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. 

Differentiate between Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Scrum?

In the year of 2002, when both the CMM (capability maturity model) and agile software development models were on the list of the highest demanded software development methodologies, the CMM model and agile processes were considered to be to pretty much same.

But, later in the same year two of the software engineers Jain and Turner argued that these two software development models or processes have much difference between them if investigated in detail.

This article discusses about the differences between the cmm model and agile methods. There is no fixed or appropriate way to develop a software system or application but at different stages a different methodology is to be adopted. 

Coming to the scrum, it is a pre defined development life cycle based entirely up on the agile principles. The CMM on the other hand comprises of many practices that can be adopted by a team so as to improve its overall performance. The CMM model pays more attention to the areas that require change and project management. 

Another aspect of the CMM is focussed up on the following three aspects:

1.      Engineering skills

2.      Organizational learning

3.      Advanced project management

Differences between Capability Maturity Model and Scrum

Difference #1:

- In CMM, it is required that an understanding is developed with the requirement

providers  based upon the definition of the requirements.

- In Scrum, there are reviews of the requirements listed in the product back log with

development team and product owner.

Difference #2:

- In CMM, commitment to the requirements is demanded from all those involved in    

the project. 

- In Scrum practice, the commitment is needed in the sprint planning and release 

planning.

Difference #3:

- In CMM, practice any changes to be made are directly carried out on the

requirements.

- In Scrum practice, the changes are recorded in the product back log and are worked 

up on in the later sprints.

Difference #4:

- In CMM, it involves the identification of the inconsistencies among the work 

products and the requirements.

- In Scrum practice, the inconsistencies are identified during the sprint planning and

release planning sessions.

Difference #5:

- CMM develops a top level work breakdown structure for the proper estimation of the  

project scope. 

- In scrum, the standard tasks combined with the specific project tasks define the 

scope of the project.

Difference #6:

- In CMM, the attributes of the work products and tasks are maintained kept for the 

maintenance of the estimates.

- In scrum, this task is done with the help of story points.

Difference #7:

- In CMM, the whole project budget and schedule is prepared in CMM.

- In scrum, a project is broken down in to several sprints and for every sprint there is a 

separate schedule and back log.

Difference #8:

- The main estimates that are carried out in CMM are of the resources required to 

perform the development tasks. 

- On the other side, the scrum maintains the estimates of the sprint back log, release 

plan and assignments.

Difference #9:

- In CMM a plan of involvement is prepared for all the stakeholders separately during 

the planning process.

- In Scrum, there are predefined core and ancillary roles that saves a lot of time.

Difference #10:

- In CMM, at the end of the day the project plan is re-conciliated to check out the 

available resources.

- In scrum, there is sprint planning meetings and daily scrum meetings to do this task.

Difference #11:

- The project development in CMM is tracked by monitoring the actual values of the 

project parameters against the already prepared project plan. 

- On the other hand the scrum is aided by the sprint burn down charts for the same 

purpose.