Total quality management versus business process re-engineering

Abstract

Much has been written recently on the advantages of implementing business process re-engineering (BPR) rather than total quality management (TQM). This article describes the main principles of the BPR methodology, and presents the main reasons for failure in the implementation, as focused on by various authors. A summary of the current debates on TQM versus BPR follows. The main conclusions about the differences between the two methodologies are discussed and a proposal for integrating them is offered. It is concluded that the major features for achieving success within an organization are the definition of its mission and goals, an adequate analysis of current processes and an appropriate choice of processes for improvement. This will determine whether the change has to be radical or not.