Page 115 - DMGT524_TOTAL_QUALITY_MANAGEMENT

Total Quality Management

Notes changing. Re-engineering is centred in the processes. Davenport and Short (1990) define a process
as a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome. Furthermore,
a process is a sequence of activities which, when jointly taken, produce a valuable result for the
customer.
Other methodologies are also centred in the processes, such as continuous improvement or total
quality management, and they reorient ate the basic tasks of the company to satisfy customers’
needs. However, they can be quite comfortable with their existing processes and they may not
want to introduce new ones.
Parker defines BPR as the analysis and redesign of the business and manufacturing processes
with a view to eliminating the activities that do not add up value. These definitions enable us to
outline the following main characteristics of BPR:
Concentration should be given on fundamental problems and not on departments or other
organisational elements.
Concentration should be given on processes and less on activities, functions, people and structures.
A process is a total of activities, which take one or several inputs, and creates an output, which
is valuable for the client.

Figure 8.3: BPR System

A radical approach which presupposes going to the root of things not only making superficial
changes of the existing things but acting by removing what is obsolete and inventing new ways
of carrying on the activity.

They are the changes that have a spectacular character that is achieving spectacular results and
not simply effecting marginal or gradual improvements.
A strong link of BPR with informatics technologies is a very important characteristic which
cannot be seen directly from definitions. The processes introduced through BPR could not exist
without applying informatics technologies.

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