Technovation 19 (1999) 571–581 www.elsevier.com/locate/technovation Business Process Reengineering A review of recent literature Peter O’Neill, Amrik S. Sohal * Department of Management, Monash University, P.O. Box 197, Caulfield East, Vic. 3145, Australia Received 2 January 1999; accepted 13 March 1999 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to help demystify the confusion on Business Process Reengineering (BPR). This is achieved through a review of the literature covering the period from the late 1980s to 1998. Articles published in the leading business journals and the more popular business magazines were included in the review, as well as books published on the topic. The paper first discusses the need for reengineering and then reviews the literature under the following headings: definition of BPR, BPR tools and techniques, BPR and TQM co-existence, understanding organisational processes, the reengineering challenge, and organisational redesign using BPR. The review shows that considerable confusion exists as to exactly what constitutes BPR. Authors place different emphasis on the definition of BPR and the many outcomes possible with BPR. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research relating to BPR.  1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Business Process Reengineering; Literature review; Total Quality Management; Organisational processes 1. Introduction For almost a decade now there has been considerable discussion in the literature on Business Process Reengin- eering (BPR) and today there still remains considerable confusion, particularly amongst managers, as to exactly what constitutes BPR and how it is different from other change initiatives such as Total Quality Management. This paper presents a review of the existing literature on BPR and based on the literature review, proposes a num- ber of topics that can be developed as potential research projects. The aim is to provide the reader with an under- standing of what constitutes BPR and to assist in the better adoption of BPR amongst businesses. The review covered articles published in the leading academic jour- nals and professional business magazines as well as covering books that are commercially available. The per- iod covered was from the late 1980s to 1998. A further aim of this paper is to identify areas for future research. Over 100 references are cited and listed at the end of this paper. In reviewing the literature, we * Corresponding author. Tel.: + 61-3-9903-2033; fax: + 61-3- 9903-2979; e-mail: amrik.sohal@buseco.monash.edu.au 0166-4972/99/$ - see front matter  1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII:S0166-4972(99)00059-0 identified six major issues worthy of discussion in this paper. These are: 1. The definition of BPR. This section examines a num- ber of definitions of BPR and the kinds of companies that undertake reengineering projects. 2. BPR tools and techniques. This section identifies the common tools and techniques used in reengineering business processes. 3. BPR and TQM co-existence. This section examines the similarities between BPR and TQM and their co- existence in an organisation. 4. Understanding organisational processes. This section discusses the importance of understanding the whole process. 5. The reengineering challenge. This section identifies the major management challenges relating to BPR. 6. Organisational design using BPR. This section dis- cusses the redesign of processes and some of the risks perceived in embarking on a BPR programme. Before discussing the above issues, the paper first dis- cusses the radical changes that are taking place in busi- nesses and in the market place. The need for a different approach to process management and the need for reen- gineering are also discussed. The paper ends with some