BPR in support of electronic commerce: a case study

Inter-organisational Electronic Commerce (E-Comm) applications have become an increasingly common vehicle for facilitating communication and information exchange between firms. However, the decision for business process change to support a shared process infrastructure between partners may have unforeseen consequences. It should therefore be taken only after careful consideration of possible implications and pitfalls. In this paper we present a real-life case study of E-Comm investment evaluation, where computer-based models of the business processes to be supported by E-Comm applications were developed. The models were then dynamically simulated to assist the companies involved in gaining insight on the real benefits and dangers associated with the planned business change. Drawing on the results of the case study, we discuss the potential of Business Process Modelling and Simulation to support assessment of E-Comm business value