Improve Performance Management in Flexible Business Processes

The performance of business processes is evaluated and mon- itored with the aim of identifying whether strategic and operational goals are being achieved. Most approaches about performance measurement have been de ned over traditional highly repetitive and well-structured processes. However, cur- rent organizational and business needs have encouraged the appearance of customizable processes to manage collections of process variants derived from a process, and loosely speci- ed processes to manage non-repeatable and unpredictable processes. However, current techniques of performance mea- surement have not evolved to the same pace that business processes, thus generating a gap between processes and the measurement of their performance. The thesis introduced in this paper, is focused on enhancing the performance mea- surement of business processes by means of the improvement of existing techniques for the de nition of process perfor- mance indicators and their applicability to different types of processes. With this purpose a set of artifacts, including a metamodel, notations, tools and methodologies will be developed. They will be validated by means of case studies based on real scenarios.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-70560-RJunta de Andalucía P12-TIC-1867Junta de Andalucía P10-TIC-590

Project Management Performance Assessment in the Non-Profit Sector

As the non-profit sector becomes increasingly dependent on projects to achieve its strategic goals, the use of formal project management processes can help to demonstrate to stakeholders that an organisation is taking steps to improve its performance. However the adoption of processes drawn from the for-profit sector does not always yield the desired results. In particular existing performance management systems and quality management systems are unsuitable for the implementation, measurement, and improvement of project management practices in the sector. A new model is therefore proposed for non-profit project management performance assessment. This is based on a conceptual analysis of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) business excellence model, a project management performance assessment model used primarily in for-profit environments, and an assessment of criteria particular to non-profit organisations. The model is multi-dimensional, flexible, and accounts for multiple stakeholder views. After using it, non-profit organisations can reflect on their performance, create an improvement plan, and use the model again to test their progress

THE SIX SIGMA SYSTEM IN RELATION TO THE BUSINESS' STRATEGY AND PRIORITIES

Now more than ever, corporations the world over are scrambling to redefine the processes, techniques, and strategies they need to survive in an age of uncertainty. Businesses today seek an effective corporate performance measurement system to maximize the bottom line. With the advent of the Internet, ongoing globalization, and standardization in management systems, business leaders must focus on how to measure performance to monitor their continued viability and success. Many existing performance measurement systems were designed to support business practices and to monitor progress. With shrinking margins and competitive pressures, however, corporate performance measurement systems must do more than monitor. They must identify opportunities for optimizing profitability and growth, without pitting one against the other. The idea is to use performance measures to add value, instead of simply measuring for a formality. The Six Sigma method is not only a trendy "new solution", it is not a business whim linked to a single method or strategy - the study trying to draw attention to the fact that Six Sigma is a flexible system to improve the management and the performance of companies. The research paper seeks to demonstrate that the Six Sigma method refers to both the passion for customer service and a drive for new ideas, and to statistics and processing numbers, finding application in the fields of marketing, services, human resources, finance and sales, as well as in production and engineering.Six Sigma method, quality, performance measurement, profitability, growth

SOA and BPM, a Partnership for Successful Organizations

In order to stay effective and competitive, companies have to be able to adapt themselves to permanent market requirements, to improve constantly their business process, to act as flexible and proactive economic agents. To achieve these goals, the IT systems within the organization have to be standardized and integrated, in order to provide fast and reliable data access to users both inside and outside the company. A proper system architecture for integrating company's IT assets is a service oriented one. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an IT architectural style that allows integration of the company’s business as linked, repeatable tasks called services. A subject closely related to SOA is Business Process Management (BPM), an approach that aims to improve business processes. The paper also presents some aspects of this topic, as well as the relationship between SOA and BPM. They complement each other and help companies improve their business performance

New service development in high tech sectors: a decision making perspective

Many service companies active in high tech sectors have implemented largely decentralized decision architectures in their innovation processes. This is done to improve responsiveness under extremely dynamic and uncertain business conditions. As a consequence of the empowerment of decision-makers at the product management level, the success of the New Service Development (NSD) process will increasingly depend on individual product managers’ information processing and decision-making performance. The present study investigates antecedents of decision-making effectiveness in the high tech NSD process, and reports on a case study performed in the mobile telecommunication services industry. NSD project managers’ unique task conditions are articulated, and some antecedents and moderators of effective decision-making are identified in a study of four innovation projects. Findings are integrated in a theoretical framework. The study reveals the crucial role of decision-makers’ flexible use of various cognitive styles, their proactive attitude, and their capability to mentally represent innovation interfaces with the customer, the technology and the firm. Managerial implications and suggestions for further research are provided.management and organization theory ;

Rethinking the business process through reengineering

In management, there are many management approaches that make it possible to increase the performance indicators of the enterprise. At the same time, the priority direction of the development of enterprises is the implementation of innovative activities. To achieve success in this area, companies are changing management approaches, organizational structures and business models. However, in the conditions of constant aggravation of the competitive struggle, the achievement of high indicators of the enterprise's activity is best ensured by the reengineering of business processes. The innovativeness of reengineering lies in the fact that it combines the use of the prerogatives of computer technologies, human resource management technologies and changes in business processes. In the current economic conditions, the speed of reaction of all subsystems of the enterprise and the efficiency of operations are of particular importance and are a necessary condition for its effective functioning in the conditions of constantly intensifying competition. In this situation, reengineering is the most effective, because it contributes to increasing the efficiency of the enterprise by changing the business model it uses. Therefore, the study of reengineering procedures, its principles and tasks is relevant in today's conditions. The purpose of the study is to generalize theoretical approaches to the main principles, types and tasks of business process reengineering as a tool for effective enterprise management. The methodological basis of the study was the work of domestic and foreign scientists on the problems of reengineering and change management of enterprises. Business process reengineering is a thorough rethinking and radical redesign of business processes of enterprises that want to significantly improve their performance. . It is used when it is necessary to make a reasoned decision about the reorganization of activities: radical transformations, business restructuring, replacement of existing management structures with new ones, etc. Thanks to the effective use of business process reengineering tools, it is possible to make the enterprise more flexible to changes in the external environment and more stable in competitive conditions. Thus, the reengineering of business processes involves a decisive, fundamental restructuring of business processes and the foundations of the management organization in order to significantly increase the competitiveness of the enterprise on the market and significantly increase the efficiency of the enterprise as a whole system

Work Organisation and Innovation

[Excerpt] Innovations in work organisation have the potential to optimise production processes in companies and improve employees’ overall experience of work. This report explores the links between innovations in work organisation – under the broader label of high performance work practices (HPWPs) – and the potential benefits for both employees and organisations. It draws on empirical evidence from case studies carried out in 13 Member States of the European Union where workplace innovations have resulted in positive outcomes

Manufacturing in the 1990s - productivity, flexibility and innovation

The article outlines the evolution of large multinationals as a result of the appearance of new market demands. Companies having to meet specific market demands, are shown to possess certain characteristics, related to the market demands concerned. The analysis shows that innovativeness will, in all probability, be the new market demand in the 1990s, in addition to the already existing ones of efficiency, quality and flexibility. Descriptions of ideal types illustrate the evolution of companies as they move from the Efficient Firm to the Quality Firm on to the Flexible Firm to, finally, the Innovative Firm. The phase model also includes the symptoms of crisis, when moving from one phase to another. Skipping phases appears to be difficult, if not impossible. The same holds true for moving to the next phase, while the organization has not finished with the preceding phase

Increasing Representation of Women on Private Sector Boards in Scotland

No abstract available

The impact of external market factors on operational practices and performance of companies

The links between operational practices and performance are well studied in the literature, both theoretically and empirically. However, mostly internal factors are inspected more closely as the basis of operational performance, even if the impact of external, environmental factors is often emphasized. Our research fills a part of this existing gap in the literature. We examine how two environmental factors, market dynamism and competition impact the use of some operational practices (such as quality improvement, product development, automation, etc.) and the resulting operations and business performance. The method of path analysis is used. Data were acquired through an international survey (IMSS – International Manufacturing Strategy Survey), which was executed in 2005, in 23 participating countries in so called "innovative" industries (ISIC 28-35) with a sample of 711 firms. Results show that both market dynamism and competition have large impact on business performance, but the indirect effects, through operations practices are rather weak compared to direct ones. The most influential practices are from the area of process and control, and quality management