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IT Disconnect at Cascade Sustainable Energy - Coggle Diagram
IT Disconnect at Cascade Sustainable Energy
Timeline
What happens first?
Cascade Sustainable Energy likely operated with an IT department that, over time, became disconnected from the needs and strategic priorities of other departments such as Finance, HR, and Purchasing.
Why?
IT's focus may have shifted internally, or perhaps IT leadership did not proactively engage with other departments to understand their evolving needs
What happend next?
Consultants conduct an external review of Cascade's operations and identify the IT-business alignment disconnect.
Cascade creates the IT Business Relationship Manager position to improve communication and alignment between IT and other business areas.
Ryan joins Cascade and participates in the company's two-day new employee orientation process.
Ryan observes inefficiencies and potential technology improvements in the orientation process. Ryan's fresh perspective allows him to spot areas for improvement.
Ryan meets with Maggie Franklin from HR to discuss the orientation process and potential technology improvements. Meanwhile, Ryan is aware of the difficulties HR is facing.
The previous review of options for improving the orientation system did not yield good results. The VP of HR had previously engaged with the CIO to address the challenges of enhancing the orientation system.
Don Katz completes the review of orientation system options but does not send it to the VP of HR, possibly due to other priorities. After Ryan finds Don, Don sends him a spreadsheet titled "Orientation Options Analysis" and allows Ryan to deliver it to HR. Later, Ryan meets with Don to clarify the analysis and understand his perspective.
Ryan and Maggie review the analysis and find the IT report unclear and incomplete, particularly regarding vendor solutions. They agree that exploring vendor options is the next logical step. Following their discussion, they decide to proceed with an RFP, as vendor solutions seem like the best approach.
Problem Solutions
Solution 1: Implement a Vendor Solution (RFP Process)
Pros
Access to specialized features and best practices for employee onboarding.
Potentially faster implementation compared to in-house development.
Ongoing support and maintenance from the vendor.
Cons
Higher upfront cost compared to improving the existing system.
Requires a formal RFP process, which can be time-consuming and resource intensive.
Dependence on a third-party vendor for ongoing support and updates.
How does it compare to other solutions?
It offers specialized features and support but less control over the system's development.
Description
Conduct a Request for Proposal (RFP) to evaluate and select a dedicated orientation system from a vendor. This would involve identifying requirements, soliciting proposals, and comparing vendor offerings.
Solution 2: Improve the Existing System
Pros
Potentially lower upfront cost, as it leverages existing systems and internal expertise.
Maintains control over the system and its development.
Could be implemented incrementally.
Cons
Relies on IT resources that may be spread thin or have conflicting priorities.
May not fully address the underlying issues or provide the desired functionality.
Could be a slow and incremental process, with limited progress each year.
How does it compare to other solutions?
It offers more control but may lack the specialized features and support of a dedicated orientation system
Description
Focus on fixing the current system's issues and adding small improvements using internal IT resources. This could involve working within the existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), conference scheduling, or room and resource scheduling systems.
Relevant Facts
1: IT Disconnect
Description
There are concerns among business leaders regarding IT's ability to support the company's business strategy.
2: Orientation Process Issues
Description
The current orientation system has issues such as the system randomly ignoring limits on the number of people with each specialty who can register for a session, and a failure to cancel hotel reservations when a new hire cancels their orientation.
3: Difficulty Engaging IT
Description
Maggie in HR finds it challenging to get IT engaged in making improvements to the orientation system.
It is difficult to find the right person in IT to discuss the issues, and the IT staff member assigned to the project changes frequently, requiring Maggie to repeatedly explain the process and system.
4: Lack of Clear Recommendation
Description
The options analysis lacked a clear recommendation and didn't include information about the relative importance of requirements, or the effort needed to build the solutions.
Key Problems
1: IT-Business Alignment Disconnect
How did it happen?
IT's focus diverged from the needs of other departments
What is the cause?
An external review revealed that other departments (Finance, HR, Purchasing) felt IT lacked understanding of their strategic priorities.
What does the problem exist?
IT is not aligned with the strategic priorities of other business areas such as finance, human resources, and purchasing.
What is the consequence?
IT is hindering progress toward corporate goals.
How did it impact the IT group?
IT was targeted by consultants who recommended extending Cascade's use of ITIL by developing the Business Relationship Management process.
How did it impact the organization?
This not only affects the IT department itself but also other departments, hindering progress toward corporate goals.
Who is responsible?
IT department
2: Ineffective Orientation System
How did it happen?
The system's design or implementation may have been flawed.
The system may not have been properly maintained and updated.
What is the cause?
The system randomly ignores limits on the number of people with each specialty who can register for a session.
The system fails to cancel hotel reservations when a new hire cancels their orientation
What does the problem exist?
The current orientation system has several functional issues and doesn't fully meet the needs of the HR department.
What is the consequence?
Additional work for HR staff and complications during orientation sessions.
Ryan noticed participants received numerous paper documents, which seemed odd for a company that valued the environment.
The orientation staff did not always have current information.
How did it impact the IT group?
IT is tasked with reviewing and potentially updating or replacing the system.
How did it impact the organization?
New employees may not be onboarded as effectively as possible, and the company is wasting money on unused hotel rooms.
Who is responsible?
IT department
3: Difficulty Engaging IT for System Improvements
How did it happen?
This appears to be a long-standing issue, with HR consistently struggling to get IT's attention and resources for the orientation system.
What is the cause?
It is difficult to find the right person in IT to discuss the issues, and the IT staff member assigned to the project changes frequently, requiring Maggie to repeatedly explain the process and system.
Lack of documentation on the system.
What does the problem exist?
Maggie in HR finds it challenging to get IT engaged in making improvements to the orientation system.
What is the consequence?
Delays in implementing needed fixes and improvements to the orientation system.
How did it impact the IT group?
IT's resources are spread thin, and the orientation system is not seen as a high priority.
How did it impact the organization?
The orientation process remains inefficient and outdated, potentially affecting new employee engagement and productivity.
Who is responsible?
IT management is responsible for prioritizing projects and allocating resources.
4: Ineffective Orientation System
How did it happen?
Don from IT decided that an RFP was not worth the effort because he thought an in-house solution would be sufficient.
What is the cause?
The options analysis lacked a clear recommendation.
The options analysis didn't include information about the relative importance of requirements or the effort needed to build the solutions, and failed to evaluate vendor solutions.
What does the problem exist?
The review of options for improving the orientation system was poorly executed and didn't adequately address HR's needs.
What is the consequence?
HR is left without a clear path forward for improving the orientation system, and the company may miss out on potentially better solutions.
How did it impact the IT group?
IT wasted time and resources on an analysis that ultimately wasn't very helpful.
How did it impact the organization?
The company is delaying improvements to the orientation process.
The company may miss out on more effective solutions.
Who is responsible?
Don Katz is directly responsible for the inadequate options analysis, but his manager may also share responsibility for not providing proper oversight and guidance.
Stakeholders
Ryan
New IT business relationship manager
Nick
Ryan's boss
Maggie Franklin
The Onboarding Manager in HR
Don Katz
A member of the IT staff
CIO
The head of IT
Consultants
Who performed the external review
New Employees
The end-users of the orientation system