An experimental study of process representation approaches and their impact on perceived modeling quality and redesign success
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of research is to examine the communication optimization theory by comparing two business process representation approaches and related redesign guidelines through an experiment.
Design/methodology/approach
The experiment examined two process representation approaches involving 114 subjects. Each method gravitated around a different business process representation – one placed emphasis on business process activities and their sequencing, and the other on the web of communication interactions found in business processes.
Findings
The key finding was that an emphasis on a communication‐oriented view of processes seems to increase perceived modeling quality and redesign success.
Research limitations/implications
Data were collected from various information systems classes at a university. The participants were not redesign team members in an actual organizational redesign project. Future studies should focus on the characteristics of the designers.
Practical implications
The findings should allow managers and practitioners involved in operational‐level process redesign to acknowledge and focus on the flow of information rather than just the activities performed or at least determine a balance between these two approaches. Further, the information system developers and designers should be able to better align information systems design with business processes techniques. Using communication flow methodologies in the analysis stage should significantly help the design and the development processes.
Originality/value
This research was one of the first experimental studies to test the communication flow optimization theory and its effect on business process redesign.
Keywords
Citation
Danesh, A. and Kock, N. (2005), "An experimental study of process representation approaches and their impact on perceived modeling quality and redesign success", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 724-735. https://doi.org/10.1108/14637150510630882
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited