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Michael Hammer defines business process reengineering in his book Reengineering the Corporation as:

Fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to bring about dramatic improvements in performance.

Hammer focuses on one of the key concepts of BPR, that it is fundamental and radical.   The alternative business improvement methodology is Continuous Process Improvement, which emphasizes small and measurable refinements to an organization's current processes and systems. Continuous process improvement has its origins in total quality management (TQM) and Six Sigma,a program that began at Motorola.

BPR, as a term and as a practice, has a tarnished history.  Reengineering became very popular in the early 1990s, however, the methodology and approach was not fully understood nor appreciated.  Many times, improvement projects labeled with the title "BPR" were poorly planned and executed.  Employees and organizations cringed at the thought of another "BPR" experience.  The term itself is being used less, or is being altered so that these types of initiatives are not associated with the "BPR" of the past.

Despite this abuse of the practice and tarnished name, the practice of redesigning business processes and the associated technology and organizational structure is more popular today than ever. Companies continue to reexamine and fundamentally change the way they do business.   Competitive pressures and a sluggish economy provide the impetus for continued efforts to "deliver more with less."  Reengineering remains an effective tool for organizations striving to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Resources that can assist you in your research in this field include:

Introduction to Business Process Reengineering

2002 Best Practices in BPR - Executive Summary

Selecting a methodology for business process reengineering

Reengineering Success Factors

Resources that can serve as practical guidelines, templates and checklists for your teams can be found in:

Best Practices in Business Process Reengineering and Process Design Benchmarking Report

Project Planning Toolkit (for new projects)

Reengineering Design Toolkit

Business Case Toolkit

Change Management Toolkit

Reengineering Toolkit Series - the series is based on research with project teams.  Each toolkit includes templates, checklists, guidelines to accelerate your project and ensure that key steps are not overlooked.

Project Planning Toolkit

Reengineering Design Toolkit

Business Case Toolkit

Change Management Toolkit