Course

INN354 Systems and process innovation

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Joachim Scholderer

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Course frequency:Annually.

Nominal workload:250 hours

Teaching and exam period:Teaching and assessment take place during the autumn parallel.

About this course

Digitalisation is the strongest force of innovation in our current business environment: the streamlining, standardisation and automation of business processes, implemented in the information systems of the organisation. The course will provide participants with the knowledge, skills and general competences to lead process innovation and system development projects. The course will consist of six parts:

  • Business process management and digital transformation,
  • Process analytics,
  • Process modelling,
  • Process improvement, standardisation and automation,
  • Information systems development,
  • Systems implementation and adoption.

Hands-on work on real and current cases is a key part of the course. Participants will work in teams on a semester-long case project.

Learning outcome

A student, upon completing the course, will have the following overall learning outcomes defined in knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

  • has advanced knowledge of the modern framework for information systems and the theoretical foundations of key process analysis techniques
  • has in-depth knowledge of important strategies for system and process innovation, as well as system development models and the drivers behind their design
  • has advanced knowledge of factors affecting the implementation of IT systems in organizations and IT-based value creation in organizations

Skills

The student:

  • can analyze business processes using techniques such as task analysis, process mining, and statistical process control
  • is capable of modeling business processes in BPMN
  • can use process analysis to identify opportunities for innovation
  • can adapt system development models to specific innovation projects
  • is capable of planning, leading, and implementing system and process innovation projects

General Competence

The student:

  • understands the interaction between social and technical systems in an organization
  • can identify project stakeholders and manage their involvement
  • can integrate concerns about IT-based value creation into design and project management
  • can collaborate in interdisciplinary project structures
  • Learning activities
    Workshops on campus, video lectures and self-paced learning units, exercises with data and software, self-study
  • Teaching support
    The learning platform Canvas, Microsoft Teams.
  • Syllabus

    Textbooks:

    • Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A. (2018). Fundamentals of business process management (2nd Ed.). Berlin: Springer.
    • Fitzgerald, B., Russo, N.L., & Stolterman, E. (2002). Information systems development: Methods-in-action. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Journal articles and book chapters:

    • Aladwani, A. M. (2001). Change management strategies for successful ERP implementation. Business Process Management Journal, 7(3), 266-275.
    • Barley, S. R. (1986). Technology as an occasion for structuring: Evidence from observations of CT scanners and the social order of radiology departments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 31(1), 78-108.
    • Beck, K. (1999). Embracing change with extreme programming. Computer, 32(10), 70-77.
    • Beretta, M., & Smith, P. (2023). Embarking on a business agility journey: Balancing autonomy versus control. California Management Review, 65(4), 93-115.
    • Carugati, A., Giangreco, A., & Sebastiano, A. (2011). Moving the implementation line: A nursing home’s path to success with IT. Systèmes d’Information et Management, 16(4), 73-101.
    • Davenport, T. H. (1995). The fad that forgot people. Fast Company, 1 (November 1995), 70-74.
    • Fowler, M., & Highsmith, J. (2001). The agile manifesto. Software Development, 9(8), 28-35.
    • Hammer, M. (1990). Reengineering work: Don’t automate, obliterate. Harvard Business Review, July-August 1990, 104-112.
    • Harrington, R. J. & Tjan, A. K. (2008). Transforming strategy one customer at a time. Harvard Business Review, March 2008, 62-72.
    • Leonardi, P. M. (2009). Crossing the implementation line: The mutual constitution of technology and organizing across development and use activities. Communication Theory, 19(3), 278-310.
    • Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), 853-886.
    • Orlikowski, W. J., & Hofman, J. D. (2003). An improvisational model for change management: The case of groupware technologies. In T. W. Malone, R. Laubacher, R., & M. S. S. Morton (Eds.), Inventing the organizations of the 21st century (pp. 265-281). Cambridge, MA: MIT press.
    • Pouloudi, A., & Whitley, E. A. (1997). Stakeholder identification in inter-organizational systems: gaining insights for drug use management systems. European Journal of Information Systems, 6(1), 1-14.
    • Rozman, T., Polančič, G., & Horvat, R. V. (2008). Analysis of most common process modelling mistakes in BPMN process models. In L. Fischer (Ed.), 2008 BPM and workflow handbook (pp. 233-246). Lighthouse Point, FL: Future Strategies.
    • Syed, R., Suriadi, S., Adams, M., Bandara, W., Leemans, S. J., Ouyang, C., ... & Reijers, H. A. (2020). Robotic process automation: contemporary themes and challenges. Computers in Industry, 115, 103162.
    • Truex, D. P., Baskerville, R., & Klein, H. (1999). Growing systems in emergent organizations. Communications of the ACM, 42(8), 117-123.
    • Van der Aalst, W. M., Bichler, M., & Heinzl, A. (2018). Robotic process automation. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 60, 269-272.
  • Prerequisites
    • MATH100 Introductory mathematics or ECN102 Introduction to mathematics for economists,
    • STAT100 Statistics or DAT110 Introduction to data analysis and visualisation.
  • Recommended prerequisites
    • AOS130 Introduction to organisation theory,
    • BUS240 Operations management or IND210 Industrial management,
    • INF120 Programming and data processing.
  • Assessment method
    Combined assessment, consisting of one project assignment conducted in groups of up to five participants during the teaching period (weight: 80%) and an individual 1-hour multiple-choice home exam (weight: 20%). To pass the course, all the elements in the combined assessment must be passed in the same semester. No re-sit examination will be arranged in this course.

    Project assignment Karakterregel: Letter grades Written exam at home Karakterregel: Letter grades
  • About use of AI
    Project assignment, home exam and mandatory activity: K3 - Full use of AI. Use of AI is permitted, but must be in accordance with the guidelines for use of artificial intelligence (AI) at NMBU

    Descriptions of AI-category codes.

  • Examiner scheme
    An external examiner will control the quality of the syllabus, questions for the examination, and principles for the assessment of the examination answers.
  • Mandatory activity

    Conduct a semester-long case project in teams of up to five participants. As part of that project, hand-ins in the form of milestone reports and project deliverables.

    The mandatory activity is valid only for one semester. If a participant would like to retake the course, the mandatory activity must also be retaken. The mandatory activity must be approved in order for the participant to be assessed in the course.

  • Notes
    The course is taught in English. Incoming students can contact the student advisors at the School of Economics and Business (studieveileder-hh@nmbu.no) for admission to the course.
  • Teaching hours
    • Lectures: 30 hours,
    • Campus workshops: 20 hours,
    • Exercises with data and software: 10 hours,
    • Project work on the semester-long case project: 130 hours,
    • Flipped classroom/self-study/syllabus literature: 60 hours.
  • Reduction of credits
    • INN265 (5 ECTS),
    • INN352 (5 ECTS),
    • INN350 (10 ECTS),
    • VU-INN260F (3 ECTS).
  • Admission requirements
    Third year (bachelor) or higher.