Business Process Improvement Workbook: Documentation, Analysis, Design, and Management of Business Process Improvement
Author: H. James Harrington, Erik K. C. Esseling, Harm Van Nimwegen, Van Nimwegen, K. C. Esseling
List Price: $41.95
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ISBN: 0070267790
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Trade (01 April, 1997)
Sales Rank: 20,445
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
Not bad, could be better
I'll agree with users who feel this book is dry, dry, dry. I also have some issues with the design of the book. There were concepts that I found confusing until I drew my own flow charts -such aids could certainly have been included in the book. There were too many bulleted lists that probably should have been numbered for easier reference and ranking. Where this book shines is on the mechanics on BPI; how to organize the project and the teams (although a good project manager should know how to do this), the sequence of steps to go through, and how to organize all the collected information.What is missing from this book, in my opinion, is discussion on Risk Management and Change Management. You can document processes and manuals and forms until you're blue in the face, but in the end, you'll have to get human beings to buy into the difficult task of changing processes to reach the future state, and there is little discussion of this.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Disappointing
I found that the title was a little bit misleading as well. The word "workbook" led me to believe that there would be examples, exercises and forms to work from. Instead, the entire book is broken down into tiny sections that only DESCRIBE how or why a particular analysis or technique should be performed. Some of the information is purely common sense, and yet you are forced to read through a dry, overanalyzed, high-level description of it. For example, under the Project Documentation section, an explanation reads: "Communication. With the documentation, all those who were involved with the project can be informed about the development of the project from beginning to end." (Do you really need a book to tell you this?)
Some good suggestions and a few good examples do exist, but you must wade through time-wasting, frustrating, non-informative text before getting to them.
I think this book was nothing more than an ego booster and moneymaking scheme for a few E&Y consultants.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent structure for end to end mechanics of BPR
Provides an excellent framework for organizing and planning for BPR. The orientation is at a high level and should be adapted to your specific needs, but the overall structure discussed can be applied to large, medium and small efforts. Similar Products
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Book Index