Abstract for: A System Dynamics Model for Business Process Change Projects

At present, companies are confronted with a rapidly changing environment that is characterized by high market pressure and technological development, which results in shorter delivery times, lower development costs, and increasingly complex business processes. Companies must be continuously prepared to adapt to changes to remain competitive and profitable. Thus, many companies are undergoing significant business process change (BPC) to increase business process flexibility and enhance their performance. Various researchers have advanced the domain of BPC over the last twenty years, proposing several managerial concepts, principles, and guidelines for BPC. However, many BPC projects still fail. BPC is seen as a complex endeavor, and its decisions are shaped by many dynamic and interacting factors that are difficult to predict. Thus, this paper proposes a system dynamics simulation model that conveys the complex relationships between important constructs in BPC. The resulting model is based on results compiled from 130 BPC case studies. BPC researchers can use the proposed model as a starting point for analyzing and understanding BPC decisions under different policy changes. Practitioners will obtain a ready-to-use simulation model to make various BPC decisions.