An AHP & Survey for Selecting Workflow Management Systems

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish the important criteria to be considered in selecting the workflow solution for a particular organization’s business process reengineering project. The success of a BPR project depends on the attainment of a subtle balance between two conflicting goals—control of the core work processes and empowerment of the individual employees. This balance in turn must differ from industry to industry, due to the difference in the core processes and the organizational structure. In this study, functions of the workflow management system that were considered important for reengineering an organization were structured as an attribute hierarchy according to the analytic hierarchy process model to facilitate the choice between conflicting functions. The attribute hierarchy was evaluated through a survey conducted on representatives of South Korean firms from different industries, the results of which indicate that workflow management systems must be designed to conform to a firm’s particular managerial practices and organizational structure, which differ among industries.© 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.