Week9 - BPR Modeling and Analysis

Sources/References:
1) "How Do I Choose the Best Business Process Reengineering Software?"
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-business-process-reengineering-software.htm
2) "Software Application Reengineering"
http://www.symbyo.com/Custom-Software-Application-Development/Software-Application-Reengineering.aspx

Subject:
How to select the best Business Process Reengineering software?

Response: 
Business process can be used to determine performance of an operation. When a company carries out business process reengineering, it restructures its process to operate more efficiently. To achieve this purpose, business process reengineering software is needed which can help an organization to optimize its performance. However, there are so many BPR software to choose from. What criteria should be consider? Data analysis, user friendliness, cost and quality are the criteria users can consider.

Data analysis
Recorded data can be easily anaylzed after BPR software is used. A clear assessment of an operation can be provided with creating tables and charts so lapses can be found out easily which may hinder productivity. Therefore, a good BPR software can allow users to record and analyze data of organizations so they can see how information flow through different departments and find out where the time is wasted.

User friendliness
Saving time is a common goal of business process reengineering. Communications between steps of a process should be fast and use less time. Therefore, a good BPR software should be easy to learn and use so it not only can  improve the communication between the process but also employees.

Cost and quality
There are many factors affecting the cost like the complexity of software and reputation of companies. Also, cost always is proportional to quality. Therefore, users need to find out the trade off between these factors.

In conclusion, the best BPR software should be able to find out the way to save time, easy to use and cost effectiveness.

Here is one of ease to use software

Week 8 – Scoping an enterprise process

Source/Reference
1. "Redesigning Enterprise Processes for e-business" by EL SAWY, Omar A. 2001
http://zonecours.hec.ca/documents/H2011-P6-2647625.El-SawyChapter4.pdf

Subject: 
Why scoping of process is needed and its importance?


Respones:
To carry out business process redesign with BPR software, there are three key phases which are

1. Scoping the process
2. Modeling, analysis, and redesign of the process
3. Planning process integration

Particularly, I would like to talk about the phase of scoping the process. In the phase of scoping the process, it is consist of several activities and this article why they are important:

Operationalize process performance targets

It removes unclear goals and makes them become concrete to allow BPR project team documenting and communicating clearly. Also, it removes the conflicts between process performance targets and prioritizes them.

Define process boundaries, identify key process issues

Reengineering needs much of time and effort. It can prevent wasting time and effort in irrelative areas. Also, it provides BPR team pointers for collecting data.


Understand best practices and define initial visions

It can let the BPR project team has a shared understanding of best practices to provide better ideas. Also, it is useful to provide energy to BPR project because of preliminary visions.

Familiarize participants with BPR software

If someone does not familiar with the common language, it affects the schedule of the project. Also, much troublesome is exist when there is a problem during the development because it cost more expedient if there are further changes.

Outline data collection plan and collect baseline data

It can save time and collect less unnecessary data because data collection needs time and effort of many people. Also, it can ease the implementation and improve the quality of process redesign outcomes.

Finally, process scoping report is a deliverable for feedback and report purposes.