💫🗒️ERP Systems: Microsoft Dynamics 365's Business Process Catalog (BPC) [Notes]

Disclaimer: This is work in progress intended to consolidate information from the various sources and not to provide a complete overview of all the features. Please refer to the documentation for a complete overview!

Last updated: 25-Apr-2025

Business Process Catalog - End-to-End Scenarios

[Dynamics 365] Business Process Catalog (BPC)

• {def} lists of end-to-end processes that are commonly used to manage or support work within an organization [1]
• agnostic catalog of business processes contained within the entire D365 solution space [3]
• {benefit} efficiency and time savings [3]
• {benefit} best practices [3]
• {benefit} reduced risk [3]
• {benefit} technology alignment [3]
• {benefit} scalability [3]
• {benefit} cross-industry applicability [3]
• stored in an Excel workbook
• used to organize and prioritize the work on the business process documentation [1]
• {recommendation} check the latest versions (see [R1])
• assigns unique IDs to 
• {concept} end-to-end scenario
• describe in business terms 
• not in terms of software technology
• includes the high-level products and features that map to the process [3]
• covers two or more business process areas
• {purpose} map products and features to benefits that can be understood in business contexts [3]
• {concept} business process areas
• combination of business language and basic D365 terminology [3]
• groups business processes for easier searching and navigation [1]
• separated by major job functions or departments in an organization [1]
• {purpose} map concepts to benefits that can be understood in business context [3]
• more than 90 business process areas defined [1]
• {concept} business processes
• a series of structured activities and tasks that organizations use to achieve specific goals and objectives [3]
• efficiency and productivity
• consistency and quality
• cost reduction
• risk management
• scalability
• data-driven decision-making
• a set of tasks in a sequence that is completed to achieve a specific objective [5]
• define when each step is done in the implementation [5] [3]
• define how many are needed [5] [3]
• covers a wide range of structured, often sequenced, activities or tasks to achieve a predetermined organizational goal
• can refer to the cumulative effects of all steps progressing toward a business goal
• describes a function or process that D365 supports
• more than 700 business processes identified
• {goal} provide a single entry point with links to relevant product-specific content [1]
• {concept} business process guide
• provides documentation on the structure and patterns of the process along with guidance on how to use them in a process-oriented implementation [3]
• based on a catalog of business process supported by D365 [3]
• {concept} process steps 
• represented sequentially, top to bottom
• can include hyperlinks to the product documentation [5] 
• {recommendation} avoid back and forth in the steps as much as possible [5]
• can be
• forms used in D365 [5]
• steps completed in LCS, PPAC, Azure or other Microsoft products [5]
• steps that are done outside the system (incl. third-party system) [5]
• steps that are done manually [5]
• are not 
• product documentation [5]
• a list of each click to perform a task [5]
• {concept} process states
• include
• project phase 
• e.g. strategize, initialize, develop, prepare, operate
• configuration 
• e.g. base, foundation, optional
• process type
• e.g. configuration, operational
• {concept} patterns
• repeatable configurations that support a specific business process [1]
• specific way of setting up D365 to achieve an objective [1]
• address specific challenges in implementations and are based on a specific scenario or best practice [6]
• the solution is embedded into the application [6]
• includes high-level process steps [6]
• include the most common use cases, scenarios, and industries [1]
• {goal} provide a baseline for implementations
• more than 2000 patterns, and we expect that number to grow significantly over time [1]
• {activity} naming a new pattern
• starts with a verb
• describes a process
• includes product names
• indicate the industry
• indicate AppSource products
• {concept} reference architecture 
• acts as a core architecture with a common solution that applies to many scenarios [6]
• typically used for integrations to external solutions [6]
• must include an architecture diagram [6]
• {concept} process governance
• {benefit} improved quality
• {benefit} enhanced decision making
• {benefit} agility adaptability
• {benefit{ Sbd alignment
• {goal} enhance efficiency 
• {goal} ensure compliance 
• {goal} facilitate accountability 
• {concept} policy
• {concept} procedure
• {concept} control
• {concept} scope definition
• {recommendation} avoid replicating current processes without considering future needs [4]
• {risk} replicating processes in the new system without re-evaluating and optimizing [4] 
• {impact} missed opportunities for process improvement [4]
• {recommendation} align processes with overarching business goals rather than the limitations of the current system [4]
• {concept} guidance hub
• a central landing spot for D365 guidance and tools
• contains cross-application documentations
• {purpose} provide considerations and best practices for implementation [6]
• {purpose} provide technical information for implementation [6]
• {purpose} provide link to product documentation to achieve the tasks in scope [6]

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References:

[1] Microsoft Learn (2024) Dynamics 365: Overview of end-to-end scenarios and business processes in Dynamics 365 [link]
[2] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2023) Business Process Guides - Business Process Guides [link]
[3] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance - Part 2 Introduction to Business Processes [link]

[4] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance - Part 3: Using the Business Process Catalog to Manage Project Scope and Estimation [link]

[5] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance - Part 4: Authoring Business Processes [link]

[6] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance - Part 5:  Authoring Business Processes Patterns and Use Cases [link]
[7] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance  - Part 6: Conducting Process-Centric Discovery [link]
[8] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community (2024) Business Process Catalog and Guidance  - Part 7: Introduction to Process Governance [link]

Resources:

[R1] GitHub (2024) Business Process Catalog [link]

[R2] Microsoft Learn (2024) Dynamics 365 guidance documentation and other resources [link]
[R3] Dynamics 365 Blog (2025) Process, meet product: The business process catalog for Dynamics 365 [link]

Acronyms:
3T - Tools, Techniques, Tips

ADO - 
BPC - Business Process Catalog

D365 - Dynamics 365

LCS - Lifecycle Services

PPAC - Power Platform admin center
RFI - Request for Information
RFP - Request for Proposal