Business Process Change

by Paul Harmon

I recently spent some time interviewing individuals involved in the Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger. These individuals were responsible for comparing processes at the two companies and then selecting which would be used after the merger. One problem involved defining what each company was doing. (Of course, in large companies, it isn't just a matter of defining what they are doing in one area or domain, but of defining how different offices throughout the world are handling similar problems.) Another problem involved defining the applications they were using to perform specific subprocesses, comparing the applications, and selecting which were to remain and which were to be turned off.