Business process management for SMEs: an exploratory study of implementation factors for the Australian wine industry

Gartner EXPPremier (2005) identified Business Process Management (BPM) as the number one business priority and building Business Process Capability as a major challenge for senior executives within the coming years. The focus of BPM in practice and related research has been its application in large organisations. The general value proposition of BPM, however, is also of significance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs within the wine industry have only recently begun to apply BPM principles to their business. The main motivating factors for this business improvement effort is a need to cope with consolidation trends and the global grape glut, which are forcing wine businesses to increase operational efficiency. The wine industry has been selected as a case study for this research not only due to its local significance, its growth driven by globalisation and its contribution to the economy, but also the relative immaturity in terms of establishing concepts of a process-oriented organisation. This study aims to explore and structure the major issues of BPM adoption and implementation as the first such research initiative for SMEs in the wine industry. The research was conducted in Western Australia and involved qualitative data collection including interviews and content analysis of existing documentation. The study shows that the lack of financial resources, time, and knowledge of BPM are the major factors inhibiting BPM implementation for SMEs in the Australian wine industry.