Business Process Management in the Digital Transformation of Higher Education Institutions

The current demands in industry 4.0 as the automatization of business processes propel Digital Transformation. Higher Education Institutions are not exempt from these demands. In this context, Business Process Management promotes such transformation. Higher Education Institutions know the importance of processes and technology in their institutions; however, it faces challenges in managing them. This is particularly observable in the Latin-American Higher Education Institutions due to the management models in many cases are not documented. Thus, this research suggests that support mechanisms in the use of Business Process Management as a conductor of Digital Transformation are necessary. This research aims to provide orientation to managers of Higher Education Institutions about the use of Business Process Management as a conductor of Digital Transformation. This paper presents an approach that mixes features of Business Process Management with elements of Higher Education Institutions. The applicability of this approach is illustrated through a case study. This paper used participatory action research framed in an initiative of the Digital Transformation project of the Salesian Polytechnic University in Ecuador. The results show the potential of this proposal as a support element for Business Process Management uses in the Digital Transformation context of Higher Education Institutions. The main advantage of this approach is the opportunity to have an overview, organized, and unified process activities.