Restrictions in process design: A case study on workflows in healthcare

Abstract

Automating existing processes is as paving cow path compared to major business process reengineering. However, this rather radical approach is not suitable for all business fields. It requires the freedom to modify organizational structures and free core business processes from non-value adding activities. In sectors like healthcare, there are a variety of legal restrictions and treatment guidelines practitioners have to comply with. Hence, freedom to reorganize the organization and to omit non-value adding activities is heavily compromised. In this paper we present findings from a case study that exemplify restrictions in process reorganization and suggest utilizing more moderate approaches to process management. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.