Week 10 - Redesign Principles and Tactics (1)

Source / Reference:
1) eStrategy for Development Principles & Tactics – Examples in PR
2) Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) Dr. A. Albadvi

Subject:
Redesign Principles

 Response:

In the process redesign process, there are three types of redesign principles and tactics that we need to follow are “Restructuring and reconfiguring around processes”, “Changing information flows around processes” and “Changing knowledge management around processes”. 

In each of them, they contain corresponding principles. Principles can be used as a checklist to suggest ways of redesigning the process for better organizational performance. Tactics can be used to trigger ideas about how to implement changes to create value to customers.

Principle 0 – Streamline

Restructuring and reconfiguring around processes

Principle 1 – Lose Wait

Principle 2 – Orchestrate

Principle 3 – Mass – Customize

Principle 4 – Synchronize

Changing information flows around processes

Principle 5 – Digitize and Propagate

Principle 6 – Vitrify

Principle 7 – Sensitive

Changing knowledge management around processes

Principle 8 – Analyze and Synthesize

Principle 9 – Connect, Correct and Create

Principle 10 - Personalize

Reengineering princples



Streamline

To streamline the process to minimize waste, remove valueless complexities, obliterate unnecessary obsolete activities, and consolidate similar activities.

Lose Wait

Squeeze out waiting time in process links to create value

E.g. Flagstar Bank (MI, USA) which Redesign time-sequential activities to be executed concurrently.

Orchestrate

Let the swiftest and most able enterprise execute

E.g. UPS which Insource a process back into the enterprise

Mass Customize

Flex the process for any time, any place, any way

E.g. like DELL, enable dynamic customization of product offerings

Synchronize

Synchronize the physical and virtual parts of the process

E.g. like CVS corporation, create common process platforms for physical and electronic processes

Digitize and Propagate

Capture information digitally at the source and propagate it throughout the process.

E.g. Microsoft, make the process as paperless as possible as early as you can

Vitrify

Provide glass-like visibility through fresher and richer information about process status.

Sensitive

Fit the process with vigilant sensors and feedback loops that can prompt action.

Analyze and Synthesize

Augment the interactive analysis and synthesis capabilities around a process to generate value.

Connect, Correct and Create

Grow intelligently reusable knowledge around the process through all who touch it.

Personalize

Make the process intimate with the preferences and habits of participants.

E.g. Amazon.com, enable personalization in the website.

Week 9 - Process Redesign(2)

Source / Reference:


Subject:
BPR software

 Response:

Business process re-engineering is the analysis and design of work flows and processes within an organization. A business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome. Re-engineering is the basis for many recent developments in management.

Before the company starts re-engineering, they need to deeply analysis their process to seek out the potential problems and reconstruct their existing framework to improve their process by minimizing the cost and time.

The process of existing organization is called As-is and the potential process that improve the existing process is called To-be.

Holosofx Workbench is used for modeling and analysis and composed of the Business Modeler as the core with the UML Transformer (Modeler), Xform Designer, and XML Mapper as extensions

The process is built by different blocks including task, process, decision, choice, phi, external entity and stop.

Holosofx diagram

With the help of the process, all the simulation of the process can be done, it absolutely gives a helping hand to the senior management to analyze their process. As the cycle time of the process, cost used and time used in each resources, department, as well as the external entity. It can help determine the performance bottlenecks, after that, identify critical areas through modeling.

After simulation

In the twenty-first century, a technology driven society, in order to survive, companies need to continuously improve their performance to enhance customer satisfaction. Also, internal process should be simplified to optimize their efficiency and effectiveness so that cost can be reduced and time can saved too.

Week 8 - Process Redesign(1)

Source / Reference:
1) Scoping the Planning Process
2) Scoping in environmental impact assessment: Balancing precaution and efficiency?

 Subject:
Scoping an Enterprise Process

 Response:

There are five phases of BPR Methodologies, phase 1 is Triggering and executive visioning, phase 2 is BPR project mobilization, phase 3 is process design, phase 4 is implementation and organizational transformation and the last phase is monitoring and maintaining. In this article, we will only focus on the process design.



BPR Methodologies



Process design contains five steps which are scoping, modeling, analysis, redesign and integration. We will mainly discuss the topic of scoping. Scoping is used to determine what is important to investigate during the planning process. It involves identifying which concerns, actions, and impacts will be addressed in the Resource Plan. Scoping allows stakeholders and technical experts to put their limited financial and technical resources towards investigating the most critical issues in the planning area. 

Activities take place in scoping process

Within the scoping stage, there are three categories which are activities, deliverables and participants. Activities are those written above, deliverables are the output of the result and it is a process scoping report and participants are those who involved in the scoping analysis, they are mainly the process owners and partners, customers of the process and BPR team.

Personally, I think scoping is an essential step during the process design since coping process identifies the issues that are likely to be of most importance during the redesign process and eliminates those that are of little concern. This can ensure the teams are focused on the significant effects and time and money are not wasted on unnecessary investigations.

Week 6 - Basics of BPR(2)

Source / Reference:
1) Grant and Mergen Leavitt 1996
2) Business Process Reengineering: Its Past, Present, and Future J. Adebayo

 Subject:
How does BPR evolved?

 Response:

In the recent years, new technologies and main changes have brought many opportunities to the business in order to raise their competitiveness and improve their business processes. IT has been introduced in various business strategies to automate and speed up processes, enable a more effective creation and sharing of knowledge, capture and coordinate physical information and etc., these can probably improve business processes and minimize the operation cost and time. Below is the conceptual framework introduced by Leavitt.

Since IT has introduced into business proves, that means all other factors need to be changed in order to cope with information technology.

From the entrance of information technology, BPR has begun to evolve according the following processes.

First of all, to improve the quality of product and processes within businesses, total quality management (TQM) is needed. It is an integrative philosophy to shorten the response time and provide superior quality of services to the customers. IT begins to take part in the business processes that lead to the first wave of BPR i.e. IT based BP redesign.

In the first wave of BPR, all the processes are based on IT and they use top down approach to run their businesses. Once the first wave of BPR is mellowed, second wave of BPR begins. It consists of three stages, the first one is time-based competition, the second one is web enabled business and the last one is knowledge management.  

So the major question is when do we choose to use different type if BPR? The only solution is by having business process management.

It is a popular management technique that includes methods & tools to support design, analysis, implementation, management & optimization of operational business processes. (Kettinger et al. 1997). It can help companies to manage incremental process change and suggest ideas for current business situation so that companies can decide whether they accept the ideas to improve their businesses.

Week 5 - Basics of BPR(1)

Source / Reference:
1) Davenport-BPRCritics-ComputerWorld-2003
2)  GroverMalhotra-BPRTutorial-JOM-1997

 Subject:
What is BPR and what is the importance of BPR?

 Response:
BPR stands for business process reengineering. It mainly analyzes and designs the workflows and processes within the organization. Business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome. Re-engineering is the basis for many recent developments in management.

Firstly, the companies need to identify all the processes and prioritize them according to the urgency. Then the companies need to review the update to see whether their processes have met the business objectives. After that, they start designing the models to fit their goals. Finally, tests and implementation will take place. If it cannot satisfy the original goals, evaluation will start and improve the existing strategy.

Business process reengineering is very importance. From the article of GroverMalhotra, they have told that in the past, companies need to have plenty of paper works that need to perform when running their business. Information is not shared and it is inconvenience for them to have the information. However, after the implementation of BPR, there are many improvements. Data and information are shared within the company and they can eliminate a lot of intermediate steps. That means a lot of precious time can be saved to do other stuff. The information will routinely update and staff can seek for the information whenever they are needed.

To conclude, BPR plays an important role in the company, it can help reduce operation cost, fulfill more customers’ needs and eliminate intermediate steps. It is a good try for company to start to have reengineering to take place.

In the recent years, a lot of companies start to reengineer in order to survive in the competitive society. Many changes need to be made such as shifting the traditional shops into internet which can reduce operation cost. Therefore, BPR is used to guide the company to set strategies to take advantage of IS developments.

Week 4 - Strategic Alliance Model

Source / Reference:
1)  "Strategic Alignment: Leverage Information Technology for transforming organization" by J C Henderson and N Venkartraman 1993
2)   http://search.proquest.com/docview/26252741/134A6C8B53F19A4F606/1?accountid=16210
3)   http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jit/journal/v22/n4/full/2000109a.html


Subject:
In Lect 4 - Which alignment strategy in SAM model is the best? and why?


Response:

The Strategic Alignment Model (SAM model) provides four alignment strategies which are strategy execution, technology transformation, competitive potential and service level. In different type of strategy, they focus on different aspects.





Four alignment strategies

In order to select a best alignment strategy in SAM model, the first question needs to be asked must be what kind of business the company runs. Companies need to consider their business goals, objectives and their distinctive competitors, i.e. what kind of strategies is the best to be implemented. These questions will be asked before choosing any best strategy.

In the reality, there is no best alignment strategy. The most important thing is to be flexible in any situations or circumstances. For example, for a small retailing company, they emphasize more on the business strategy rather than the IT strategy. Since the business hierarchy of the company is simple and the span of control is narrow, senior management will take more attention on the business strategy rather than the IT in order to save cost. Therefore, it is better to use strategy execution or technology transformation for this kind of company.

On the other hand, nowadays, in a highly technological world, most of the customers require services or products to be speedy, efficient and convenience. To achieve these kinds of expectation, IT must be involved in the process. That means most of the companies need to consider IT strategy in order to survive. For example, in the recent years, e-banking becomes popular, it saves time for citizen to visit the shop directly and they can have transactions all the time when they are available. After the adoption of the e-banking, some of the banks were shut down as most of the customers choose to have service through internet so as to reduce operation cost within the bank. It is a good IT strategy which can eliminate cost and broaden customer base. It is consider as a service level strategy to be used in within the company.

To conclude, different strategies have their functions and they are useful in various company. There is no best strategy but the mangers need to be flexible in considering the strategy. Companies need to find the best strategy by itself by understanding their business objectives and their goals. Sticking on one strategy is useless since the world is changing, they need to accommodate the world in order to survive.