Explain BPR model? What are steps involved in BPR model?

BPR or business process re- engineering model is the model that is being used by many of the organizations of today’s software world for analysing and designing their processes and work flows! 

In this article we have discussed about this business process re- engineering model in detail. 

The model works on the principle that the business processes are a set of logically related tasks that aim at working together towards a defined business goal. This model has been deployed by many management systems like:

1. Information systems management
2. Supply chain management
3. Group ware systems
4. Human resource management systems
5. Enterprise resource planning etc.

Phases of BPR model

The business process re- engineering model involves a cyclic process consisting of four main phases:

1. Identification of the processes
2. Review and updating and analysis
3. Design to be
4. Testing and implementation to be

Implementation of the business process engineering requires that you implement an HPO or high performing organization. It should be kept in mind BPR is an organizational method that redesigns an organization’s process in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and economy. 

Few of the activities that are undertaken in BPR are:

1. Activity based costing analysis
2. Business case analysis
3. Industrial engineering techniques
4. Productivity assessment
5. Human capital tools
6. Base lining and bench-marking studies
7. Functionality assessment
8. Organization analysis
9. Work force analysis

Steps in Implementation of BPR model

Now we shall what all steps are involved in the implementation of this business process re- engineering model!

1. Establishment of BPR and HPO project plan: 

In this step the reason for the BPR nomination is justified and the organization states the objectives of the BPR. The employees and activities that will be affected are identified. The customers and the stakeholders that will take effects by the impact of the BPR are also identified. The available contractor support is also identified. The organization then needs to describe the outcomes like metrics, business and human capital.

2. Preliminary planning: 

It involves identification and assignment of the MSO development team members (MSO stands for most sustainable organization), development of the action plan with check points and milestones, development of the communication plans, and establishment of the data analysis requirements and collection methods.

3. Development of the business case: 

This step involves the implementation of the AS- IS analysis of the organization, development of the MSO to be, measuring the gaps between the actual and the “to be” organizations and the development of the transition plans.

4. Implementation of the business case: 

This step involves the identification and assignment of the most sustainable organization implementation team members, establishment of the letter of obligation between MSO activity manager and agency head and the initiation of the transition to the MSO.

5. Tracking and validation of the MSO performance: 

It involves usage of the identified metrics in the measurement of the:

 (i)  Closing skills

(ii)  Competency gaps

(iii)Closing performance gaps

(iv) Improving timeliness and quality

(v)   Achieving savings and so on.

This whole process is driven by two teams namely:

1.Development team: 

It develops the MSO and includes functional experts, personnel specialists etc.

2. Implementation team: 

It implements the MSO and includes development team members and employees who will work in MSO.

3. Other people involved in the business process re- engineering are

- Acquisition officer: participates in the BPR efforts.

- MSO activity manager

- Human resource advisor

- Human capital officer

- CFO

- General officer

- Budget officer

- Support contractor and so on.

Re-engineering involves fundamental re- thinking towards achieving the improvements in performance and speed. 

Introduction to Business Process Engineering?

System engineering helps to translate the needs of the customer into a system model that makes use of elements like software, hardware, people, database, documentation and procedures.
Business process engineering is a system engineering approach that defines architecture enabling a business to use the information more effectively and efficiently. It helps in creating an overall plan for implementing computing architecture.

There are three different types of architectures defined and developed keeping business goals in mind. These are:

- Data architectures provides a framework. Data objects used by business are building blocks. After defining the data objects, the relationships among them are identified. The data objects flow between business functions are organized within database and are transformed to provide information.
- Application architectures is a system of programs that transforms objects within data architecture for business purpose.
- Technology architecture provides the foundation for data and application architecture. It includes hardware and software used to support data and application.

The main aim of business process engineering is to derive data architecture, application architecture and technology infrastructure which will meet the needs, goals and objectives of the business.

What is Quality and what are different perspectives used in understanding quality?

Quality is the total characteristic of an entity to satisfy stated and implied needs. Three perspectives are used in understanding quality:
- quality of the product
- quality of the process
- quality in the context of the business environment.

Quality of the Product
- The quality of the product has a different perspective for different people.
- End users assume that the software has quality if it gives what they want, when they want it, all the time. The ease of use and is also a important criterion for end users.
- For software engineers, they take a look at the internal characteristics rather than the external.

Quality of the Process
As software engineers, we valuethe quality of the software development process. Process guidelines suggests that byimproving the software development process,we also improve the quality of theresulting product. Common guidelines of process include Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI),ISO 9000:2000, Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE).

Quality in the Context of Business Process
Quality is viewed in terms of the products and services being provided by the business in which the software is used. Improving the technical quality of the business process adds value to the business, i.e., technical value of thesoftware translates to business value.

To address quality issues:
- use quality standards.
- understand people involved in development process.
- understand the systematic biases in human nature.
- commit to quality.
- manage user requirements.

Introduction to Reengineering

Re-engineering occurs at two different levels of abstraction. At the business level, re-engineering focuses on the business process with the intent of making changes to improve competitiveness in some area of the business. At the software level, re-engineering examines information systems and applications with the intent of restructuring or reconstructing them so that they exhibit higher quality.
Business process reengineering defines business goals, identifies and evaluates existing business processes, specifies and designs revised processes, and prototypes, refines, and instantiates them within a business.
Business process reengineering (BPR) has a focus that extends beyond software. The result of BPR is often the definition of ways in which information technologies can better support the business.
Software reengineering encompasses a series of activities that include inventory analysis, document restructuring, reverse engineering, program and data restructuring, and forward engineering. The intent of these activities is to create versions of existing programs that exhibit higher quality and better maintainability-programs that will be viable well into the next century.
Inventory analysis enables an organization to assess each application systematically, with the intent of determining which are candidates for reengineering. Document restructuring creates a framework of documentation that is necessary for the long-term support of an application. reverse engineering is the process of analyzing a program in an effort to extract data, architectural, and procedural design information. Finally, forward engineering reconstructs a program using modern software engineering practices and information learned during reverse engineering.
The cost/benefit of reengineering can be determined quantitatively. The cost of the status quo, that is, the cost associated with ongoing support and maintenance of an existing application, is compared to the projected costs of reengineering and the resultant reduction in maintenance costs. In almost every case in which a program has a long life and currently exhibits poor maintainability, reengineering represents a cost-effective strategy.