Business Process Reengineering for Competitive Advantage

Frequently Asked Questions

What is business process reengineering (BPR)? Business process reengineering involves re-examining a business's essentials-fundamental processes and customer values-with the aim of realizing radical improvement in business performance. BPR starts with the important assets of the organization: core competency, personnel, skills, knowledge, customer relationships, market image and information. It attempts to recombine these assets in new and innovative ways to help companies gain competitive advantage. What is this course about? This course is about effecting radical change to business processes through the application of technology solutions. There's a strong element of creative thinking involved, exploiting the breakthrough potential of technology to bring about dramatic refocusing of business strategy. Improvements arising from business process reengineering may affect the whole enterprise. The course will also provide support for those delegates whose change initiatives are less ambitious, giving techniques for process simplification and process improvement to target both tactical and operational areas. What does BPR have to do with information technology? One of the primary features of BPR is that it takes a fresh look at everything a company does, and works to stimulate significant change in how a business operates. Processes that were first put in place 20 years ago, in the age of paperwork, can be updated to incorporate today's global data access technology. For this reason, business process reengineering is typically accompanied by the development of new internal technology systems. Thus, general knowledge of the state of the technology market can be very helpful when undertaking BPR and it is not unusual for technology professionals to often find themselves on BPR teams. What kinds of people benefit from this course and why? Attendees come from a wide variety of positions within their organizations, but are most typically from the ranks of middle to upper management. Some are considering or embarking on a business reengineering project; others are just evaluating the process. The mix of background and experience adds greatly to the workshops, where attendees often learn much from the war stories of their colleagues. Do I need a technical background to benefit from this course? A technical background is not assumed for this course. However, an awareness of technical issues is helpful, especially when discussing technology innovation and the effect of these on reengineering. Knowledge of business operations and business practice is also helpful. Is this course conceptual or practical in its approach? The course concentrates on the practicalities and basics of business process reengineering and not on academic theories or philosophy. It includes proven techniques for business process reengineering and introduces some revolutionary concepts. The basic approach consists of eight distinct phases which form the CLAMBRE (Customer Led Analytic Method for Business Reengineering) framework. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used as the standard modeling notation throughout the course, supplemented by additional matrix and checklist techniques. Will I learn about software tools that facilitate reengineering? The course includes demonstrations of reengineering software tools, during which you learn the capabilities and limitations of these tools. Software tools such as Rational ROSE, Together Control Center, ERWIN, System Architect, CASEWISE Modeler, and others are available for demonstration. How much time is spent on each topic? Time spent on the eight phases of the CLAMBRE/UML framework is shown below: Content Hours Phase 1: Establishing scope 3.0 Phase 2: Targeting the customer 3.0 Phase 3: Modeling the business process 3.0 Phase 4: Analyzing the business structure 3.0 Phase 5: Creating the business opportunity 3.0 Phase 6: Redesigning the business process 3.0 Phase 7: Refining the customer experience 2.5 Phase 8: Rolling out the new process 2.5 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. What are the course workshops like? The course contains several workshops that reinforce the material presented in lecture. Workshops involve both group and individual effort. There is at least one workshop each morning and each afternoon. Workshops simulate real-life reengineering problems and are used as platforms for practicing techniques, discussing issues and raising concerns. Does the course use any particular formalism or notation? Yes, the course uses UML (Unified Modeling Language), which is an internationally agreed upon standard for modeling both business and software systems. There's great benefit in using UML for business modeling. It provides an easy migration towards a detailed description of a supporting software system. Thus, both business modelers and software modelers can now communicate effectively using a common notation. How is UML used? CLAMBRE makes use of the UML for mapping out business processes. You learn how to read and interpret UML diagrams with the twin goals of understanding the business process and producing a new design for the customer. Use case diagrams assist in defining scope; activity diagrams with swim lanes are used to map out the overall information and control flow. Domain and structure is modeled using class diagrams; and workflow is shown using collaboration or sequence diagrams. Is this course applicable to a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification? Yes. Although this course is not designed as preparation for the exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward PMI's PMP certification. For those who are currently certified, completion of this course counts as 23 professional development units (60 units must be completed every three years to maintain certification). For more details, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A. If you are an experienced project manager intending to take the PMP exam, you should take Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam. In this course you learn essential PMBOK® Guide terminology, tools and techniques. You gain practical test-taking experience through PMI-style practice exams and create your own personal study plan for continued use after the course. Is this course approved by the IIBA? Yes. Learning Tree is an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). This course has been approved by the IIBA as supporting core concepts and knowledge outlined by IIBA's Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). This course also counts toward the 21 hours of professional development required to take the Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAPTM) exam. The IIBA, an independent, nonprofit professional association for business analysts, created the BABOK, which is a collection of knowledge for professional business analysts. The BABOK reflects what is current generally accepted practice and describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? Successful business process reengineering often involves the implementation of new information technologies. Learning Tree International offers courses both in technology implementation and management skills required to reengineer and to change business process. Courses of particular interest include: 322, Systems Analysis and Design: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction is of interest to those who wish to model and design software systems to support their newly designed business processes 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success applies real-world techniques to specify, elicit, analyze, validate and manage the requirements that create a framework for project success 211, Introduction to Business Analysis: Defining Successful Projects is valuable to those who need to apply the knowledge and skills of the business analyst role within their organization 424, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction offers a foundation in the concepts, modeling, design and implementation of SOA 294, Influence Skills: Getting Results Without Direct Authority focuses on the specific skills, behaviors and attitudes that enable you to achieve desired results without relying on the use of authority 284, Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving leverages your personal thinking preferences, and those of your colleagues, using tools and techniques based on cutting-edge, whole-brain technologies The following courses may also be of interest: 187, ITIL® v2: Achieving Foundation Certification  188, ITIL® v2: Change, Configuration and Release Management Practitioner Certification  189, ITIL® v2: Service Desk, Incident and Problem Management Practitioner Certification

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