Hi, i am extremely new to the area of Project Management. I have just been asked to provide Project Management Services to a Business Process Reengineering Project.
Being a novice in this area, i would appreciate if anyone of us could share their experience in managing a consultancy project. Please HELP!! Saving Changes...
Business Process Re-Engineering in its true sense can be a major challenge for the uninitiated. Knowing when to ask for help is a good first step.
You have two major areas to concern yourself with. (1) The Re-Engineering activity itself, and (2) Management of the enterprise as they come to grips with changes. In essence, you're into "Project" as well as "Program" Management. As with most other earth-shattering events, commitment for these initiatives starts at the top.
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Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
If you are doing project management of an existing plan then managing reengineering projects is the same as managing any project that has cross-functional participants. However the more you understand about reengineering and process improvement the more credible you will be. If you are being asked to organize, develop and manage a reengineering that is all together different. That would require that you or someone on your team be expert in process improvement / reengineering. I suggest that you bone up on reengineering; read some books, find a mentor. There are a number of books on the subject and most can be found on amazon. I would search on keywords like “process improvement”, “reengineering”, “Six Sigma”, and “Helix Factor”. Also look in the PI department here at gantthead. The articles and discussions could be a good source of knowledge for you. The books will vary from academic to the more pragmatic “How To”. You will find that few have actually spent decades in the practice of reengineering. You will also find that the theories and opinions on how to achieve breakthrough results. So as you read apply some good old common sense. Since most reengineering efforts are based on a specific methodology it is hard to find generic project templates. Good Luck. Saving Changes...
Your biggest challenge is at the end of the implementation of new system, where the REAL BPR takes place. The key word is the management of user expectations. Most users tend to compare the new process with their existing one, and most don't realise that with the new system in place, many things might change, and in all likelyhood, they may find themselves in a totally new environment, or worst, losing their job.
As in normal project management, the biggest challenge is the human factor, as long as this part of expectation management is not handled properly, and your users resist the new system, your BPR project will fall apart.
