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Chapter 28
Designing Innovative Business Systems through Reengineering

Tom Beckman


CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Business Reengineering
2.1. Reengineering Methodology
  2.2. Business System
  2.3. Infrastructure Elements
  2.4. Reengineering Life Cycle
3. Design Concepts
3.1. Design Process
  3.2. Requirements
  3.3. Constraints
  3.4. Design Realization and Optimization
  3.5. Design Guidelines
  3.6. Generic Design Model
4. Reengineering Design
4.1. Reengineering Design Process
  4.2. Reengineering Design Levels
  4.3. Sources of Design Ideas
  4.4. Customer Analysis Process
  4.5. Types of Customers
  4.6. Transforming Customer Needs into Business Requirements
5. Expert System Concepts
5.1. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR)
  5.2. Rule-Based Systems (RBS)
  5.3. Model-Based Reasoning (MBR)
6. Approaches to Identifying Expert System Applications
6.1. Knowledge-Intensive Organizational Functions Approach
  6.2. Knowledge-Intensive Work Activities Approach
  6.3. Business System Components Approach
  6.4. ES Generic Task Approach
7. Business Applications of Expert Systems
7.1. Product Applications of Expert Systems
  7.2. Customer Service Applications of Expert Systems
  7.3. Process Applications of Expert Systems
  7.4. Management Applications of Expert Systems
  7.5. Workforce Applications of Expert Systems
  7.6. Expertise Applications of Expert Systems
8. The Future of Expert Systems in Business -- Achieving the Ideal Enterprise
8.1. Stage 1: IS and IT Infrastructure
  8.2. Stage 2: Knowledge Repositories
  8.3. Stage 3: Automated and Support ES Applications
  8.4. Stage 4: IPSS and Knowledge Discovery
References

1. INTRODUCTION

The potential today for applying ES in business settings is unparalleled. This author believes that promising ES applications for business can now be systematically and comprehensively uncovered. By integrating the perspectives and strengths from three disciplines -- business reengineering, design, and expert systems -- a particularly fertile environment and framework can be created for designing innovative business systems.

In business reengineering, an entire business system, or large segment, is radically redesigned. Many of the best opportunities for making dramatic improvements in organizational performance come from applying information technology (IT), often in the form of ES. Conversely, by adding reengineering and design techniques to their arsenal, IT and ES developers can solve one of their most vexing problems: how to determine design specifications that are stable, comprehensive, and satisfy their customers. By focusing on customer and organizational needs, complexes of ES with strategic value can be developed, some of which may provide lasting competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, these potential gains from applying ES have been overlooked by many in the business and consulting communities. There are a number of reasons for this:

  • Lack of knowledge
  • Fear of the technology
  • Distrust and disbelief in the benefits of ES
  • Inability to identify promising ES applications
  • Inability to define business, IT, and ES requirements and constraints
  • Inability to design the business and IT systems

As a result, the use of ES to achieve dramatic performance improvements, increases in customer value, and sustainable competitive advantage has been bypassed.

More specifically, this chapter addresses the following areas:

  • Business reengineering concepts that encompass the business system and methodology
  • Design concepts and reengineering methods that produce requirements and constraints
  • Expert system concepts that help define the problem and select the best application type
  • Approaches to identifying promising ES applications
  • Examples of ES applications that help create innovative business systems
  • Achieving the ideal enterprise through a long-term transition process


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