the steps. Instead of passing the task on to numerous people, one person does the entire process, resulting in greater speed and customer responsiveness. • Have those who use the outcomes of the process perform the process . With the use of information technology many simple tasks are now automated so the person who needs the outcome should be empowered to perform it. Hammer provides the following example. Instead of having every department in the company use a purchasing department to order supplies, have the supplies ordered directly by those who need the supplies using an information system. • Merge information processing work into the real work that produces the information . When one part of the company creates information, such as sales information or payment information, it should be processed by that same department. There is no need for one part of the company to process information created in another part of the company. • Treat geographically dispersed resources as though they were centralized . With the communications technologies available today, it becomes easier than ever to focus on physical location. A multinational organization does not need separate support departments (such as IT, purchasing, etc.) for each location anymore. • Link parallel activities instead of integrating their results . Departments that work in parallel should be sharing data and communicating with each other during a process instead of waiting until each group is done and then comparing notes. The outdated concept of only linking outcomes results in re- work, increased costs, and delays. • Put the decision points where the work is performed, and build controls into the process . The people who do the work should have decision making authority and the process itself should have built-in controls using information technology. Today’s workforce is more educated and knowledgeable than in the past so providing workers with information technology can result in the employees controlling their processes. Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019) pg. 172
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