CMGT578 Week 3 Assignment
Week 3
Assignment Instructions
Short-range Strategic IS Plan
For this assignment, you will produce a 3-page short-range strategic
IS plan for Reynolds Tool & Die that includes a summary of where the
company wants to go (its goals) and where it’s capable of going right now
(based on its current IT infrastructure). Then you will recommend specific
purchases and strategies necessary to make its IT function capable of
supporting the company’s goals. Your plan should address outsourcing and the
facilitation of business expansion into new markets, new regions, and new
countries. The most important part of your strategic plan is outsourcing.
To complete this assignment, review the course scenario. Pay
special attention to Reynolds’ plans for a joint venture with an automotive
parts manufacturer in Mexico and the acquisition of a light aircraft parts
supplier in Canada. The short-range strategic plan you create will assist
Reynolds in realizing what, ultimately, is a rapid expansion of their business.
Your headings for this plan should include:
I. What
Functions Will be Outsourced
Develop an outsourcing plan. You may decide to outsource all
elements of IT for this expansion. This
would include a managed services contract, which would cover all hardware
platform management, perhaps an entire data center, and an internal and
possibly external Help Desk. Or, you may decide to outsource only certain key
elements of the IT expansion, such as the Help Desk or the data center.
Whatever decisions you make in terms of functions to outsource, support your
decision by describing how your decisions will benefit the business.
II. Risk
Mitigation and Outsourcing
Because of the expansion into any international market,
senior management will require a risk mitigation plan for outsourcing IT. Under
this heading, you should address outsourcing risks such as security, data
ownership, an exit strategy for an outsourcing contract, etc.
Will you choose an outsourcing company based in an
international market? What are the risks associated with that choice? If you
outsource IT to a domestic (assume U.S.) company for the international
expansion, what are the assurances that you, as a senior IT manager, would need
to be comfortable with this type of scenario? For example, IBM has a
significant managed services portfolio internationally though, obviously, IBM
is a US-headquartered company. Are there risks associated with this solution?
III. Benefits
of Outsourcing as a Short-Range Strategic Plan
Explain the benefits of outsourcing as a short-range
strategic solution for market expansion. The topics you cover in this section
should include any economic benefit you anticipate. For example, explain that a
benefit is an increased ability to deploy solutions in a timely fashion, or it
will provide better security (if applicable), etc. Tie your IT strategic outsourcing
plan to the organization’s expansion strategy. Be specific when you explain how
your plan will support the expansion strategy.
Include at least one reference in addition to the class text
for this assignment.
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