness of BPM education, thereby aligning it with the evolving demands of the business environment and contributing to the growth and competitiveness of organizations in Poland.

Keywords: BPM education, Business Process Management, technologies in BPM education, academic teaching, manifesto

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About the authors

Piotr Sliż

The author is an Associate Professor at the University of Gdańsk and the Head of the Management Systems Department within the Department of Organization and Management. His research interests are centered around Business Process Management (BPM) and project management.

Justyna Berniak-Woźny

The author holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from Leeds Metropolitan University and an MBA graduate from Oxford Brookes University. She specializes in sustainable development, social capital, and business process management. She has authored numerous national and international scientific publications, as well as educational and training materials in these areas. She is a certified business trainer and Project Manager (PMP, Agile PM Practitioner), attends numerous international conferences (including EURAM, BPM2022) and takes part in international research projects (COST).

Edyta Brzychczy

The author graduated with distinction in Management and Marketing in Industry at the Mining Faculty of AGH University of Krakow, Poland. Currently, she is a university professor at her alma mater and Head of the Data & Process Mining Group. Her main research interests are the modelling and optimization of industrial processes. She has authored and co-authored over one hundred publications and coordinated projects related to data mining and analytics in the mining domain. Currently, she is interested in process re-engineering based on sensor data and process mining in heavy industries.

Renata Gabryelczyk

The author holds a Ph.D., doctor habilitatus, and is an Associate Professor at the University of Warsaw. She is Head of the Department of Management and Information Technology at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw. Her academic experience includes involvement in research projects, research fellowships at several universities in Germany and Austria, and numerous publications in national and international publishers. Her research interests include business process management, performance management, facility management, and IT applications. She is a member of the program board of the Polish Certificate of BPMN at the Polish Academy of Sciences, a member of the Polish Scientific Society of Economic Informatics, a member of the Technical Committee for Facility Management of the Polish Committee for Standardization, and a member of the Polish Chapter of AIS (PLAIS). She serves as Managing Editor in the Central European Economic Journal and Senior Editor of the Information Systems Management journal.

Katarzyna Gdowska

The author holds a Ph.D.. She graduated in Management Science at the AGH University of Krakow, Poland, and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. She holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering. She works as a Researcher and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Management, AGH University. She collaborates with the Industrial Engineering and Management Centre (CEGI), INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal. She specializes in operations research and management science scheduling, especially resource planning, transport, and logistics. She is a certified academic tutor. She serves as a Managing Editor of the Decision Making in Manufacturing and Services journal.

Marzena Grzesiak

The author holds a Ph.D.. She is an Associate Professor at the University is a university professor in the group of teaching staff. She teaches subjects related to modeling, simulation, and analysis of business processes. She is in charge of the first-cycle and second-cycle degree Management program offered by the Faculty of ..(at the faculty). She is constantly focused on professional development by participating in certified training on teaching methodology and tools. Marzena Grzesiak is Project Manager (at the Gdańsk Tech level) in many international projects implemented under the INTERREG and Erasmus (+) programs.

Aneta Napieraj

The author holds a Ph.D.. She works at the Department of Economics and Industrial Management of the AGH University of Krakow. In her research, she deals with processes, their modeling and optimization, quality control, and continuous improvement. Aneta Napieraj teaches classes on Engineering and Industrial Process Management, including Design of Production Systems, Operations Research, and Prediction of Economic Phenomena.

Marta Podobińska-Staniec

The author holds a Ph.D.. She graduated in Management and Production Engineering Science from the AGH University of Krakow, Poland, and holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Production. Marta Podobińska-Staniec works as a Researcher and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University. Her main research interests are intellectual capital and optimization methods of industrial processes (Lean Management, restructuring process, process modeling).

Natalia R. Potoczek

As a professor at the Institute of Economic Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Natalia R. Potoczek conducts research at the Process and Network Analysis Laboratory. She implements projects to transfer knowledge between science, business, and the public sector. She is a member of the Program Council of the Polish BPMN certificate awarded by the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is also a professor at the Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu - National-Louis University in Nowy Sącz, where she has lectured for many years. Currently, she uses the perspective of the digital economy in research on processes, value chains, and business models.

Marek Szelągowski

The author holds a Ph.D. and is an accomplished BPM expert and practitioner with over twenty years of experience. He is the author of numerous scientific and popular science articles on process management and knowledge management as well as the monograph "Dynamic BPM in the Knowledge Economy: Creating Value from Intellectual Capital." In the AGH@BPM study, he was recognized as one of the five BPM researchers in CEE countries with the largest number of publications in reputable journals.

Piotr Senkus

The author holds a Ph.D., doctor habilitatus, and is an Associate Professor at the University is an accomplished business process management expert with over fifteen years of experience in roles such as Process Architect, BPM Consultant, and Academic Researcher. He has led complex process modeling, simulation, optimization, and reengineering projects for organizations across private, public, and non-profit sectors. His research focuses on knowledge management, business process management, sustainable systems, and process mining, resulting in multiple publications.

Krzysztof Kluza

The author holds a Ph.D. and is a member of the Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Representation (KRaKEn) research group at the AGH University of Krakow. His research focuses on the modeling and discovery of business processes and decisions in information systems. He teaches classes related to business process modeling and exploration, as well as the application of Artificial Intelligence methods.