Business process re-engineering with groupware

This paper presents a groupware-supported approach for business process re-engineering. Effective reengineering must balance data gathering, study, creativity exercises, problem solving, resource allocation, and design, so there is a need for a variely of tools and techniques to be productive. Our experiences in a series of three case studies show the use of groupware saved money in the re-engineering project itself; and the resulting re-engineered processes continue to save money over the years. Groupware enabled widespread participation in a vety rapid redesign process, enabling senior and middle managers to redesign their own cross-functional and cross-business unit processes, leading a greater acceptance of the changes. The methods and tools have been successfully transferred to these organizations, who continue to use them with little assistance of external consultants.