DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY

DONAHUE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF

BUSINESS
FALL 2015
CASE STUDY # 2
IT PLANNING AT MODMETERS

NAME: AMOS ONYANGO

ID #: D01702641

ISYS 645-61 INFORMATION SYSTEMS

POLICY AND STRATEGY
INSRUCTOR: DR. THOMAS A POLLACK
09/21/2015

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ModMeters was in the midst of large expansion initiatives and was grappling with issues from
the different departmental heads. At large was how these diverse issues could be synthesized but
within the confines of the business strategy and deliver the so much needed change that the
company needed to project itself in the future. At the very center of these sought out initiatives is
its role in delivering the strategy in conjunction with different business units scarcity of resources
notwithstanding. The meeting of the departmental heads gives us a glimpse of the challenges IT
is facing. This analysis will look at the organizational structure of the company and the roles and
responsibilities of the personalities in a bid to understand how these personalities can help drive
these initiatives. In addition, the report will address the issues ModMeter is facing and come up
with a strategic Plan that IT needs to pursue to get a cohesive plan that accomplish the initiatives
being sought by business which is to expand its Northern American operations globally and set
up direct-to-customer sales.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Board Directors

CEO
John Johnson
COO

CFO
San Abrams

CIO
Brian Smith

Fred Tompkins

VP R&D
Ted Kwok

VP Human
Resources
Harriet Simpson

VP Marketing
Brenda Barnes

The Personnel
CEO, John Johnson
Responsibility
Responsible for driving and communication business strategy
Concerns

Based on recommendations for the business executives he wants to see the 2 business
initiatives mentioned in the report to be implemented
Responsible for communication these initiatives to the board of directors for approval

COO, name n/a

Responsible for communicating company initiatives to the departmental heads
Concerns

Needs feedback from IT( Brian) if these proposed initiatives are technically doable

CIO, Brian Smith

He heads the IT department and responsible providing technical support and driving business
initiative through technology.
Concerns

He is worried about resources that will be needed to expand globally

He is worried about getting the infrastructure in place to support expansion
He knows the purse strings will not be loosened as the company has never allocated to
reengineer its existing systems
Worried about risk exposure if the systems fail
The systems from the various departments dont talk to each other and as a result its not
cost effective.
Previous allocation of It initiative based on ROI is no longer sustainable
How to leverage IT to gain new markets other than just supporting departmental IT
initiatives
Has to make the CIO understand how all these initiatives are imperative in driving
business strategy and why there needs to be a new approach to resource allocation

Fred Tompkins
As the VP for marketing he is responsible for making sure the company books are in the black.
Concerns

Thinks that he cannot cut back on the IT initiatives need to support his department as he
puts it since he is the cash cow of the company

VP Human Resources, Harriet Simpson

She is responsible for talent acquisition
Concerns

Alludes to the fact that she is getting the right talent through the door to spur new ideas
and innovation but its not enough if the five corporate initiatives are not linked to IT
initiatives

CFO, Stan Abrams

He is responsible for company resources
Concerns

He is worried about satisfying outside regulators (auditors and regulatory compliance)

Knows the importance of this new initiative and It has to be accorded more resources but
since resources are finite not all initiatives can be supported. As he puts it; We need to
retrench and regroup and move forward at the same time.

VP marketing Brenda Barnes

She is responsible for introducing new products to consumers
Concerns

How to market the new products envisioned in the new initiative

VP Research and Development, Ted Kwok.

He is tasked with making sure the company stays ahead of its competition through innovation
and availing new products and surely needs IT to drive those initiatives.
The task at hand in this report is to address though an IT strategy the 3 issues identified by
Abrams the CFO.

1) How each of the IT initiatives will drive business strategy,

2) How these initiatives can be prioritized and lastly
3) How to re-engineer some of the IT processes
The proposed IT plan and budget will attempt to accomplish the goals alluded to by the CFO
which is to leverage IT strategy to drive these business initiatives.

The proposed IT Plan was broken into categories

A GAP analysis approach was employed to determine where the company was, where it
was trying to go and how to get there.
SWOT analysis of each departmental IT needs highlighting mainly the core competency
of business unit.
Portfolio approach to evaluate each initiative that best links to business strategy not
limited to ROI only but also based on variety of metrics.

GAP analysis
The case presents a scenario where the company is in disarray but there seems to elements in
the company that realizes the potential thats out there to increase market share and grow
business. Lets look at where the company is right now.

Company has longevity in the metering industry with customers in the utility industry
manufactures other industries.
Has successfully automated most its it infrastructure to support business albeit
gradually
Company has seen steady growth over the years and because of its unique product has
a competitive advantage. Largest producer of metering devices in the world

The second component that needs to be addressed is where the company needs to go.

The company needs to expand business opportunities globally in Asia and Europe and
tap into these markets
Advancement of green technology in its metering products is being touted as another
key initiative.

These initiatives have been identified to get the company to the next level but the one key
question that lingers is how the company can leverage IT competencies to deliver
business strategy and at the same time not hurt other key business areas that alsoare
dependent on IT to support key business fuctions.

This is where the SWOT analysis helps to identify these key business initiatives that will help in
determining how resources will be allocated. Below is a prepared SWOT analysis with
assumptions placed in asterisks explained in the footer.

SWOT ANALYSIS FOR CIO

Strengths Weaknesses Political support Funding available Market experience Strong
leadership Project is very complex Likely to be costly May have environmental
impact Staff resources are already stretched Opportunities Threats Project may
improve local economy Will improve safety Project will boost company's public
image Environmental constraints Time delays Opposition to change - See more at:
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4245-swot-analysis.html#sthash.4xc5ChDU.dpuf

Strengths

weaknesses

Political support (CIO)

Complexity of project

Market experience (COO)

Infrastructure for global expansion (COO)

Strong Leadership (COO)

Inadequate resources (CIO, R&D)

Budget tracking (CFO)

Opportunities

Threats

Market expansion

Opposition to change (Enterprise)

Improved business process ((Enterprise)

System failures (CIO)