Case Study Analysis

Case Study Analysis

A case study requires one to investigate a business issue, assess the alternative solutions, and propose the most efficient solution by the use of supporting evidence (Stephen Petrina, 2014). This paper will analyze a case study of IBM’s focus on professional project management. I will discuss the issues that are the key issues and the underlying issues. I will also analyze the key facts pertinent to the problems; I will also discuss a provisional solution that will address the issues and how I would execute my solution. In this case study, IBM is going through some complexity issues, which are the emerging technologies like Cloud and Internet of Things. The emerging technologies are the technologies whose development, practical applications are still greatly unrealized, such that they are figuratively emerging into importance from a background of obscurity or nonexistence. As this company deals with managing projects, emerging technologies have been one of the complex factors that are being of challenge in this company.

Technologies such as the Internet of Things are said to be complex in nature. Mostly companies must only prepare timestamps but integrate them with more structured sources like CSV files. This issue is only multiplied when factoring in the rate at which this data is being generated. Another issue that is being faced by this company in managing their projects is enterprise structure, which is the traditional, agile, and hybrid project delivery techniques. The company is faced with a complex enterprise structure, this is the number of resources that are involved in a project, and if the size of the enterprise structure is vast, then the structure will be complex. Other complexity factors that the company faces are industry-specific solutions like energy, platform-specific solutions like service offerings, and client-specific solutions like customized solutions.

The company should find ways of how they can deal with these complex factors. Factors such as emerging technologies provide tremendous opportunity but they also significantly complex (Mohanad Halaweh, 2013). One solution that I can suggest to emerging technologies complexity factor is using an Architecture approach which is important to manage complexity. One of the solutions that I can propose is dealing with the complexity factor of emerging issues is ensuring that when performing their project, they should factor in any customizations and upgrades. This will help them where in future the emerging technologies will be of challenge to them. They also should have a wide variety of products in terms of hardware and software. This is to enhance the development of programs that every person should be able to use.

Another solution is ensuring that the enterprise structure should be divided into departments so that to make it easier for them. This will help in ensuring that every person does what they can do best and reduce the enterprise structure complexity factor. Another one is ensuring that there is specialization in the enterprise structure. Every employee should major in what they do best to avoid complexity. Changing the enterprise structure to a better one will help reduce the complexity in the company and also make the work easier for other people. One way that these solutions should be implemented is by establishing the company’s goals, anticipate any obstacles that may take place, develop a plan for the implementation and then implement the changes week by week.

References

Mohanad Halaweh. (2013, November). (PDF) Emerging technology: What is it. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262743395_Emerging_Technology_What_is_it

Stephen Petrina. (2014, January 1). (PDF) Case analysis. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333434735_Case_Analysis