Week 9

Question 1

What is a business process?

Answer 1

A process that is focused on achieving a goal for a business

Question 2

What is workflow management (WFM)

Answer 2

Approach to define specific key steps in a process that also outlines the roles of individuals. This information can be passed from one participant to another

Question 3

What is bussines process maangement (BPM)

Answer 3

Approach to capture and improve business processes to make an organisation more efficient. This is wider than WFM as it also analyzes and aims to improve

Question 4

What is a business process management system?

Answer 4

Software system that is driven by expliit process designs to enact and manage operational business processes

Question 5

What are the main goals of business process management?

Answer 5

• To empower employees;
• Enforce best practices (example through the use of SAP);
• To ensure consistency (same process in all subsidiaries);
• Reporting

Question 6

What is business process reengineering (BPR) ?

Answer 6

• Theory by Hammer.
• Do not only analyze and improve current business processes. This can lead to copying problems.
• Dramatically redesign them from the ground to get improvements in productivity and quality

Question 7

What are the focus areas in BPR?

Answer 7

• Novel
• Radical
• Broad
• IT-Led
• Holistic

Question 8

What are the major views on Business Process Management?

Answer 8

1. Transformation of inputs to outputs (traditional)

2. Decomposition of networks and interactions

Question 9

What are the four perspectives of Business Processes by Meleao & Pidd

Answer 9

1. BP as deterministic Machine
2. BP as complex dynamic systems
3. BP as interacting feedback loops
4. BP as social constructs

Question 10

What is meant by BP as deterministic machine?

Answer 10

Business process as a fixed sequence of well-defined activities or tasks performed by ‘human machines’ that convert inputs into outputs in order to accomplish clear objectives

Question 11

What is meant by BP as complex dynamic systems?

Answer 11

A business process can then be defined as a set of subsystems: people, tasks, structure, technology, etc., which interact with each other (internal relationships) and with their environment (external relationships) in order to fulfil some objective(s). Each subsystem can be seen as a system, which can in turn be hierarchically decomposed into further levels of detail.

Question 12

What is meant by BP as interacting feedback loops?

Answer 12

This depicts a business process as flows of resources (physical or non‐physical) from outside its boundaries through transformations. The flows are regulated by policies. These actions are taken based on information, and this is where the notion of the information feedback loop comes into play.

Question 13

What is meant with BP as social constructs?

Answer 13

business processes as made and enacted by people with different values, expectations and agendas. . The focus here is on subjective and human aspects of the business process. From this standpoint, a business process can be defined in terms of different perceptions constructed by various individuals and groups as a result of different frames of interpretation.

Question 14

What are the main points in the article of Dietz about business processes?

Answer 14

Don’t only look at BP’s from a functionalist view. You should also look at the internal structure and workings of the process (white box approach). For this approach you need to look at the human aspect and the communication of them (LAP)

Question 15

What are the 5 types of IS users?

Answer 15

1. Innovators
2. Early adopters
3. Early Majority
4. Large majority
5. Laggards

Question 16

What is the difference between IT as a cost center and IT as a profit center?

Answer 16

Cost center: Provides IT services as determined by the firm at no cost
Profit center: IT determines price and quality of IT services that can be ‘sold’ to other business units.