Twenty-five years after management guru Michael Hammer popularized the concept of business process re-engineering, companies large and small are at it again -- only this time around with a few significant twists. Chief among them is the re-engineering of the IT organization itself.
Unlike the mega-projects of the 1990s that spanned multiple years and revolved around big, honking ERP systems that cost millions and produced disappointing results, today's process re-engineering initiatives feature multiple, quick-hit projects, many born out of pocket innovation labs within IT.
The methodologies are also different. Forget color-coded Gantt charts and waterfall development techniques. Today, it's all about lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and agile development.
In a nutshell, today's re-engineering is not a one-time event. Rather, it's an ongoing endeavor that involves continually refining and enhancing the hundreds of end-to-end steps involved in developing new products, acquiring and retaining customers, and making money. What it's not about is the software that automates these steps.
