Learner outcome: Analyze business processes in an organization and propose workflow and software solutions to increase efficiency and achieve business goals.

Course: ICT 505 Info Systems for Enterprise | 3 cr. | Spring 2024

Artifact: 

In spring 2024, I took a course called Information Systems for Enterprise. For the final project, I examined a specific business process for an organization to contribute to their goals of aligning processes across regions, increasing patient access, and improving both patient experience and quality outcomes. The project steps included first identifying the key problems, opportunities, and overall goals, then thoroughly documenting the current state of the process, and finally designing a future state. To achieve this desired future state, a technological solution was needed. I researched Microsoft Power BI to evaluate its features, assess the feasibility of its implementation, and determine if it would meet the goals and objectives. I wrote a paper that concludes with a detailed implementation plan for successfully transitioning to the future state.

Work sample: 

Patient Experience Data Reporting (paper)

Current State Process Map (image)

Future State Process Map (image)

Self-Reflection:

What did you learn?

I learned how to identify and discuss current and future trends associated with information systems for the enterprise.

I learned how to evaluate and utilize contemporary information systems products/solutions, specifically by researching and assessing the feasibility of Microsoft Power BI to meet specific organizational goals.

I gained the ability to analyze the information system needs of an enterprise and recommend solutions based on identified needs and goals, such as increasing patient access and improving quality outcomes. This involved learning to apply system design principles by analyzing the design processes of two regions within the organization, identifying their similarities and differences, and providing a research/evidence-based rationale for the chosen design model.

I learned how to go through a full design cycle, guided by process reengineering frameworks like Michael Hammer’s seven principles and the BPI model by Rohleder and Silver. This taught me how to move from a detailed current state gap analysis to designing an effective future state process map, resulting in benefits like time savings and increased accuracy. I also learned how to structure a complete implementation plan to transition from analysis to execution.

How did you learn this?

I learned this by completing a comprehensive project throughout the semester that was broken down into ten steps. The learning was achieved by moving from high-level problem identification to a detailed, implementable solution. Steps:

1. Identify the organization setting.

2. Identify the organization’s problems, opportunities, and goals.

3. Understand the impacts of the problem and the benefits of achieving the goals.

4. Document the current state with a process map.

5. Analyze the current state through a gap analysis and measurement.

6. Design the future state with a process map and summary.

7. Detail future state design influences. In this section, I explained the methodology used, how the future state differs from the current, and how it achieves the goals and objectives, including current state similarities/differences, future state objectives, and future state ramifications.

8. Conduct software research.

9. Compile my recommendations and solution.

10. Develop an implementation plan.

What were some challenges that you overcame?

One challenge was finding a single technological solution that would work for two regions within the organization, given that they both use different processes and have different maturity levels for software like Power BI.

Another challenge involved taking the time to fully understand the current state in detail, including how and why each step was being done, and its estimated time duration. I overcame this by documenting the process and visualizing it with Visio. The current state gap analysis & measurement was helpful here, as I analyzed the average time to complete each process step to determine the baseline, which allowed me to quantify time savings in the future state.

A third major challenge was determining the best approach to tackle the project and follow a structured process. To overcome this, I used Michael Hammer’s seven principles of business process reengineering as a guide. Four principles were particularly helpful: 

• Have those who use the output of the process perform the process

• Treat geographically dispersed resources as though they were centralized

• Capture data once and at the source

• Put the decision point where the work is performed and build controls into the process

I also used a business process improvement model by Thomas Rohleder and Edward Silver to guide the overarching project steps, which included:

1. Identify goals and objectives; assemble team

a. Problem statement

2. Compile process inventory, select a process

a. Data mapping

3. Define and understand the process

a. Current state process map

4. Analyze and measure the process

a. Gap analysis and measurement

5. Improve the process

a. Business process reengineering

b. Future state process map

c. Technology recommendation

How will you apply this information in the future?

The knowledge gained from this course provides a structured framework that I can apply to my current and future roles to examine business processes throughout an organization and propose solutions to improve efficiency.

I now have practical experience following process improvement and reengineering frameworks to guide an approach to solving enterprise-level problems. I can apply Michael Hammer's principle to design business processes that achieve organizational goals like aligning processes across different regions, increasing efficiency, and improving quality outcomes. My ability to research and evaluate contemporary solutions like Microsoft Power BI demonstrates I can recommend appropriate technological tools to achieve identified enterprise goals.

I have gained experience with process mapping in Visio and conducting a current state gap analysis, which allows me to determine the baseline of performance. By analyzing the current state against the desired future state while accounting for organizational goals and constraints, I can quantify the expected benefits, such as monthly time savings. This enables me to present findings to leaders, supporting informed decision-making about necessary process improvement initiatives.

I learned how to analyze the information system needs of an enterprise and recommend solutions that are with strategic goals. I can now evaluate the feasibility of implementing new systems and provide a research-based rationale, ensuring that any recommended changes are grounded in evidence and directly contribute to organizational success.

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