Concept Of Business Process Reengineering Research Articles

A case study of the SMEs’ organizational restructuring in Taiwan

Business process reengineering (BPR) has been widely applied in many enterprises. However, most cases have targeted large enterprises. In Taiwan, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for at least 95 per cent of all enterprises, have played an extremely important role in Taiwan’s economic growth. The question of whether those SMEs can successfully implement BPR in order to strengthen their management structure is an important issue. Undertakes a detailed case study of an SME whose profits had fallen dramatically and which successfully implemented organizational restructuring (OR). Discovers that, although the SME in question did not make use of information technology to achieve the goal of organizational restructuring, by adopting use of BPR concepts and methods it achieved its goal of transformation. The model used for the implementation procedure of OR should provide a useful reference for other SMEs in Taiwan seeking to achieve perpetual operation, because most SMEs will eventually encounter similar problems.

Business process reengineering: a survey of international experience

Despite the widespread adoption of business process re‐engineering (BPR), it has in many cases repeatedly failed to deliver its promised results. The lack of integrated implementation approach to exploiting BPR is seen as one of the important reasons amongst others, behind BPR failures. Yet, a relative void in the literature remains the scarcity of suitable models and frameworks that address the implementation issues surrounding BPR. This motivates the presented study to attempt to provide a “frame of reference” with which current practices can be re‐positioned. A survey was therefore designed to collect data from a sample of organizations in the USA and Europe. The survey assesses the level of importance placed on the essential elements of integrated BPR implementation. In doing so, the study was also able to identify the level of maturity of BPR concepts within organisations. Empirical findings are then discussed in the context of other studies.

The applications of flexible manufacturing technologies in business process reengineering

Through radical redesign of business processes and systems, policies, and organizational structures, the business process reengineering (BPR) effort was initiated in the manufacturing industry to seek performance breakthroughs. This paper describes a novel approach to the BPR, which applies flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) design and analysis technologies, such as simulation, multicriteria decision support, and artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies are integrated to design and analyze specific FMS models related to the proposed technical and managerial changes in an industrial case. First, the literature is reviewed to obtain an understanding of the BPR concept and the role of FMS design and analysis in BPR. Second, a decision-making support system is developed to illustrate how the FMS design and analysis would affect BPR. Finally, a summary of the integrated approach practice in industry and conclusions are presented. The paper shows that the key to a successful BPR approach is the identification and analysis of specific proposed models. It also demonstrates that the integrated approach enables engineers to improve the efficiency of BPR.

Revisiting BPR: a holistic review of practice and development

This paper presents a holistic review of the literature related to business process re‐engineering (BPR). It reviews some definitions of BPR and clarifies confusion around its concepts, traces the evolution of BPR and identifies its main drivers, and discusses issues of integrating BPR with TQM, benchmarking and change management. It then provides a strategic view of BPR implementation, conceptualises the major role of IT in BPR, reviews BPR approaches, methodologies, techniques and software tools, and discusses the scope of BPR and level of radicalness as indicators of degree of change. Aspects of improving business through BPR and the impacts of IT‐enabled change on organisations are identified and, finally, current and future development of BPR concepts and practice are also reviewed.

A paradigm for ERP and BPR integration

In order to sustain a competitive edge in this global manufacturing era, enterprises need to adopt appropriate improvement schemes. Two widely-used tools have been Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR). ERP is identified as the most applicable information system for the modern manufacturing industry. In addition, many BPR practitioners have identified the use of information technology (IT) as a critical factor for the success of BPR. Nevertheless, research into IT for BPR and hence ERP is limited. One of the major reasons why the ERP system has not been implemented successfully is the inappropriate use of design and implementation methodology employing the modern BPR concept. Accordingly, in this paper, the authors propose a conceptual model called the Hierarchical Design Pyramid (HDP), to implement ERP under an enterprise re-engineering (BPR) context, using an integrated structured and object-oriented tool to design a novel manufacturing system in a total quality environment. The proposed model aims to provide a basis for manufacturers to implement ERP in a systematic manner.

Business process re-engineering: Learning from organizational experience

Since the early 1990s, there has been an organizational race to implement business process re-engineering (BPR). Many BPR methodologies and variations have been proposed by both academicians and practitioners, but a close look at the concept of BPR emerged from observing the practices of highly successful organizations in the 1980s and early 1990s. Thus, to understand truly BPR one has to learn from the world of organizational experience. It is vital to look at what others have done, their feedback, mistakes, results and overall approach to re-engineering. This paper provides a critical review of 79 case studies from the re-engineering literature. It introduces a review of a wide spectrum of case studies, studying the various approaches, methodologies and tools applied to assess the applicability of BPR concepts universally, the applicability within different organizational types and sectors, the actual results achieved, and the critical success factors and major challenges from the viewpoint of practitioners.

A critical examination of the business process re‐engineering phenomenon

Few other managerial innovations have become popular as quickly as has business process reengineering (BPR); however, probably no other innovation has been interpreted in so many different ways either. This paper seeks to discover whether there is a conceptual core which both identifies and differentiates BPR from other practices adopted for organizational change and, also, what value it may really have. After illustrating how the concept of BPR, which was initially elaborated in the context of strategic management of information technology, has been ably reconstructed and transformed into the managerial revolution of the 1990s, this paper goes on to show how this reconstructed BPR cannot be considered to be an innovative and distinct approach to organizational change. Furthermore, it will be highlighted how BPR has served to spread a simplistic and Utopian vision of organizations and of organizational change, and how this requires careful reflection and re‐assessment of management fads.

Synergy Between Business Process and Systems Reengineering

Business process reengineering (BPR) and systems reengineering (SR) often are implemented separately, in an uncoordinated fashion. Yet practitioners realize that BPR can be informed by SR and that SR can benefit from the application of BPR concepts. This article presents an integrated BPR and SR model that exploits the synergy of integrated BDR and SR. the model has been applied successfully in practice and shows how to tailor this model to meet each organization's situation.

Combining Business Process Reengineering Concepts and Object-Oriented Technology for Effective Organizational Design

Today's business world is facing a plethora of managerial and technological changes beyond the capacity of any firm to control and absorb them. Customer satisfaction, development of new products, and introduction of new technologies are well-known driving forces, but their fast mutation and turmoil are making them unpredictable. Business process reengineering (BPR) is considered the most disruptive approach for designing organizations that can thrive in this turbulent environment. Although there is an increasing number of experiences that testify to its positive results, at present it is used mainly in large companies, and small and medium firms consider it as a risky and expensive activity. Within this framework, this article discusses a methodology for designing and implementing BPR, developed to overcome most of the limits that still bind its diffusion. This methodology supports firms in embedding reengineered processes knowledge owned by organizational units and in integrating available software and hardware, The focus of this article is on linking business and software modeling to allow the development of ad hoc new business processes while reducing risk of wasting time and money for useless requirements or for stiff solutions. The proposed methodology, starting from organizational requirements derived from business modeling, supports the analysis of costs, lead time, and quality or completeness trade-off of developed solutions. The phases of the methodology are discussed in detail together with an application example and results obtained from existing successful applications.

Workplace analysis and business process re- engineering: Railway Control Centres

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in Hong Kong is presently responsible for the safe and efficient transportation of large volumes of people. It is one of the very few mass transit railway operators in the world which can be operated without requiring financial subsidy from the government. In the year 2003, KCRC will open a new 30 kilometer railway that will connect Hong Kong with the northern western suburban New Territories, namely the West Rail (WR) Phase I. Railway monitoring and control functions will be performed via a centralized remote control centre supported by a number of smaller control rooms located in stations and depot. The new control centres will be designed and built to support the new railway operations. In creating each new control centre, it is essential to consider to means to reduce operator error and to enhance the manmachine interface. This paper reviews the techniques used to conceptualise the processes in each control centre given that none of it exists today. These modeling techniques make it possible to understand the interaction between the operators and the proposed control and communications systems to enable decisions on staffing levels, ergonomics and other facilities to be assessed and determined. The approach adopted is in line with the modern concept of Business Process Reengineering. Normal and emergency operational considerations are also modeled to formulate an accurate representation of the working environment. Based heavily on the systematic methodology adopted by human factors experts, the method has proved very useful in completing the conceptual design for all the operations control centres in the new KCRC West Rail project.

Hitch‐hiking on a hype: Dutch consultants engineering re‐engineering

Business process re‐engineering (BPR) is described as a management fashion. Manage‐ment fashions are introduced on the market for management knowledge by fashion‐setters, who are often consultants. Characteristic for management fashions are multi‐interpretability and promises of performance improvements. The demand for and supply of management fashions is constituted in iterative cycles. By drawing on primary and secondary data, we show how Dutch consultants handle the management fashion BPR. They tend to be highly pragmatic in using this fashionable label. In close interaction with clients, elements of the original BPR concept are dropped and notions of other concepts are included in what are called “BPR‐projects”. The label “BPR” is used for commercial reasons, yet it is easily decoupled from the original concepts and coupled to notions of other concepts. The consequences of these findings for the current literature on management fashions are discussed.

Scoping study on business process reengineering: Towards successful IT application

Findings of a UK study of business process reengineering (BPR) practice are reported. They show that seldom have BPR concepts been adopted in the manner defined by theoreticians. rather, following consultation with management consultants, systems integrators, system vendors and end-user manufacturers, a number of major barriers were identified. The study found general agreement that project timescales need to be significantly reduced. There was also general agreement that BPR needs to be achieved through conceptualizing holistically, whilst acting incrementally. Finally a BPR research agenda was identified.

Enterprises' Perceptions on Business Process Re-engineering: a Path Analytic Model

While the concept of Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) is appealing, outcomes have varied with many reported failures. Consequently, advocates of BPR have begun emphasizing the social aspect of implementing this strategy. In this study, we present a path analytic model of enterprises' perceptions about BPR from the perspectives of organizational structures and competitive environments. Questionnaires addressing the above concerns were sent to the Presidents of the 600 largest enterprises in Taiwan. Survey respondents generally contend that it is easier to rethink than to redesign. The intention of BPR appears to rely heavily (82%) on the supportive attitude and perceived usefulness of BPR. The supportive attitude (57%) appears to be predicted by perceived usefulness. Notably, the perceived ease of BPR has no direct effect on either supportive attitude or BPR's intention. This finding suggests that enterprises should encourage employees to believe that BPR is useful rather than simply to persuade them of its feasibility or ease. However, removing barriers that would allow enterprises to believe that BPR is easy would have direct effects on its perceived usefulness and, subsequently, indirect effects on employees supportive attitude and BPR's intention.

Business process re-engineering concepts and tools effectiveness: a survey of practitioners

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) has been embraced by business organizations as an approach to implement and manage change. Managers are being trained to apply several concepts and techniques to successfully manage the change process. However, there is little empirical evidence to support claims of the effectiveness of concepts and techniques in practice. This paper reports results of a survey conducted to assess the perceived effectiveness of BPR concepts and tools among business practitioners. The survey also gathered data on demographic variables to investigate relationships between the nature of work and the duration of experience with the perceptions of BPR concepts and tools. The results indicate that surveyed practitioners perceived BPR concepts and tools as effective. Practitioners in financial and manufacturing fields of business in particular found benchmarking and use of customer data as effective techniques in BPR implementation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and Cornwallis Emmanuel Ltd.

Business Process Reengineering for Small Building Products Manufacturer

This paper reports on a project that applied the very popular concept of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) to systemize the operations of a small manufacturing company based in Hong Kong that makes building products. With the help of a facilitator, the company management chose to reorganize customer liaison activities and over several weekends defined the new process and performance targets. Implementing the new process resulted in significant performance gains demonstrating the value of BPR. Nonetheless, the typical BPR approach had to be significantly adapted and simplified to be useful in this small company situation.

What’s in the basket? A survey on integrated management through BPR and TQM

Presents evidence from a survey conducted in four industrial sectors (health care, public, service and manufacturing), in order to: ascertain the level of understanding, usage and also the degree of effectiveness of the business process re‐engineering (BPR) concept in all the sectors concerned; and check the degree of compatibility and synergy between BPR and other concepts such as total quality management (TQM), self‐assessment and benchmarking, in providing an integrated approach to effective management. In total, 65 responses were obtained, giving a response rate of 13 per cent across the four sectors concerned. Discusses some of the key findings which emerged from the study and some conclusions and implications.

Empirically assessing the impact of business process reengineering on manufacturing firms

While the BPR (Business Process Reengineering) concept is conceptually appealing, in pratice there are many unsuccessful cases. This study aimed to exhaustively identify and rate: the importance of factors proposed as important for successfully implementing BPR projects in organizations; the extent to which various problems and benefits are being encountered; the extent to which proposed BPR objectives are being included in project plans and are actually being derived; and the impact of BPR projects on specific business processes and on the organization as a whole. Several basic hypotheses regarding the BPR implementation process were tested. Last, based on the results, recommendations are made for managers to focus attention and resources on factors important to success, and to proceed in a fashion which minimizes the risk of failure. In general, organizations are not emphasizing some of the most important activies and tasks recommended in the BPR literature, such as changes to customer/market related business processes, the value-added element of every business activity, and others. On the average, the most commonly encountered problems while implementing BPR seem to be very difficult to address in pratice: making business mistakes under pressure to produce quick results, implementation difficulties due to communication barriers between company sub-units, the unexpected size of the required BPR effort, its disruption to business operations, and others. Based on the findings as a whole, it behooves top managers to engage in BPR projects only as a controlled experiment to strategically reposition the organization.

Interpreting Business Process Re-Engineering on Organization Work Flow

The advent and growth of recent discussion on business process re-engineering (BPR) has been accompanied by its increasing application to a myriad of research areas and approaches. This paper examines its tenets using sociological and organizational paradigms and investigates its significance for software geared to enhancing coordinative and cooperative working methods and relationships within organizations. By taking the experience of implementors of such software and using a grounded and interpretive approach, initial conclusions suggest that BPR concepts have an impact for large scale and highly structured working activities but seems to have an interestingly inverse relationship with information-oriented cooperative and user-enhanceable approaches to process coordination and improvement. Taking these themes, this paper outlines some conceptual interpretations and theoretical managerial considerations for cooperative/coordinative and process work flow implementations.

Interpreting business process re-engineering on organization work flow

The advent and growth of recent discussion on business process re-engineering (BPR) has been accompanied by its increasing application to a myriad of research areas and approaches. This paper examines its tenets using sociological and organizational paradigms and investigates its significance for software geared to enhancing coordinative and cooperative working methods and relationships within organizations. By taking the experience of implementors of such software and using a grounded and interpretive approach, initial conclusions suggest that BPR concepts have an impact for large scale and highly structured working activities but seems to have an interestingly inverse relationship with information-oriented cooperative and user-enhanceable approaches to process coordination and improvement. Taking these themes, this paper outlines some conceptual interpretations and theoretical managerial considerations for cooperative/coordinative and process work flow implementations.

The U.S. patent and trademark office: A case study in business process reengineering

In spite of Vice President Al Gore's initiative, few federal government agencies have actively embraced the concept of business process reengineering. One notable exception is the Patent and Trademark Office of the Department of Commerce. Already one of the best managed agencies in the federal government, the PTO is revamping the application process for both patents and trademarks and expects to save lens of millions of dollars every year once the redesigned systems are fully implemented. The new processes will take full advantage of electronic technology to achieve huge reductions in labor and printing costs, as well as allow innovative and flexible management techniques such as work-at-home programs. Responsibility and authority will be concentrated in fewer employees through job enrichment and restructuring, and the level of service provided to PTO's customers will improve. The redesigned trademark application process also will meet up coming international trademark requirements.