Running head: BPR AND IT
Business Process Engineering
and the
Importance of Information Technology
Jane Doe
Nobody's University
Abstract
This paper is written to show how information technology is not the most influential component of Business Process Reengineering. Contrary to what some business leaders may think, IT is not always the main factor in a firm's restructuring of its processes. After reviewing five selected journals and articles on BPR, I will show how IT is not the most significant part of a business' restructuring of its processes to obtain its organizational goals.
Introduction
Does Information Technology (IT) play a leading role in Business Process Reengineering (BPR)? Many executives and business managers have believed that IT was the driving force of the growing phenomenon of the restructuring of businesses' processes today. If it is, then why is it that some firms are successful while others fail? Numerous studies have been conducted to compare the restructuring of businesses worldwide to find out the similarities and differences in their reengineering projects.
What exactly is BPR? There are many definitions, but I believe that Hammer and Champy (1993) defines it best. "BPR is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary measurements of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed." My personal definition of BPR is the realignment of business processes to better achieve success. On the other hand, ____ gives a specific definition saying: BPR is the radical change a firm makes to reorganize its business processes to better utilize information technology to achieve the organization's strat ...