The recovery of BPR implementation through an ERP approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the approaches towards implementation of business process reengineering (BPR), and to provide some evidence as to which approach offers a greater chance of success. Design/methodology/approach – A hospital case analysis is used to study where both top‐down/participative BPR and enterprise resource planning (ERP)‐driven BPR were used to reengineer its processes. Findings – With an ERP‐driven BPR, it is easier to define the scope of the project, design of the process changes, mapping of the new system in the software, and to obtain a realistic preview of the outcomes. Research limitations/implications – ERP‐driven approach to BPR implementation used in this hospital represented a holistic rather than a piecemeal approach to an organization‐wide change effort. There is always a tendency for the motivation and support for such change efforts to dissipate. Research is needed on how to sustain the momentum for such change endeavors. Practical implications – With ERP‐driven BPR it is easier for management to offer a realistic preview of the expected outcomes, possible changes in the design and scope of the project, and to guard against unrealistic worker expectations. However, the ERP‐driven change approach requires close cooperation and mutual protocols between all the principal stakeholders, i.e. the executive suite, ERP system vendor, business process and support teams, and IT department. Originality/value – The paper offers a rare insight into a company where both approaches to BPR implementation were tried and provides evidence in support of ERP‐driven BPR.