Model-driven Enterprise Systems Configuration

Enterprise Systems potentially lead to significant efficiency gains but require a well-conducted configuration process. A promising idea to manage and simplify the configuration process is based on the premise of using reference models for this task. Our paper continues along this idea and delivers a two-fold contribution: first, we present a generic process for the task of model-driven Enterprise Systems configuration including the steps of (a) Specification of configurable reference models, (b) Configuration of configurable reference models, (c) Transformation of configured reference models to regular build time models, (d) Deployment of the generated build time models, (e) Controlling of implementation models to provide input to the configuration, and (f) Consolidation of implementation models to provide input to reference model specification. We discuss inputs and outputs as well as the involvement of different roles and validation mechanisms. Second, we present an instantiation case of this generic process for Enterprise Systems configuration based on Configurable EPCs

Application of digital technology in TQM business processes

Abstract: TQM (Total Quality Management) has become the world`s dominant quality solution in improving quality systems and continuous improvement. Industries are using the ISO 9001 standard for compliance, while other organizations practice TQM to further develop and sustain the organizational strategic goals and income growth. The revelation on the application of a quality management system and ISO 9001 has by far been the quality requirement from customers and regulators as evidence of commitment and ability of every organization. Various industries have implemented TQM to advance their quality systems in order to control and better the organizational culture. Competition within industries indicated the importance of customer satisfaction for corporate profitability and survival, where quality has become the key factor for the survival and competitiveness of a business [1]. Currently all industries have become competitive. According to Hendricks and Singhal [2], firms that have effectively implemented Total Quality Management outperform firms within the same level caliber that have not implemented total quality management in terms of cost, income, profits, total assets, number of resources and capital outlay. Aleksandrova, Vasiliev, Letuchev [3], emphasized on the integration of quality management methods with modern information technology that it may ensure competitiveness in existing organizations. Total Quality Management has only been applied in manufacturing industries but has over the years evolved into diverse business sectors to gain reputation as the main factor to achieve competitive advantage...M.Ing. (Engineering Management

Simplified literature review on the applicability of process mining to RPA

Business processes play an important role in any enterprise value chain and are involved in key activities such as the purchase of material, sales, and hiring of staff. Hence, mediumsized and large companies are inherently process-oriented. Managing business processes is yet, due to new regulations, technologies, and market changes, not a trivial task. In addition to that, the execution of business processes may be repetitive, tedious and time demanding. For this reason, there is a high motivation to automate such processes, which has been facilitated by the popularisation of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). RPA brings a cost-efficient solution for process automation along with a substantial challenge that is to decide what process to automate and how. Process Mining tools and techniques have been largely adopted to address challenges faced during RPA implementations. The goal of this work is to present the usage of Process Mining in RPA implementations through a simplified systematic literature review.Processos de negócio possuem um papel importante em qualquer cadeia de valores corporativa e estão envolvidos em atividades chave como compras de suprimentos, vendas e contratações de recursos humanos. Por esse motivo, empresas de médio e grande porte são inerentemente orientadas a processos. Devido à novas regulamentações, tecnologias e mudanças de mercado, a gestão de processos de negócio é ainda uma tarefa não trivial. Além disso, a execução de processos de negócio pode ser repetitiva, entendiante e demandar tempo. Por isso, existe uma alta motivação para automatizar processos de negócio, o que tem sido facilitado pela popularização da Automação de Processos Robóticos (Robotic Process Automation - RPA). RPA provê uma solução eficiente em custo para automação de processos e trás desafios no âmbito das escolhas de quais precessos automatizar e como. As ferramentas e metodologias de Mineração de Processos têm sido amplamente utilizadas para endereçar os desafios provenietes de implementações de RPA. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar as aplicações da Mineração de Processos em RPA, através de uma revisão sistemática simplificada da literatura

Managing enterprise information: meeting performance and conformance objectives in a changing information environment

This paper presents the findings of an in-depth survey to examine the current status of enterprise information management (EIM) in organizations. The survey explores five key areas: drivers and capabilities of EIM; current status of EIM strategies; EIM content and technologies; EIM and compliance; and the changing role of the information professional. The survey reveals that the drivers for EIM cannot be simply reduced to a series of technical or organizational needs and that EIM is a complex sociotechnical phenomenon. A fine balance is required to achieve business performance objectives whilst at the same time also meeting conformance requirements. To date, few organizations have implemented enterprise-wide EIM strategies; however those who do have them are better able to keep track of, and achieve, performance objectives. In terms of technologies and content the landscape is complex with organizations focusing their efforts into managing and reducing this complexity. Finally information management work is changing; the survey reveals EIM as a multi-stakeholder activity requiring the combination of a wide range of professional groups, skills and knowledge. The survey findings provide the basis for further research investigations in supporting organization in their EIM initiatives

Managing enterprise information: meeting performance and conformance objectives in a changing information environment

This paper presents the findings of an in-depth survey to examine the current status of enterprise information management (EIM) in organizations. The survey explores five key areas: drivers and capabilities of EIM; current status of EIM strategies; EIM content and technologies; EIM and compliance; and the changing role of the information professional. The survey reveals that the drivers for EIM cannot be simply reduced to a series of technical or organizational needs and that EIM is a complex sociotechnical phenomenon. A fine balance is required to achieve business performance objectives whilst at the same time also meeting conformance requirements. To date, few organizations have implemented enterprise-wide EIM strategies; however those who do have them are better able to keep track of, and achieve, performance objectives. In terms of technologies and content the landscape is complex with organizations focusing their efforts into managing and reducing this complexity. Finally information management work is changing; the survey reveals EIM as a multi-stakeholder activity requiring the combination of a wide range of professional groups, skills and knowledge. The survey findings provide the basis for further research investigations in supporting organization in their EIM initiatives

Addressing information flow in lean production management and control in construction

Traditionally, production control on construction sites has been a challenging area, where the ad-hoc production control methods foster uncertainty - one of the biggest enemies of efficiency and smooth production flow. Lean construction methods such as the Last Planner System have partially tackled this problem by addressing the flow aspect through means such as constraints analysis and commitment planning. However, such systems have relatively long planning cycles to respond to the dynamic production requirements of construction, where almost daily if not hourly control is needed. New solutions have been designed by researchers to improve this aspect such as VisiLean, but again these types of software systems require the proximity and availability of computer devices to workers. Given this observation, there is a need for a communication system between the field and site office that is highly interoperable and provides real-time task status information. A High-level communication framework (using VisiLean) is presented in this paper, which aims to overcome the problems of system integration and improve the flow of information within the production system. The framework provides, among other things, generic and standardized interfaces to simplify the “push” and “pull” of the right (production) information, whenever needed, wherever needed, by whoever needs it. Overall, it is anticipated that the reliability of the production control will be improve

Implementing lean in healthcare warehouse operations - evaluation of 5S best practice

Lean strategies in healthcare aim at improving patient throughput, reducing medication errors, redesigning work flow, improving patient safety, and reducing cycle time. Documented studies to improve healthcare’s warehouse operation are not common in the literature. Managing types of medical supplies has always been a priority due to demand uncertainties and the risk of shortages that would profoundly affect patient safety. This study showcases two implementation approaches for the Lean tool 5S (Hybrid and Traditional) conducted in three different hospitals’ central warehouses at Ochsner Health System. These warehouses store similar medical products with over 1000 types of supplies (e.g. syringes, gloves, primary IV) that supply different departments within hospitals and clinics. The participating warehouses faced similar problems due to over/under stocked inventories, space constraints, and poor layouts. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of implementing a Hybrid 5S (integrated with inventory management techniques and process improvement tools) along with two Traditional 5S’s to improve healthcare warehouse operations. Although the two approaches improved the baseline warehouse process, the warehouse that used the Hybrid 5S showed the greatest improvement with an increase of 59.5% in inventory turnover, 15.7% space saved, and least number of non-conformities in the 5S audit tool