I need your help please
Module 3 – Case
Creating Value
Assignment Overview
The Case Assignment for this module is about understanding the development of IT strategies that support and are supported by business strategy in a global economy. Given the large amount of investment in IT, companies need to receive high IT business value. To do that, a good IT strategy is essential especially when doing business in various parts of the world.
Review the readings on the Background page about the digital economy.
Case Assignment
Using IT to compete on the world stage has become increasingly important in the global economy. Choose multiple industries and provide an example company for each industry in which IT plays a strategic role by adding value and providing a competitive advantage through innovative application of IT on the global stage and how these firms are meeting the concerns noted in the
Global Information Technology Report 2021
.
Please prepare a short (4- to 5-page) paper addressing the IT strategic roles for your selected firms.
Submit your paper upon completion.
Use information from the modular background readings as well as any good quality resource you can find. Please cite all sources and provide a reference list at the end of your paper.
Assignment Expectations
Length: Follow the number of pages required in the assignment excluding cover page and references. Each page should have about 300 words.
Your assignment will be evaluated based on the Rubric.
Module 3 – Resources
Creating Value
You have your strategy in place, and you have your prioritized list of projects to pursue. But, wait! What happens if one of the projects proves to be more expensive or less impactful than originally assessed? What happens if one of the strategic pillars is called into question—due to a change in the economy, for example? One of my favorite quotes about planning comes from the famed German military strategist, Helmuth von Moltke, who said, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” You do not have enemies
per se, but you do have a variety of realities that may logically require changes to either the strategy or to the project list. What then?
Strategies should be created with the anticipation that they will need to be changed. There are events that may lead to change. And the simple passage of time should lead to changes as well. Examples of events include an economic downturn, but may also include the acquisition or divestiture of a business, a competitor beating you to the creation of a new product, a new market that is to be opened, and the like. Each of these, and other changes like them, should lead to a rethinking of the strategy. Mind you, none of these is likely to require canceling the entire strategy and starting anew, but it will be necessary to at least review the strategic plan to see if there’s anything that’s less relevant (or irrelevant) because of the event.
This is likely to be at the tactic level, rather than the objective level, but the entire plan should be reviewed. The simple passage of time is another reason to review the plan. Many people falsely believe that if there is not an event then the plan should continue to be enacted. As time moves on, aspects of the plan will be accomplished that should be reflected as changes in the plan. Likewise, new strategic opportunities may present themselves. They may need to be incorporated into the plan. And in some cases, you may replace past tactics or objectives to do so. There’s also a tendency to think about the prioritized list of projects (that have been agreed to once the budget for IT is finalized) as set in stone. There are many reasons why a project might need to be canceled, even after it commences. Those might include a significant increase in the cost to develop the project, a reduction in potential value from implementing the project, or the vendor that was to partner with you on it goes out of business. These are three of many examples that would apply. Companies often fall for the sunk cost fallacy. They might say, we’ve already spent a million dollars on the project, we should see it through to its conclusion. But why throw good money after bad? Cutting your losses and redirecting funds to something of greater value is paramount. It’s also important to note that as projects arise outside of the budgeting cycle, they should be put through the same prioritization criteria, strategic fit, cost/benefit analysis, interdependency analysis, and risk analysis. Again, you may include another category or two of your own choosing.
By using objective criteria to reprioritize, you can help avoid the situation that many CIOs and their teams find themselves in, where someone, especially when they are outside of IT, requests a project mid-year and suggests that it is their new top priority. What they often mean is, “Drop everything and work on this.” By having an objective set of criteria, you can at least speak about how the project ranks relative to projects that are in process, based on those criteria, and counterbalance this argument. Priorities and events will naturally lead to changes in your plan. But by having a sound process in place to ensure that you can handle these changes, you can be flexible enough to seize new opportunities as they arise.
Required Reading
Baumgartner, J. (2020).
Why diversity is the mother of creativity
.
Barthelemy, Jerome (2022). Myths of strategy: Dispel the misconceptions and deliver a winning strategy. Kogan Page. Chapter 5-10. Available in the Trident Online Library in Skillsoft.
Datta, S., Roy, S., & Kutzewski, T. (2021).
Unlocking strategic innovation: Competitive success in a disruptive environment. Taylor & Francis Group.
Gamble, W. (2022). The cybersecurity maturity model certification (CMMC) – A pocket guide. IT Governance, audio book. Available in the Trident Online Library in Skillsoft.
Developing an AI/ML Data Strategy: The Data Analytics Maturity Model, Course. Available in the Trident Online Library in Skillsoft.
