It planning at modmeters case study

STRATEGY: This case takes a “horizontal” slice through a number of coexistent issues. As a result, the challenge is “knowing where to start” – just as it is in real organizations – and this requires detective work.

The challenge facing ModMeters is made clear at the end of the case by Smith – “what we need is a process for IT planning and budgeting that will serve us well over the next few years. This process will need to accomplish a number of things:

·

. It will need to take an enterprise perspective on IT. We’re all in these new strategies together.

. It will have to incorporate all types of IT initiatives – our new strategies, the needs of Fred and others for new IT to operate and improve our existing business, Stan’s new auditing needs, and our operations and maintenance needs.

. In addition, we must find some way of allocating some of the budget to fixing the mess we have in IT right now.

. It must provide a better way to connect new IT work with our corporate objectives.

. It must help us prioritize projects with different types of value.

. Finally, it must ensure we have the business and IT resources in place to deliver that value.”

But, before launching into developing such a planning process, it is useful for you to clearly articulate why the current IT planning strategy is inadequate (as alluded to by Smith). A good strategy for opening up this discussion is to “play the Devil’s advocate” and challenge Smith’s assumption that the current process is not working by:

· Point out that Smith could be attributed to a lot of ModMeter’s IT woes (e.g., “spaghetti) due to the lack of effective IT planning.

· Point out the fact that ModMeters is “the largest producer of metering components in the world” and “is making a reasonable profit” so things can’t be “all bad”.

QUESTION: Describe the current planning process in the ModMeters case study. Second, outline the limitations of such a planning process. Clarifying the inadequacies of the existing planning process provides the focus for creating an improved process for ModMeters. Be sure to keep the organization chart (see below) in view during this discussion. The organizational map will help you understand how R&D and marketing must be closely integrated with manufacturing in order to accomplish the two new strategic initiatives. With the current allocation process, R&D and marketing would not receive sufficient funding to be able to support the new strategy.

LEARNING OUTCOME: This discussion forum will help you to better respond to your assignment questions in the ModMeters case study. The discussion post helps you collectively produce a planning process to meet the needs and goals as established by Smith. You will be able to produce a governance process for IT decisions in the assignment case study.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART:

FORMAT : APA

No.of words: 250

References: 2