Reengineering of materials management system: A case study

A business process reengineering (BPR) project relating to the materials management function of a cement manufacturing plant is presented in this paper. The BPR project evolved out of an organisation development (OD) intervention initiative. Such an intervention aimed at improving value innovation capability of materials management professionals of a large cement manufacturing plant in India. The proposition here is that the value metrics relate to inside-in value innovations in order to deliver inside-out value to the customers in the face of fierce competition in Indian Cement industry. Materials of all types used in a cement plant constitute 60–70% of the total cost and hence the effective operations of procurement and inventory are the critical success factors for strategic value innovations and thereby competitiveness. The primary emphasis in this project was on learning and implementation, by creating an urgency for instilling responsible leadership and building organic partnership through knowledge networking.     

Empirically testing ES success factors in business process reengineering

Previously proposed success factors for Expert Systems implementation are field tested in the context of business process reengineering (BPR) projects. Due to its nature mimicking human expert behavior, ES technology applications in BPR provide a unique opportunity to study major organization changes within a relatively short time. Using Pearson correlations and multivariate regression analysis, eight ES implementation success factors proposed in the literature were empirically tested in this study in terms of their importance to the BPR benefits derived from the application. Sixty-two ES applications within E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company dealing with business process changes significant enough to be called BPR were used. Despite the relatively small sample size, six of the eight success factors were corroborated: user satisfaction with the ES, the importance and difficulty of the business problem addressed, user attitudes toward ES technology and the particular ES project, the degree of user involvement in the ES implementation process, and the ES developer(s) skills.     

Business process reengineering of an air cargo handling process

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is one of the most recent innovations in industrial engineering and management science which represents the rapid and radical redesign of strategic, value-added processes and the system, policies and organizational structures that support them to optimize the work flows and productivity of an organization. This paper presents a BPR effort and programme of an air cargo handling process at an international airport. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the performance breakthrough of a BPR technique to achieve dramatic improvements in critical measures of contemporary performance with respect to quality service and speed in the airlines cargo handling process. Field data on service dimensions of the process have been collected choosing time as metric. Process-flow diagrams, process analysis worksheets and data summary charts are prepared as effective tools to get a thorough understanding of the existing process with a view to focus on the possible areas of improvements. A fact-based defensible and quantifiable “Before–after chart” of BPR has been presented for documenting the expected gains. BPR has proved to be a modern innovative useful industrial engineering and management technique to achieve dramatic improvement in operational efficiencies for quality services of the airlines cargo handling processes.     

Knowing the price of everything? Exploring the impact of increased procurement professional involvement on management consultancy purchasing

Much of the estimated $554 billion annual expenditure on management consultancy services is accounted for by projects with a direct link to client profitability. As such, it is critical for clients (and arguably the wider economy) that the purchase process for such services is managed effectively. For many within the management consultancy literature, this requires close, bilateral buy-side service end-user/supplier engagement. In recent years, however, this bilateral engagement has been modified by a significant increase in procurement professional involvement. This has caused concern within the management consultancy literature as it is believed it will inevitably lead to a cost-focused approach that disrupts close end-user/supplier engagement and causes sub-standard service outcomes. In this paper, we explore, via qualitative research, whether this concern is justified. In the event, the analysis suggested partial justification. However, examples of positive procurement involvement were also reported, suggesting that existing models and assumptions within the management consultancy literature regarding the impact of increased procurement involvement require modification.     

A conceptual and analytical framework for business process reengineering

BPR has become a hot buzzword in management and information systems disciplines. However, there is a lacuna in recognizing the characteristics and the way of performing BPR. In this paper, we categorize the reasons for BPR failure as the lack of understanding of and the inability to perform BPR, and we reviewed BPR based on the four key concepts: fundamental, radical, dramatic, and process. We argue that SSM can be applied in performing BPR in the following ways:

1. (1) SSM can be a general methodology for BPR,

2. (2) SSM can be an analytical framework for BPR, and

3. (3) SSM is able to deal with the ill-defined and complex business situation in a BPR effort.

To illustrate the applicability of SSM in the context of BPR, we describe a live case of a BPR effort in developing and implementing an image processing system for hospital ward ordering. Finally, in order to demonstrate the power of SSM, by extending SSM considerations of What/How, we elaborate further on the What's and How's conceptual framework of an analysis and redesign effort. Based on this framework, we review the roles of information technologies in BPR.     

企业成功实施管理流程再造实务研究

文章讨论了管理流程再造的含义、发展状况，并通过福特公司一个流程再造、压缩管理人员的实例分析来说明流程再造并非大型企业的专利，中小企业也同样可以成功实施流程再造。     

Process reengineering: A review of enablers

In an attempt to improve productivity, performance and overall competitiveness in both domestic and global markets, organisations have realised that there is a need to reform their business practices and become more customer focused. Consequently, these organisations have recognised the need for organisational change, but do not necessarily know how and what to change, to achieve improvements in productivity and performance. Process reengineering has been described as the elixir for achieving dramatic improvements in production time and cost. Process reengineering is not about fixing current processes, but rebuilding them, with the aim of process improvement. This paper will explain what is meant by process reengineering and suggests that before an organisation attempts to process reengineer, a thorough understanding of current practices, procedures and enablers of change are required. Typically, information technology is implemented as the key change enabler of process reengineering implemented as the key enabler without prior consideration to other enablers such as organisational, human resource and total quality management. This paper suggests that the use of information technology as an enabler is rarely sufficient to cause process change. The paper concludes by suggesting that a combination of information technology, organisational and human resource enablers and a total quality management based philosophy are requisite for the effective redesign of business processes.     

The challenge of BPR to the information systems profession

This article explores the relevance of ideas emerging from business process re-engineering (BPR) for the information systems profession. The marginal role of this profession in conceiving and leading organizational change is examined. Against this background, current interest in BPR is seen as reasserting the challenge of incorporating an active engagement with organizational design into professional practices.     

A pernicious panacea—a critical evaluation of business re-engineering

This article investigates the practicalities of implementing business process re-engineering (BPR) through two case studies, DefCo and ServiCo in the public sector. It demonstrates the destructive and insidious nature of BPR, and deconstructs the myth that BPR represents a discontinuity in management thinking.     

论我国现代咨询业的发展

目前,现代咨询业逐渐发展成为现代社会一项蒸蒸日上的朝阳产业。文章在简要介绍科技咨询、工程咨询、管理咨询、信息咨询和人力资源咨询等主要咨询业态的基础上．就我国现代咨询业发展存在主要问题进行了阐述,并就我国现代咨询业进一步发展问题提出了若干建议。     

Business Process Re-engineering in the Public Sector: a Case Study of the Contributions Agency

There has been a growing literature which, from a social science perspective, seeks to critically assess the use of business process re-engineering (BPR) in effecting radical organisational change. Using a case study of the Contributions Agency, this article reports on the problems of using BPR in a public sector organisation, and discusses the findings in relation to the current critique of BPR.     

Professionals in the NHS – a case study of business process re-engineering

Rather than providing evidence of business process re-engineering (BPR) as another example of cultural change rhetoric, this case study shows BPR as a substantive initiative that has had a considerable impact on health care professionals. A hybrid of differing bureaucratic professions allows for a diversity specific to the health service. The study highlights a number of controversial issues unique to health care professionals, particularly in the areas of job redesign, multiskilling and empowerment.     

Architectures,methods and tools for enterprise engineering

In today's highly competitive global economy, the demand for high-quality products manufactured at low costs with shorter cycle times has forced a number of manufacturing industries to consider various new product design, manufacturing, and management strategies. Recently, due to the rapid advances in Information Technology (IT), new paradigms have successively emerged such as CIM, JIT, lean manufacturing, concurrent engineering, business process engineering and more enterprise engineering (EE). Enterprise modeling is currently in use either as a technique to represent and understand the structure and behavior of the enterprise, or as a technique to analyze business processes, and in many cases as support technique for business process reengineering. However, architectures and methods for EE have also to cover the integration of quality, information system, cost, human and organizational aspects and have to support the EE process from goal and requirements definition up to implementation and operation (Vernadat, 1999. Proceedings of CARS&FOF 99 Conference, Aquas de Lindoia, Brazil).This paper provides an overview of architectures, methods and tools for EE. It then points out substantial results achieved so far as well as presents a methodology and a related tool in more detail, which supports all phases and aspects of EE.     

Don't obliterate, informate!: BPR for the information age

This article takes the view that BPR in the dominant form in which it is presently characterised, is a re-expression of industrial age classical administration. As such it is oblivious of organization as a political entity or as a set of 'human resources' . What is needed is a new model of BPR for the information age.     

Reengineering the production planning process in the food industry

This paper addresses managerial process reengineering and in particular the reengineering of the production planning process. The reengineered process highlights planning options to avoid the process imbalance and loss of production potential that can follow innovation in a facility that is fully committed to JIT production.The study was motivated by production problems following product innovation within the food industry but the reengineering conclusions and procedures are applicable to all similarly structured industries. An example based on data from a snack food manufacturing company illustrates the reengineered procedure for a plant that is typical of the food processing industry.     

Overhauling the new product process

The three cornerstones of successful product development are process, strategy, and resources, according to the benchmarking study reported in this article. Of the three, having a high quality new product process had the strongest impact on business's new product performance. A high quality new product process meant: an emphasis on up-front homework; sharp, early product definition; the voice of the customer evident throughout; tough go/kill decision points; a focus on quality of execution; and a thorough yet flexible process. The research results point strongly to a need to overhaul firms' new product processes—from idea to launch—to incorporate these and other key success drivers, such as the quest for real product superiority, and the need for true cross-functional teams. The goals of an effective new product process—that is, the specifications or key elements of a high quality process—are outlined, a vital starting point to any process reengineering exercise. The article ends with a quick look at a third generation stage-gate or new product process, together with some tips and hints on how to proceed to overhaul your company's new product process.     

Epochs and institutions: contextualizing business process re-engineering

Capitalism is currently undergoing an epochal change. The associated corporate change is sticky for reasons of institutional inertia. Business process re-engineering is a corporate response which should be understood in technical, social and political terms. Core elements of BPR are identified, illustrated, and critiqued, partly through a BPR case researched by the authors.     

用户基础、网络分享与企业边界决定

互联网的出现和应用带来新经济的迅速发展,互联网应用于企业的一个显著特征是使相关企业及其产品获得某种程度的网络外部性。网络外部性的存在有可能改变产品的用户基础或者再造企业采购、工艺流程以及强化营销服务网络,进而使企业的现有边界发生动态调整。基于用户基础的模型表明,网络效应的存在,扩大了两企业进行合作的空间,因此,在某种程度上扩大了企业的横向边界。而引入网络分享因素后,在一定条件下某些上游企业将有积极性创造新的营销系统,从而导致了企业纵向边界的调整变化。     

BPR as 'IT-enabled organizational change': an assessment

This article examines the emergence of BPR from the literature on the strategic use of IT. Two case studies of BPR are then presented. Analysis of this material suggests that there is a tension between strategic re-orientation and cost-saving in many BPR projects which is difficult to resolve. This tension is explored further using a historical analysis of 'frameworks' of computing.     

华为云“算计”

危机感让华为不得不"算计"云,但它真正需要"算计"的却是如何对抗自己。上个月26日,任正非写了一篇内部文章——《一江春水向东流》。在文中,他这样形容自己,"我知识的底蕴不够,也并不够聪明。"这个不够聪明的人,1996年曾找来专家制定了《华为基本法》,还给自己下了一个"套":"我们将永不进入信息服务业。"但华为在2003年接受了IBM一系列的内部管理咨询以后,其触角早已延