International Foods Case Study

Hefty Hardware Case 2

Abstract

This paper discusses the partnership and the shortcomings of the IT and business in the

Hefty Hardware. This paper also covers a proposed plan to improve collaboration to effectively

deliver Saavy Store Program.

Hefty Hardware Case 3

Hefty Hardware Case Study Assignment

Effective communication is key to the success of any company, and ineffective

communication can hinder the partnership between IT and business. Without proper

collaboration, a company is at a high risk of failing.

Partnership and Shortcomings between IT and Business

One of the key issues faced by Hefty is communication issue between IT and Business.

The failure to create a strategic plan to drive the business and IT strategy lead to misalignment, a

lack of understanding and ineffective collaboration between the two primary functions.

There exists a lack of awareness of the role of business in contributing to the overall

business strategy. As per Cheryl, VP of Retail Marketing, she is unable to draw the correlation

between IT and business operations in delivering new technologies in a timely manner.

Due to this lack of collaboration and ineffective communication, business failed to

communicate the desired business needs and requirements to IT. As pointed out by Glen, the

COO and Paul, Marketing IT relationship manager, IT was expected to deliver on tasks beyond

the scope of their technical roles without proper understanding of the requirements.

Proposed Plan for effective collaboration between IT and Business

To overcome the shortcomings, team collaboration can be encouraged through a retail

site visit of both the business and IT to understand the requirements of the Saavy Store Program

better.

The role of an account manager can be leverage to bridge the gap between business and

IT and ensure common understanding and effective communication. The VP, COO and CIO

Hefty Hardware Case 4

should assign appropriate resources, motivate and lead their team to deliver on the mission and

vision of the program.

Hefty Hardware Case 5

References

McKeen, J. and Smith, H. (2015). IT Strategy. Pearson Education UK.