A characterization of a business process

In recent years it has become evident that the success of an organization depends on its ability to understand and manage its processes in order to meet customer requirements. Both business process reengineering (BPR) and project management are commonly advocated as means of improving these processes. The aim of this paper is to highlight the potential benefits of using formal characterizations of the business process in support of BPR. A case study is used to show how ideas that underpin the computer‐based representation of mechanical products can be applied to business processes.