The rebirth of re‐engineering: X‐engineering

American businesses spent billions of dollars on various re‐engineering initiatives in the last decade. Re‐engineering efforts have produced a wide range of results. While some companies labeled re‐engineering efforts as successful, it was an unfulfilled promise for many. As we enter into the digital age, information technology is playing a principal role in bringing process improvement to the forefront of business management consciousness. This rebirth of re‐engineering, called “X‐engineering,” is the process of redesigning work between a company and its customers, suppliers and partners. This paper argues that those aspiring to do business process redesign must begin to apply the capabilities of the Internet and its related technologies. As with re‐engineering, companies have no choice but to X‐engineer. How can you increase the odds for success? Here are a few lessons from the front.