Part 1 Business Case Project Overview: The Owner Of Lakewood

Part 1 Business Caseproject Overviewthe Owner Of Lakewood It Wants

The owner of Lakewood IT is considering establishing an internal IT service department as a new product offering. This department would serve multiple company locations and potentially multiple buildings within each location. Management must evaluate within six months whether to proceed with this expansion. Currently, Lakewood IT operates two customer-facing departments: IT Hardware/Software Sales and IT Parts. The proposed service department would introduce a third customer-facing unit, allowing the company to handle customer repairs internally instead of referring them to outside providers.

The envisioned service department will offer both virtual and on-site technician support for hardware and software issues. It will involve personnel responsible for scheduling service appointments, assessing and troubleshooting customer problems, estimating repair costs, and coordinating with the parts department to procure necessary components. To support this expanded capacity, the parts department may need to revise its inventory and ordering processes to manage increased parts volume efficiently.

As part of the decision-making process, Lakewood IT has commissioned organizational and industry research, including interviews with three anonymous industry experts. These interviews provided insights into the critical factors influencing the success of IT service operations, such as management effectiveness, staffing, skill diversity, automation, and continuous learning. The interviewees highlighted challenges including perceived technician skill gaps, inefficient resource use, limited executive support, and the need for structured service management frameworks. Conversely, they identified opportunities like hiring skilled technicians, adopting automation, and emphasizing courteous customer service.

Part 1 – Business Case Interview Results

Using the insights from the interviews and industry knowledge, a SWOT analysis is required to evaluate whether establishing this new service department aligns with Lakewood IT's long-term strategic objectives. The SWOT analysis will help identify the department’s internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities, and potential threats, providing a structured basis for the strategic decision.

References

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