The recovery of BPR implementation through an ERP approach: A hospital case study

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.