Tools for engineering the agile enterprise

This paper describes the work of the Automation & Robotics Research Institute which has as its objectives the development of a set of business process templates and enterprise design methodologies for transforming enterprises to agility and forming virtual enterprises. Business processes in three categories are studied: those processes which transform external constraints into internal constraints; those processes which acquire and prepare resources; and those processes which use resources to produce enterprise results. Research in business process templates as well as supporting methodologies in three areas is being conducted: metric development, strategic justification, and agile business process configuration. This paper presents issues related to engineering the enterprise, relevant research results accomplished to date, and implications for future research.