A critical analysis of information technology and business process reengineering

This paper discusses the role of information technology in business process reengineering (BPR). A conceptual model has been developed to illustrate the role of information systems in BPR and the type of information systems required to integrate functional areas in manufacturing. The managers should focus more particularly on information technology (IT) which is designed for mechanising existing processes before using it as an enabling agent of BPR. It is also a major challenge for managers to eliminate forms of work that do not add value, before using technology for mechanising it. Process simplification has been a tremendous interest for managers because information system (IS) is necessary for effective management of material flows in manufacturing. The implementation of BPR using innovative application of information technology (IT) aims at flexible, team‐oriented, and cross‐functionally coordinated management. A framework has been presented in the paper for the design and development of a more effective BPR system with the help of advanced IT.