Reorganizing Information Technology Services in an Academic Environment

Primarily due to ongoing changes in available technology and financial constraints at a four-year, private university, the Information Technology Department has gone through several iterations of organizational restructuring over the last ten years. The need for IT support for both the academic side of the University and the administrative side has been met by two different structures during this time. At times, the technology needs for the entire University have been supported by one common department that reports directly to the President. At other times, the support has been provided by two separate departments-the academic side reporting to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and the administrative side reporting to the CFO. Because of advantages and disadvantages of each of these structures and turnover of the President, CFO and CAO positions, the use of these two structures has alternated several times. The most recent president has emphasized a technology-friendly and up-to-date campus as one of his primary goals. This emphasis precipitated an analysis of the existing systems with recognition of the need to keep IS strategies in line whether supported by one department or two.

Isobord's Geographic Information System (GIS) Solution

Isobord, a start-up company that is setting up a new strawboard production plant in Manitoba, Canada, is facing critical operational problems that threaten its future. Isobord’s product is a high quality particleboard substitute that uses straw, rather than wood, as the main raw manufacturing material. To achieve viability, Isobord must develop processes to carefully coordinate and manage its straw baling, stacking and hauling operations. Through effective information systems, Isobord has the potential to reduce the amount of equipment it needs to purchase to meet straw harvest requirements. A small investment in optimization technology could yield considerable cost savings if the efficiency of capital equipment can be improved. A geographic information system (GIS) / relational database management system (RDBMS) solution is being explored, but budget and time constraints, as well as organizational inexperience, seriously threaten the project. An information technology decision must be made immediately if there is to be any hope of implementing technology to manage the first year’s straw harvest.

Network Implementation Project in the State Sector in Scotland

This case study, about the introduction of networked PCs in a local government office in Perth, Scotland, focuses on the importance of organizational and social factors during the implementation process. The implementation of the network in this case study is not a straightforward progression from one stage to the other, as may be inferred from the systems development life cycle “waterfall” model but a circular, stop-and-start process with moves back to previous stages and is more like a “spiral” approach of dynamic and unfolding processes. The case study highlights the links between technical and nontechnical aspects of implementation and the complicated process of project management in which a balance is continually being sought between technical and nontechnical issues. But although social processes may reduce technical as well as social problems, not all problems can be solved by attention to social factors. Organizational constraints may limit the success of the implementation process, and there are also dangers in including users who, if their views are disregarded, may become disillusioned and adversely affect future development of the network.

Deploying Distributed Computing

This teaching case describes the efforts of one department in a large organization to migrate from an internally developed, mainframe-based, computing system to a system based on purchased software running on a client/server architecture. The case highlights issues with large scale software implementations such as those demanded by enterprise resource package (ERP) installations. Often, the ERP selected by an organization does not have all the required functionality. This demands purchasing and installing additional packages (known colloquially as “bolt-ons”) to provide the needed functionality. These implementations lead to issues regarding oversight of the technical architecture, both project and technology governance, and user department capability for managing the installation of new systems.

From Pilot to Practice

In this case study we report on how Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is utilizing emerging technologies to support engineering and procurement processes. In the context of a major construction project, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), scope, complexity, and tight budget and time restrictions required streamlined business operations and improved collaboration between engineering and procurement. In order to establish a unified information technology (IT) architecture, LLNL is integrating formerly isolated systems and enhancing them through internal development as well as commercial products. The result is highly customized to LLNL’s needs and allows the Lab to meet the requirements of NIF-related engineering and procurement processes in terms of cost, time, quality and complexity. The project also serves as a test bed for a lab-wide, integrated IT infrastructure. This case study is a follow-up to Gebauer and Schad (1999).

Laurier IT Priorities

The newly appointed IT officer at a smaller Canadian university must reassess her priorities. Given her mandate by a president who has just left, she wonders what the direction of the new president will be. With two months on the job, she has found things to be quite different from what she had originally understood. In particular, the administrative computing system has serious problems and is not Year 2000 compliant. Furthermore, it is heavily customised and there is no documentation of the changes. Resources are an issue, as there is little slack for new initiatives. She has identified many problem areas requiring attention. At this time she is unsure of the seriousness of these problems and how much effort will be required to resolve them. How can she quickly prioritize these issues so she can start dealing with the most important ones?

The Information Plan for Celerity Enterprises, Inc

The case study describes the process of implementation of an integrated software package at the Thai subsidiary (SMTL) of a Hong Kong-based multinational company (SMHK) engaged in the manufacturing of electronic equipment. Several factors—such as a poor fit between the business process assumptions inscribed in the software and the business processes in SMTL, poor leadership at different levels, cultural clash between the headquarters and the Thai subsidiary, organizational politics, and poor human resource management—contributed to the confusion in the organization, project delays, budget overruns, and ultimately, to the “failure” of the systems implementation project. The case study is likely to be valuable for illustrating issues related to managing IS implementation in a multinational context.

Big-Bang ERP Implementation at a Global Company

Dead Sea Works is an international multi-firm producer of Potash and other chemicals whose sales for 1998 were about $500 million. In 1996, the Information Systems group convinced top management to pursue a big-bang ERP implementation of SAP R/3. To reduce project risk, risk management was practiced. First, only modules that matched the functionality of the then-existing systems were targeted, avoiding as much as possible software modifications and process reengineering. Second, a steering committee was set up to handle conflict resolution and set priorities throughout the project and top users were given responsibility with implementing modules within their respective functions. R/3 went into production on July 1, 1998, six months ahead of schedule and without exceeding the $4.95 million budget.

Implementation Failure of an Integrated Software Package

The case study describes the process of implementation of an integrated software package at the Thai subsidiary (SMTL) of a Hong Kong-based multinational company (SMHK) engaged in the manufacturing of electronic equipment. Several factors—such as a poor fit between the business process assumptions inscribed in the software and the business processes in SMTL, poor leadership at different levels, cultural clash between the headquarters and the Thai subsidiary, organizational politics, and poor human resource management—contributed to the confusion in the organization, project delays, budget overruns, and ultimately, to the “failure” of the systems implementation project. The case study is likely to be valuable for illustrating issues related to managing IS implementation in a multinational context.

Learning Technology Management While Teaching Technology Management

This case study presents an evaluation pilot of a technology-enabled service, specifically a distance learning program at a university. The primary intent of the case is to illustrate the management of a trial evaluation of an information technology and the need for explicit criteria considering multiple technical and organizational factors. The secondary purpose of the case is to share the learning specific to the administration and delivery of a distance learning program using various media. The distance learning program was conducted on a trial basis with 16 students in a 13-course, 18-month Master of Science in Technology Management (MSTM) program. Compressed video and Internet-based technologies were used for course delivery, in addition to limited on-site instruction. The case study describes the motivation and progression of the trial, up to the point when a decision had to be made about continuing the program beyond the trial. The experience is considered from multiple perspectives, specifically those of the school administration, faculty, and students. Positive and negative aspects are highlighted to lay the groundwork for analysis at the decision point.