Business process re-engineering and service delivery in public sector organizations: a review of literature
Ndejje University Journal Of Interdisciplinary Studies,
Volume 2, Issue 2
eISSN: 3079-7683
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64080/ndujis.2026.2.2.Oct001
1.Tryphine Ahimbisibwe, Department of Management and Economics, Ndejje University, Uganda, tahimbisibwe@kcca.go.ug, ORCID: 0009-0008-3955-4103
2.Mutumba Geoffrey, Department of Management and Economics, Ndejje University, Uganda,
gmutumba@ndejjeuniversity.ac.ug, ORCID: 0000-0001-9535-7659
Abstract
Business process re-engineering (BPR) has been widely promoted as a strategy for improving public sector performance, yet its adoption and outcomes in government settings remain uneven and contested. This survey reviews the empirical and theoretical literature on the drivers and barriers of BPR implementation in public sector organizations and its impact on service delivery. Drawing on a Driver–Barrier–Outcome analytical framework, the review synthesizes evidence across five dimensions: organizational drivers of BPR adoption, institutional and structural barriers to implementation, the effects of BPR on service delivery quality and efficiency, critical success factors and failure patterns, and persistent research gaps. The findings indicate that leadership commitment, process-oriented culture, and digital infrastructure maturity are the strongest enablers, while regulatory rigidity, bureaucratic resistance, and resource constraints form the most persistent barriers. The review further reveals that successful BPR initiatives depend less on any single factor than on the configuration of drivers, barriers, and contextual conditions. The synthesis identifies four critical research gaps: the absence of longitudinal outcome studies, insufficient attention to the equity implications of efficiency-driven redesign, limited cross-national comparative research, and an unresolved tension between BPR’s radical-change philosophy and the incremental character of public sector governance.


























