International business reengineering: a view from the receiving end

Abstract

The author has worked recently with clients on the IT aspects of their business process reengineering (BPR) projects and has experienced BPR from the ‘receiving end’ when the organisation in which he is employed was outsourced from one multi-national company to another. Such comprehensive boundary changes are driven by the need to reengineer business processes within the companies involved. Traditional methods of business are seen as failing because the world has changed since they were designed. Modern technology, particularly IT, and the disappearance of regional and national boundaries between markets are major factors that have changed. The ever-quickening pace of change also serves to stimulate the restructuring of business into teams focused on core processes. This paper outlines the basic principles of BPR and relates them, using practical examples, to the implications for analytical services organisations and IT operations, particularly within manufacturing industries. Some general conclusions are drawn about the future position of LIMS within the corporate information systems architecture.