Business Process Reengineering Flashcards

Which of the following best describes the 'clean slate' principle in Business Process Reengineering?

Answer: Redesigning processes from scratch without being constrained by current practices

The clean slate principle means reimagining processes from the ground up rather than patching existing ones.

In BPR, which technology concept was Hammer and Champy most associated with leveraging as an enabler?

Answer: Information technology

Hammer and Champy emphasized IT as the key enabler that makes radical process redesign possible.

What is a 'process owner' in the context of BPR?

Answer: A senior manager accountable for end-to-end performance of a specific process

A process owner has end-to-end accountability for a process's design, execution, and performance outcomes.

Which outcome is most indicative of a successful BPR initiative?

Answer: Order-of-magnitude improvements in cost, quality, or speed

BPR targets dramatic, breakthrough performance improvements—often 10x gains—not marginal ones.

Which of the following is a primary risk associated with BPR initiatives?

Answer: High failure rate due to resistance to change and poor change management

Studies show that BPR projects frequently fail due to inadequate change management and employee resistance.

In BPR, what does 'process benchmarking' help an organization accomplish?

Answer: Identify performance gaps by comparing processes against best-in-class organizations

Benchmarking identifies gaps between current performance and best practices, motivating and informing radical redesign.

Which concept differentiates BPR from Total Quality Management (TQM)?

Answer: BPR seeks radical discontinuous change while TQM emphasizes continuous incremental improvement

BPR aims for radical, breakthrough change in contrast to TQM's philosophy of gradual, continuous improvement.