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New MSIS Track: BPM and Service Innovation

The Howe School announces a new management track in Business Process Management and Service Innovation as part of the Masters in Information Systems program. The new track focuses on the design and improvement of organizational processes and can be taken as either a Graduate Certificate or toward a Master of Science in Information Systems.

The BPM and SI program addresses the needs of public and private organizations with Process Management initiatives. It covers topics relevant for IT staff that is participating in BPM Projects, Business personnel involved in process modeling projects, and executives involved in process management and strategic development projects. The program is also suitable for IT organizations with BPM tool offerings and provides business-level education for sales-force personnel, technical staff, and consultants.

The program is designed around three core courses in BPM, starting with a strategy-focused module (MIS 710) that covers the transition from organizational goals to high-level process design. The next module (MIS 712) continues from the process design level and covers implementation aspects, change management, and technology platforms for Business Process support. The next module applies process management to the supply chain management domain (MIS 690). These three courses are followed by an elective that allows students to focus on either the management of operations in service enterprises  (MGT 657), the continuous improvement of processes using concepts such as TQM or Six Sigma (MGT 656) or to report on a research or practical project in the BPM context (MIS 800). Practitioners are encouraged to apply the insights from the first three courses to their organization and to report on their experiences.

This exciting new program starts in the Fall of 2007. All interested students are encouraged to contact Michael zur Muehlen or visit the program webpage for details.