LEVERAGE OF OFFICE AUTOMATION IN A PUBLIC SECTOR ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION: PRE AND POST IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS

Abstract

The role of Information Technology (IT) solutions is becoming prominent in organizations to achieve efficiency and competitive advantages. One of such solutions is office automation (OA). It is reasonable to judge the OA impact by comparative evaluation of pre and post implementation scenarios. In this study, five key performance indicators (KPIs) affecting the OA decision were identified. Three of them namely human resource, time, and cost were quantitative KPIs, whereas two KPIs, quality of work and control over processes were qualitative. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to prioritize the KPI‟s and to quantify their impact on OA decision. Both the quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that there was remarkable improvement in office operations, once automation decision had been implemented. Overall weight obtained for automated office alternative was more than double as compared to the non-automated offices. The findings were highly motivating for public sector organizations of Pakistan to adopt automated processes.