Business process reengineering: a primer for the Marine Corps' process owner

Abstract

As the defense establishment downsizes, it has turned to the private sector to model its methods for improved productivity. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a technique used by the private sector to achieve order of magnitude improvements in organizational performance by leveraging information technology to enable the holistic redesign of business processes. This thesis provides a guide to the methods and tools used during BPR, and presents a practical way for Marine Corps' leaders to establish and direct a reengineering effort. Instruction is provided on the basics of how to establish a strategic direction, organize the reengineering team, and analyze business processes through the use of process-maps, flowcharts, Integrated Definition for Function (IDEFO) models, Activity-Based Costing (ABC), and value-added assessment. Approaches and principles useful during the development of the new process are discussed, as well as benchmarking and the factors leading to process implementation and organizational change. Recommendations are made for further reading