Business process redesign: an action research

Vizzon, Janaina Silveira; Carmo, Luiz Felipe Roris Rodriguez Scavarda do; Ceryno, Paula Santos; Fiorencio, Luiza

doi:10.1590/0104-530X4305-20

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Gest. Prod. 27 (2) • 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-530X4305-20 copy

Business process redesign: an action research

(Re)desenho de processos de negócios: uma pesquisa-ação

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract:

The improvement of business processes is considered important to support companies’ competitiveness and sustainability, therefore, being highlighted in the academic community. In this way, the improvement of the organizational processes can be achieved through the business process redesign (BPR), which is considered the most value-added phase in a business process management (BPM) project. However, despite the existence of an extensive literature on the subject of BPR, methodologies or structured procedures that aim to understand the transformation from the “as-is” to the desired “to-be” processes are still scarce. Within this context, to fill this gap in the literature, this study presents the empirical findings and the lessons learnt from an action research with the objective of redesigning the logistic processes of a cultural production enterprise. The empirical study lasted nine months. A synthesis conceptual model for redesigning organizational business processes was proposed based on the literature. This model incorporated three levels (i.e., organizational, business processes and implementation) and provided guidance for conducting the empirical study. Different critical success factors and barriers have been identified and analysed with a focus on organizational, social, and technical dimensions, resulting in contributions to scholars and to practitioners in redesigning business process approaches.

Keywords:
Operations management; Logistics; Warehouse; Business process

	Materials Warehouse	Special Effects Warehouse	Events Warehouse
*Organizational Level*	Context: (i) Misuse of IT software available in the organization; (ii) Processes non-adherent to the reality	Context: (i) New warehouse acquired by the logistics department; (ii) Non-standard processes according to best organizational practices	Context: (i) Subsidiary incorporated by the logistics department; (ii) Non-standard processes according to the benchmark area stipulated by the headquarters
	Barriers: Not identified	Barriers: Change-resistant culture	Barriers: Not identified
	Best Practices: (i) Alignment with business strategy; (ii) Support from top administration; (iii) Collaborative environment; (iv) Effective communication
	Results: (i) Understanding of organizational objectives and strategies; (ii) Understanding of the business environment; (iii) Understanding the requirements required for the next phases of the (re)design project
*Business Processes Level*	Context: (i) Execution of activities whose scope was not the logistics department; (ii) Lack of policies defining responsibilities and deadlines in cases of non-conformities in receipts; (iii) Low automating of the receiving process with the generation of many physical documents; (iv) Inadequacy of the area layout and conference structures contributing to spread ergonomic problems; (v) Excessive bureaucracy to record receipt in IT systems; (vi) Excessive bureaucracy to follow up on pending issues with key stakeholders; (vii) Difficulty of data standardization and sharing	Context: (i) Undefined scope of area responsibility; (ii) Low integration and communication with process stakeholders; (iii) Lack of formalized processes; (iv) Difficulty of data standardization and sharing; (v) Lack of performance indicators	Context: (i) Processes that are not adherent to the IT software used by the organization; (ii) Non-standard processes according to the benchmark area stipulated by headquarters; (iii) Processes not portraying the areas reality; (iv) Lack of storage policies and service level agreement; (v) Lack of performance indicators
	Barriers: Incompatibility of the tool used by IT consulting company and the (re)design team for the creation of “to-be” processes	Barriers: Change-resistant culture	Barriers: Incompatibility of the tool used by IT consulting company and the (re)design team for the creation of “to-be” processes
	Best Practices: (i) Alignment with business strategy; (ii) Support from top management; (iii) Change management; (iv) Collaborative environment; (v) Employees involvement; (vi) Effective communication; (vii) Project management; (viii) Opportunities identification for business processes (re)design; (ix) Detailed processes models
	Results: (i) (Re)designed processes; (ii) Processes aligned with organizational objectives, available IT systems and internal best practices; (iii) Creation of a standard document structure for business processes; (iv) Acceptance of the (re)design project by employees and stakeholders
*Implementation Level*	Context: (i) Formalisation of “to-be” processes; (ii) Creation of the new functional area called Advanced Receiving Station; (iii) Restructuring of staff in the new area; (iv) Training of employees; (v) Creation of contingency plans; (vi) Running tests on the WMS software; (vii) Execution of pilot implementation projects	Context: (i) Formalization and control of “to-be” processes; (ii) Definition of the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved; (iii) Training of employees; (iv) Running tests on the WMS software; (v) Execution of pilot implementation projects	Context: (i) Standardization of “to-be” processes according to the benchmark area stipulated by the headquarters; (ii) Training of employees; (iii) Running tests on the WMS software; (iv) Execution of pilot implementation projects
	Barriers: Stakeholders resistance	Barriers: Change-resistant culture	Barriers: Not identified
	Best Practices: (i) Alignment with business strategy; (ii) Support from top management; (iii) Change management; (iv) Collaborative environment; (v) Employees involvement; (vi) Effective communication; (vii) Project management; (viii) Training; (ix) Resources and sufficient budget; (x) Effective IT infrastructure
	Results: (i) Processes (re)designed implemented; (ii) Understanding of logistics activities by employees and stakeholders; (iii) Better visualization of the processes by the areas; (iv) Acceptance of organizational change by employees; (v) Better understanding of IT tools and changes implemented; (vi) Use of standard self-learning document structure on “to-be” processes; (vii) Promotion of a processes analysis routine; (viii) Development of an organizational culture oriented towards continuous improvement

Organizational
What is the commitment level of the top management?
How can BPR help to achieve strategic objectives?
How are changes dealt by functional areas?
How do affected individuals interpret the reasons for process change?
Who are the leaders in the organization responsible for delivering the results of the processes?
How well the processes work in today's business environment?
How well can processes adapt to a changing environment?
What are the risks to the processes? Can processes be adapted to overcome risks?
What competencies are required to each process?
What are the processes required to execute organizational strategies implementation?
What are the contributions of stakeholders to develop processes competencies?
Business Processes
Why do the current processes exist and what are their goals?
Do the processes have problems?
Who are the stakeholders of the processes? What are their responsibilities?
Where do the processes fit into the organization’s value chain? Do they provide value to the organization?
Do the processes support the strategic objectives of the organization?
What are the sub processes, activities and process steps?
What resources are used?
How does the information flow work?
What are the key strengths and weaknesses of processes?
Are there many steps of passing approval or inspection interfering in the main flows of processes?
Is there duplication of activities performed by the same actors in the processes?
How should processes work?
What are the human and technical resources required for the new processes?
What are the goals of the BPR initiative?
What are the performance measures associated with (re)designed processes?
*Check List*
In how many projects will the transformation initiative be subdivided?
How many teams will the project be subdivided into? Will there be team training?
How will social and technical resources be acquired? How will the interaction between social and technical resources be? Which employees will resist change and why?
Implementation
How to ensure the transition is smooth?
What mechanisms should be established to solve unforeseen problems?
How to monitor and evaluate progress?
Where can the team find the documented processes?

Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de Engenharia de Produção , Caixa Postal 676 , 13.565-905 São Carlos SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 16 3351 8471 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
E-mail: gp@dep.ufscar.br

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