Captiva Conglomerate Essay Example
Captiva Conglomerate Essay Example

Captiva Conglomerate Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (536 words)
  • Published: May 16, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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During a management meeting, Captiva Conglomerate reviewed their contract with SOS for developing a customized inventory and spare parts management system. The system is intended to improve operations support and reduce inventory levels.

The Inventory and Spares Manager, Sam Sliderule, found that the spare management module was a disaster and is currently four months behind schedule. Additionally, the regional and centralized inventory management system module is ten months late. The only person at Captiva Conglomerate who approved the specification for the system is Jana Perry, the IT Director who seems to think it's great. It's assumed that SOS created the specs. Despite this, the contract signed by the President of Captiva allows for ‘Best Offers’ and ‘Whenever Possible’, making it difficult to pursue legal action. Furthermore, SOS has used $1 million allocated for the contract and has pending unp

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riced change orders.

One major issue is that the software production is behind schedule and exceeding the budget. Additionally, the current product is not user-friendly for non-experts. The contract approval process was incomplete as not all departments were involved and only the IT Director approved the specifications. This raises concerns that the software developer may have authored the specs and the IT Director only provided a formal endorsement.

III. Possible Solutions:

- The legal team should examine the contract and determine if any legal action can be taken.

- Form a cross-functional team to thoroughly evaluate their requirements. Either fix the existing software developed by SOS or start anew and develop a new product that satisfies this particular company's needs.

- Request that the legal team review the contract and validate what measures can be enacted against SOS.

If

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you aim to rectify the deficiencies found in SOS, it is advisable not to use legal threats as it may negatively impact future business dealings. However, if legal action is your intention, it may be best to start from scratch and absorb any losses. Engaging in a common project like this is an excellent means of team building, fostering communication amongst the divisions and bringing people together to pursue shared goals.

It seems that the company's divisions are functioning independently and failing to communicate their requirements, resulting in a loss of time, money, and productivity. While starting anew may not be cost-effective as a lot has been invested in SOS without experiencing the full potential of their product's integration, I suggest assembling a team that includes legal representation to assess if it is financially feasible to move away from SOS. In the case of starting anew, the initial step would be to establish a team to assess the company's exact needs.

To successfully complete this project that impacts every department of the company, a comprehensive statement of work detailing functionality and design is required. Failure to fully commit to the project can result in yet another SOS project. Once the team is satisfied with the product, it is handed off to the buying team while still maintaining a partnership to ensure the contracted product aligns with the company's needs. Implementing ISO 9000 standards and ensuring adherence by the contractor may incur initial costs for Captiva, but will ultimately prevent future issues encountered with the current SOS contract.

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