The Evidence
The CEO is using several pieces of evidence to suggest that Genex is not actually using technology competitively. Although the company is one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas, the CEO feels that it is not in a position to fully utilize technology in order to bolster its position in the market. For instance, he observes that the company does not behave like it is one business. This is because the IT organization is not integrated. The various divisions have their own IT directors, making it hard to access all information in a central point. The lack of integration results in information inconsistency and delay in information relay ( Tarhini et al., 2015). The CEO also asserts that the IT organization is not more agile and responsive. He notes that the company is not able to put the existing IT system into a variety of new uses. As such, the existing IT cannot be applied competitively in solving emerging problems. For instance, the IT people are always coming with a thousand and one reasons why whatever the CEO suggests would not work. This, according to the CEO, meant that the existing systems are inefficient and ineffective. This is confirmed by Nick Devlin, the CIO, who witnesses the failure by the various IT directors to come up with a comprehensive inventory of hardware and software currently in place. The directors were also not able to clearly outline the work that was in their plans for the following year. Such a huge failure prompted the CEO to quickly assess the state of technology utilization and effectiveness at Genex.
The Need to Hire Sandy
Basically, Devlin needed to hire Sandy, a high priced technology consultant to give him a clearer perspective of the technology mess at Genex. Although Devlin knew that there was a technology problem in the company, he needed to identify and understand the specific IT issues affecting the organization. For instance, Sandy is able to pinpoint some of the specific IT issues facing the organization such as the obsolete Price One software, low level of automation, and a problematic data management system. Additionally, Sandy was able to come up with a concrete plan for technological improvement. For instance, he proposes that the company should adopt technology that allows employees to work from home. According to Sandy, the system should also facilitate efficient collaboration among the employees. This demonstrates the need for Devlin to have hired Sandy to conduct an assessment of Genex’s IT organization. Sandy helped Devlin identify the specific IT issues at Genex. The issues as identified include integration problems, outdated software and hardware, expensive workarounds, inconsistent data, substantial budget limitations, as well as pressure to modernize.
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Strategy for Successful Implementation of Enterprise-Wide Systems
Genex should focus on acquiring an integrated solution. The new system should encompass all of Genex’s business functions. The system should support all the business functions the organization needs to operate efficiently ( Seethamraju, 2015) . The integrated solution is one of the most popular approaches to an organization’s software strategy. The new system should integrate all the company’s divisions so that the business can behave like a single organization. This will ensure that all the organization’s data are stored centrally. Additionally, the enterprise wide system should be cloud-based in order to allow employees to access information from wherever they are and eliminate costly workarounds. The system will integrate all the operations of the organizations and allow the CEO to have a quick snapshot of the company at any given time.
References
Tarhini, A., Ammar, H., Tarhini, T., & Masa’deh, R. E. (2015). Analysis of the critical success factors for enterprise resource planning implementation from stakeholders’ perspective: A systematic review. International Business Research , 8 (4), 25-40.
Seethamraju, R. (2015). Adoption of software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Information systems frontiers , 17 (3), 475-492.
