Week 7 – BPR Methodologies

Source / Reference:
1) “BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING: A CONSOLIDATED METHODOLOGY”, S. Muthu, L. Whitman, and S. H. Cheraghi, 1999
2) “Reengineering Work: Don’t Automate, Obliterate”, M. Hammer, 2000

Subject:
What is BPR methodology?
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Response:
Business Process Reengineering (BPR) Methodologies is a structured set of guidelines that enable an analyst to derive ways for problem solving.
In the old days, the usual methods for boosting performance – process rationalization and automation haven’t yielded the dramatic improvements companies need. BPR should be adopted to improve companies’ performance: use the power of modern information technology to radically redesign our business processes in order to achieve dramatic improvements in their performance, which is defined by Hammer (2000).
S. Muthu, L. Whitman, and S. H. Cheraghi(1999) proposed five activities in BPR methodology as the following:

1. Prepare for Re-engineering
2. Map and Analyze As-Is Process
3. Design To-Be process
4. Implement Reengineered Process
5. Improve Process Continuously

El Sawy (2001) also proposed a BPR methodology:

The modified methodology is slightly different form the one taught in lecture, which is from El Sawy (2001), especially for the beginning of BPR.
El Sawy(2001) emphasis the triggering and executive visioning is important to start a BPR, the strategy is the vision of how a company should be. Executive level's management can anticipate how a particular aspect of the business should work or inefficiencies in BP, or triggered by the dissatisfaction of process stakeholders, BPR project can be implemented in a way can address the existing problems.
However, in S. Muthu, L. Whitman, and S. H. Cheraghi’s model, the first phase is “Prepare for BPR”, this phase include build cross functional team, identify Customer driven objective and  develop strategic purpose. Hence, the BPR project has been started in first phase.
In my opinion, the methodology proposed by El Sawy is more appropriate. It is because the firm should understand the importance of BPR before launching. The reasons of BPR can make executive to understand firm’s external and internal environment to design workable solution for BPR.