What is the main difference between Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and Total Quality Management (TQM)?

An organization would choose to use Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) over continuous improvement methods in scenarios where radical, high-impact changes are needed. This could be when the existing processes are significantly inefficient or when the organization is aiming for a dramatic improvement in performance. BPR involves a complete redesign and overhaul of an organization's internal structures, which can lead to substantial improvements. On the other hand, continuous improvement methods aim for gradual change through subtle enhancements.

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) contributes to transforming an organization from purely functional to lean, process-oriented, and collaborative by radically redesigning and overhauling the organization's internal structures. Unlike continuous improvement methods that aim for gradual change, BPR implements high-impact, dramatic improvements. This can lead to the elimination of unnecessary processes, streamlining of workflows, and fostering of collaboration among different departments, thereby making the organization lean and process-oriented.