As the CIO of a new self-driving car manufacturer, your first major IS overhaul is to change from having a network of vendors to a network of suppliers to support the engineering and design process of a self-driving car. The "vendor" model means your company puts out Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to supply certain parts and labor for fixed period of time. The "supplier" model means building tight relationships with external parts and labor providers to streamline the car manufacturing process.
The major issue at hand is that to streamline the design processes of new and uncharted innovations there are constantly new parts that need to be ordered in ordered for development and testing, as the development of a self-driving car is an iterative approach where innovative techniques need to be tested as quickly as possible so as not to stall development. To accomplish this, your company needs an IS to closely track resources, tightly integrate with supplier systems, and be able to order new parts and request new labor in an autonomous to semi-autonomous fashion so that design processes seamlessly roll into production.
From a corporate strategic perspective, the goal for Phase I is to ensure the information vision aligns with the corporate strategy as the company begins to move to a network of suppliers. The company will need to ensure their information systems are up to date and they are capturing the appropriate data elements before they can begin to network with suppliers.
Phase II of the project is to integrate with parts suppliers, such as that for batteries, engines, radiators, etc. The company must specify what systems are required and how those systems are connected.
From a corporate strategic perspective, the goal for Phase III of the project will track the development of software responsible for creating the car's "brain". This can include hardware and software for the core self-driving technology, the monitoring of sensors that monitor battery life, maintenance schedules etc.
Your task for the exam is to utilize the case studies, in-class materials, and material from the Internet to develop a plan for the IT department to take on this project and stay aligned with corporate strategy, as developing these tight relationships is certainly a strategic objective. One suggested way to go about this is to divide the plan for the IT department into phases. For example, Phase I can focus on a plan for the technology selection process, while Phase II can focus on the design of the IT needed to support development processes.
Key Questions that need to be answered in your plan:
- What systems are required in order to facilitate data capture, exchange of information, and analysis of the captured data?
- How will the company utilize managerial information systems to improve overall effectiveness and efficiency?
Make sure you provide specific examples and use cited examples where appropriate.