From Red Tape to Innovation Engine: How This CEO Is Disrupting Business Process Management

Show Notes: From Red Tape to Innovation Engine with Liam O'Neill

Ever heard someone say "business process management" and immediately think of soul-crushing bureaucracy? Yeah, so did we. That's exactly why this conversation with Liam O'Neill blew our minds.

Liam runs bpmd, a London-based consultancy that's doing something wild—they're making processes actually ACCELERATE innovation instead of killing it. And they're doing it for massive brands like Lego, BBC, and Sony. How? That's what we dive into.

The Guy Who Hates Process Consultants (Including Himself)

Right off the bat, Liam admits something most consultants would never say: traditional BPM is broken. He spent years creating those beautiful process models that looked great in presentations but collected dust in real life. Then he had an epiphany—what if processes could actually help businesses move faster instead of slower?

The turning point came when he watched a logistics company transformation completely stall for six months because of handoff failures between teams. That's when he decided to blow up the traditional consulting model.

Wait, You Can Use Agile for... Business Processes?

Here's where it gets interesting. Liam took the Scaled Agile Framework (you know, that thing software teams use) and completely reimagined it for business transformation. But here's the kicker—he had to throw out half the terminology because business people had no clue what "user stories" and "backlogs" meant.

Instead of product owners, they have change owners. Instead of user stories, they call them projects. Simple, right? But this small change unlocked something powerful—suddenly business stakeholders were actually engaged instead of confused.

The Revolutionary Idea That's Not Actually Revolutionary

The concept that's driving everything? Process ownership. Not the fake kind where someone signs off on documentation, but real accountability where people's performance reviews depend on how well their processes actually work.

One client has 600 different processes, each with a specific owner whose job literally depends on that process performing well. Imagine that—your accounts receivable lead's bonus tied to how smoothly accounts receivable actually runs. Wild concept, right?

Why SAP Spent Billions on a Process Tool

Remember when SAP bought Signavio for a crazy amount of money? Liam explains why: they realized their implementations were becoming Frankenstein monsters of customization because they weren't starting with business processes. Instead of asking "what do you want the system to do," they're now asking "how do you want to work?"

It's a subtle shift that saves companies millions and actually delivers the ROI they promised their boards.

The 35% Growth Secret (That Nobody Talks About)

Most consultancies create dependency. They want you to need them forever. Liam's doing the opposite—he's literally teaching his clients to not need him. And somehow, this approach is growing his business 35% year over year.

The secret? Instead of selling small, isolated projects, he's positioning BPM as the thing that brings together all your change makers—data teams, PMOs, enterprise architects, everyone. Suddenly, you're not buying process consulting; you're buying organizational transformation capability.

AI Will Make Me Obsolete (And I'm Okay With That)

In one of the most honest takes we've heard, Liam predicts AI will eventually make business process consultants obsolete. But not yet. Right now, you need human understanding to implement AI effectively. He's even experimenting with a tool called Lovable that builds systems from process descriptions.

His take? Short-term, consultants become more valuable. Long-term? Who knows what work will even look like.

The Lightning Round That Got Real

• Favorite drink: Builder's tea (basically brown water with milk—very British)
• Rugby vs. consulting strategy: Consulting wins because in rugby he was just "the fat child who runs in a straight line"
• Best leadership lesson: Slow down when everything's chaotic
• Life update: Became a director, got engaged, had a baby, bought a house, all during a pandemic. Casual.

Why This Matters for You

Whether you're drowning in broken processes, leading a digital transformation, or just trying to make your organization move faster, this conversation is packed with ideas you can actually use.

Liam's not selling magic consulting frameworks—he's sharing what actually works when you strip away the BS and focus on getting things done.

Want to Pick Liam's Brain?

He's surprisingly accessible on LinkedIn (posts 2-3 times a week) and genuinely seems to enjoy helping people figure out their process challenges. Just search for Liam O'Neill or bpmd.

Fair warning: if you reach out, come with specific questions. This guy clearly doesn't have patience for vague "let's chat about synergies" messages.

Subscribe if you want more conversations that challenge conventional business wisdom. Next week, we're exploring how AI is quietly revolutionizing traditional industries.

P.S. - If you've got horror stories about failed digital transformations or process initiatives, we want to hear them. Drop us a line.