Integrated and modular design of an optimized process architecture

Global economic integration increased the complexity of business activities, so organizations are forced to become more efficient each day. Process organization is a very useful way of aligning organizational systems towards business processes. However, an organization must do more than just focus its attention and efforts on processes. The layout design has also a significant impact on the system performance. We contribute to this field by developing a tailored process-oriented organizational structure and new layout design for the quality assurance of a leading German automotive manufacturer. The target concept we developed was evaluated by process owners and an IT-based process simulation. Our results provide solid empirical back-up in which the performance and effects are assesse d from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.