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IT Issues and Management

Case 300 Memo

CASE STUDY 300 MEMO REQUIREMENTS

DESCRIPTION

One of the most important parts of this course is the ability to write in an effective manner that can clearly express an IT issue in business terms to key decision makers. For that reason, you are asked to write a Case 300 Memo (or simply an email) addressed to key decision makers in the case studies read through this course.

For this task, you are asked to play the role of an IT expert that is employed in the company discussed in each case. Your job is to identify the issue, relate it to a decision maker in business terms, offer some key background information and finally offer a solution to a key decision maker in the case. This requires you to analyze the situation in the case and provide appropriate and accurate information in a clear and concise way. The information needed to write your memo is included in the case; be sure to pull evidence from the case when writing your memos.

EXPECTED QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

For each case study, your Case 300 Memo MUST be able to answer the following questions.

1. What is the key decision/issue presented in the case?

2. What is the main business impact related to that decision/issue?

1. Listing some attributes of the information technology and/or the key pieces of knowledge required to make a decision surrounding the issue presented in the case?

2. What are two things that can be done to help remedy the issue or aid the decision maker in the case?

THE “300” MEMO / CASE SUMMARY

For each case study, prepare a memo addressed to a key decision maker identified in the case. The memo is intended to summarize the 4 questions above formatted for a decision maker to read and react to. Each memo MUST also…

1. be in a proper MEMO format (see below)

1. be less than 300 words (body only)

2. include the author’s name (you) at the bottom of the page

3. include the body word count underneath the author’s name

THE “300” MEMO OUTLINE

To: [Address the memo to a specific decision maker within the case]

[body contents – must not exceed 300 words]

• PARA 1: Summarize the organization’s issue in the case (Q1) and identifying the business impact in terms a non IT person can understand (Q2).

• PARA 2 (maybe also PARA 3): Analyze the attributes of the information technology relating to the main issue informing the decision maker (Q3).

• PARA 3 (maybe PARA 4): Present two independent (but complementary) recommendations that directly address the problems/opportunities identified within your assessment above (Q4).

Author: [YOUR NAME]

Word Count: [State your word count used in the ‘Business Impact Summary’… not to exceed 300 words]

EXAMPLE CASE STUDY 300 MEMO

To: CEO Tony Stark [name of a key decision maker in the case study]

In an effort to cut cost and facilitate higher sales, the Marketing Department requested the purchase of Hydra Web Hosting which introduces multiple security risks for Stark Industries [provide the impression there is an issue that requires a decision]. Not addressing these risks could result in loss of corporate data impacting our corporate reputation resulting losses for investors, trust from customers, and ultimately a loss in sales and profits

[communicate in business terms what would happen if this issue is not resolved].

[the following paragraphs analyze the attributes regarding the information technology that enables an executive to make a decision; use evidence from the case]

Happy, our security expert, reported several flaws with Hydra’s security features increasing risk. This includes the potential for users to mismanage applications introducing the opportunity for hackers to access user data. Furthermore, the applications available from Hydra are closed and can’t be altered to fit the security needs of

Stark Industries. Although some of these concerns may be remedied using lock down features and sandboxing, limitations still allow users to easily by-pass security measures without IT consent.

Alternatively, options are available to the sales team through S.H.E.I.L.D. sponsored OLAP hosting in lieu of Hydra. S.H.E.I.L.D. hosting address many of the security concerns by allowing an open rather than closed standard approach to security and application development. This feature allows IT support to perform our own quality and security assurances for use.

[provide recommendations that the decision maker can act upon]

With these considerations, I offer the following recommendations:

1. I highly recommend the use of the S.H.E.I.L.D. services platform to host the website. Many similar features on Hydra Web Hosting are also available through S.H.E.I.L.D. services and development is open and can be tailored to fit our security needs. [note how this connects with the previously discussed attributes of the information technology]

1. We also need to institute a policy regarding the development and use of applications for other web hosted technology. Our team can assess security concerns in various platforms and develop appropriate tools to assure organizational quality and security assurances. This is to ensure proper use of technology devices and applications are tailored to benefit our needs while minimizing security risks.

Author: [your name]

Word Count: 297 [this word count is of the body of your memo; needs to be less than 300 words]

…continued…

HELPFUL GUIDELINES

1. In each case study you should be able to conduct the following analysis

   1. Identify the key issue that needs to be solved or the decision that needs to be made.

   2. Identify the impact to the business if a decision is not made regarding the problem

1. 1. Determine what key piece of technology is focus of the failure and/or problem and be sure to provide whatever information is necessary to solve the issue or move forward to make a decision.

1. 1. Assess what type of solution(s) can be applied to resolve the issue and identify the benefits and drawbacks of each solution.

1. Follow the outline presented in the template... exactly. Limit the body to 300 words

1. Spend most of your time evaluating the events and business impacts in each case study and summarizing the succinctly in your memo. Recommendations are the easy part, but ensuring they relate to the business impact and resolve the issues is the difficult part.

1. Concentrate on the business impact of problems. While IT projects may have a lot of problems, the most pressing ones are always the problems that prevent the business from functioning effectively wasting time and resources. These may be based on the way the project is defined, planned, implemented, or controlled, but you will need to understand and articulate what the impact of these problems are for the business.

1. Watch for the “elephant(s) in the room”. While cases depict several problems, you need to identify the major problem(s) that could cause the business serious damage if not addressed.

1. Make recommendations actionable. “Actionable” recommendations are those that make it clear what exactly should be done “on Monday morning”. Often coupling a “procedural” recommendation with a “people” recommendation (such as altering the business process or employee incentives) are the most effective recommendations.

1. When you write, be concise and clear about your business impacts. Most business executives need to understand the financial risks to the company if the issue/decision is not attended. Some considerations could include customer sales, profits, exceeding cost due to lawsuits, loss of market share, etc.

1. Be sure to provide evidence that will help the decision maker both understand the technology and how it meets the business need. Your recommendations should be aligned with these points.

GRADING RUBRIC OF WRITTEN SUMMARY

Published: 14 May 2019