Business Process Owner Role Description: The Business Process Owner (BPO) is responsible for the end-to-end oversight, design,
and implementation of a specific business process as it relates to the design, planning,
and execution of a project. This role ensures that any changes to the business process
related to the project are aligned with organizational goals, comply with relevant
policies, and support the achievement of business objectives.
Role Criteria: Must be a full-time employee with deep knowledge of the relevant business process
and its intersections with other departmental processes and other business process
owners. Holds decision-making authority for process changes or has access and influence
to engage department leadership in a timely manner regarding approval of process changes.
Responsibilities:
- Process Design & Optimization:
- Describe and explain current operational business processes, including business rules,
pain points, time requirements, common errors, staffing needs, evaluation metrics,
and tools used.
- Lead business process redesign efforts proposed by the project to improve efficiency
and effectiveness, meet compliance needs, or support optimization goals, and document
expected impacts of proposed process or technology changes.
- Compliance:
- Ensure all processes adhere to University, USG, and other applicable policies, internal
or departmental guidelines, and regulations.
- Team Support:
- Identifying all stakeholders that will need to be trained to effectively manage and
execute the new process.
- Ensuring all stakeholders have the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability to manage
the process.
- Active Engagement:
- Actively participate in all project meetings and contribute subject matter expertise
regarding business processes.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams and departments where business processes or
operations intersect.
- Serve as the primary contact for questions or coordination for business processes.
- Scope and Requirements Definition:
- Participates in the development of business requirements (list of things, general
or specific, that the product must be able to do to meet operational needs).
- Works closely with the Project Sponsor and Business Process Owners to ensure that operational requirements are accurately reflected in the project scope—what will be delivered, why it matters, and how success will be measured.
- Must use strategic thinking and have a strong understanding of business goals to ensure
alignment between project deliverables and operational outcomes.
- Testing:
- Creates test plans related to business processes.
- Participates in functional testing (making sure the product works)- adhering to a
formalized testing plan.
- Provides timely feedback and report issues found using the prescribed method.
- Provides approval that functional requirements have been met.
- Work with project leadership to validate participants and appropriate user roles.
- Documentation & Standards:
- Provide and maintain comprehensive process documentation, including process maps,
SOPs, work instructions, support materials, and defined roles and responsibilities.
- Monitoring & Evaluation:
- Define meaningful metrics to assess process performance and related data necessary
for effective measures.
- Gather and analyze baseline and post-change data to evaluate process changes and inform
future technology requests.
