IS/IT-architectures & Precesses - What it takes from an IS/IT-architecture to support a process oriented organization

Abstract

Organizations today have to deal with increasing competition and customer demands, and one effect that this has on an organization is that it has to be flexible, to be able to adapt to new situations quickly. One way to increase the speed and flexibility within a company is to work process oriented instead of having isolated functions. This structure, i.e. the process oriented, has to be supported by an equally flexible flow of information, and this in turn puts great pressure on the IS/IT-architecture, i.e. how to support the transfer and storage of information. It is this situation that is the subject for this thesis, i.e. what does it take from an IS/IT-architecture to support a process oriented organization? In order to answer this, there are lots of factors to consider. For example, what should the systems structure be like? how are roles and responsibilities affected? is there a need for standardization or centralization/decentralization? what about terminology? etc. To try to answer these questions, and to reach a conclusion, this thesis is an empirical study that builds upon real-life facts , opinions and experiences in combination with a number of established theories. Astra is our case study, and this is a company where this is a relevant issue, since the company is moving from a functional towards a process oriented structure. The answer to our research question suggests that all the above factors, plus some more, are absolutely critical in order to reach success. But, they also can cause serious problems if not managed properly. Consequently, this is an issue of great complexity, and it does indeed deserve thorough consideration within all companies that want to work process oriented and with the appropriate support from IS/IT.