Evolving role of business process reengineering: a perspective of employers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze and illustrate the needs and expectations of the industry from a newly hired engineering candidate for an entry‐level position involving business process reengineering (BPR). The paper aims to highlight the changing role and the new emerging face of business process design, analysis, and management, its relevant contents and methodologies, its new role, and emergence of a value of BPR, which has been redefined. Design/methodology/approach – The growing interest and the importance of the role of business processes in organizations have promoted the development and implementation of an undergraduate level course on BPR at Stevens Institute in 2006. This research involved a survey of some potential employers during a recent redesigning of this course. The survey collected information from the employers on how important and relevant are the topics on BPR that are covered in the course for an entry‐level BPR related position. Findings – The findings indicate a strong support from the employers for BPR curriculum. Of the 19 BPR topics on which information was collected from the employers, 63 percent were rated as “extremely important” and “very important”. The two highest rated areas of BPR were ability to research and collect process related data (3.8), and ability to use graphical methods to map the current or reengineered processes (3.5). Research limitations/implications – One of the limitations of this research is the size and representation of the data collected. A more broader sample would extend this work into a framework for BPR skill set and knowledge at various levels of experience. Practical implications – The implications of this research are to both the academic community and potential employers. This paper provides useful knowledge on what skill sets are relevant for an entry level BPR professional in an economy, which is predominantly going to be dependent on efficiencies from business processes. Originality/value – The paper provides value to those seeking entry‐level positions in terms of the knowledge and skill sets required to fulfill such a role effectively. The paper also provides guidance to faculty on areas needed to focus on in a BPR curriculum content and pedagogy and prepare students for practical situations. With the increasing role of service orientation in managing information systems – the importance of business process definitions and their reengineering cannot be undermined.