Description
The course ICT enabled process innovation will focus on the role of processes and process thinking in organisations with respect to ICT. Information and Communication technologies can radically change the way companies are carrying out their business. Yet, implementing the latest system alone is not the magic pill for business success. On the contrary, process innovation starts with a thorough understanding of the strategy, process and structure of an organization before the right ICT technology can be selected and implemented. To further complicate matters most ICT driven organizations and environments have a tendency to change continuously adding additional complexity to ICT enabled process innovation. Process thinking is correctly considered as one of the most important approaches to performance improvement. It is the precondition for the quality standards of the new ISO 9000:2000 series or the EFQM-norm (Total Quality Management): Quality is the result of mastered processes. Furthermore, process oriented companies encounter fewer problems when introducing integrated IT–platforms such as of workflow and knowledge management (Corporate and Business Portals) as well as enterprise resource planning (ERP). The management of European companies spend more and more time on the planning and execution of projects that aim to establish a flexible process organisation. They focus increasingly on decisive core processes, accelerated processes and rationalised resource deployment. The central questions that have to be answered are: which strategic framework of conditions has
to be defined for process oriented organisations, how to identify the vital core processes and how to link between strategic and operative management, which role a process owner assumes and what a process oriented organisation looks like. Additionally, how can ICT enable a process oriented organisation. Next to analysing and optimising business processes efficiently, it is imperative to establish a process competence that enables a company to act dynamically. ICT can play a major role in achieving this. Last but not least, the introduction of process oriented organisation has to deal with its acceptance by the concerned staff members and thus with aspects of change management.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, the student should be able to:
Have an understanding of the evolution of process thinking and the basic concepts BPR, BPM & BPO.
Be able to elaborate and analyse strategies and identify and prioritise core processes.
Be able to analyse, optimise and redesign basic business processes.
Have an understanding of the important role of ICT in process innovation and automation.
Understand the basic concepts of change management and the social dynamics of a process management project.
Grading
Group presentation I : 30%
Group presentation II 30%
Exam: 40%
Literature:
Hammer, & Stanton “How Process Enterprises Really Work” in Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1999.
Majchrzak & Wang “Breaking the functional mind-set in process organisations” in Harvard Business Review Sept-Oct 1996