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Applying systems thinking in business process re-engineering for information technology projects: a case study of the university in South Africa.

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2019

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Abstract

This study was a qualitative case study which examined strategies of infusing systems thinking in business process re-engineering (BPR) on information technology (IT) projects at a public university in South Africa. The university seeks to effectively cope with complex and messy situations in pursuit of process improvement by enabling holistic and systematic problem solving for sustainable solutions for BPR IT projects. The university under study relies on IT projects to enable seamless services to the university community while providing education digitally and effortlessly to all the university stakeholders such as students. This study contributed to understanding the interrelatedness, interconnectedness and interdependency of parts of the university as a system-in-focus, and that the sub-optimisation of one part may cripple other parts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and document analysis and the data collected were analysed in themes. This project added value in BPR IT projects when the projects are initiated and implemented by incorporate systems thinking. The study has also highlighted the inability of reductionism to deal with complexity, change, unpredictability and uncertainty. As new managerialism continues to be infused in public institutions such as the universities, the study has assisted in enhancing our understanding of how complex the university is. This historical but paradigmatic study, which promoted creative holism, has contributed through its findings and recommendations, to the body of knowledge on the re-engineering of business processes in IT projects in order to reduce challenges experienced when initiating and implementing BPR projects in the public university in South Africa. Given these issues, the study recommends that systems thinking should be infused with BPR IT projects at the public university in South Africa, to effectively deal with the complex challenges faced by BPR IT projects at the public university.

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Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.

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