Question: Let's suppose that Dr. Flores was able to obtain investment funds sufficient to implement PRIDE for medical practices, patients, and health clubs. Assume that he and his investors elected to wait until they had that portion of the business operating before they included insurance companies and employers. Clearly, it makes no sense to attempt to integrate the new operation with his surgical practice. Assume that, instead, the investment group formed a new company entitled PRIDE Systems. PRIDE Systems will employ managers, sales and marketing, and customer support personnel. Additionally, through a combination of in-house personnel and outsourcing, it will also staff an IS department. Suppose you are asked to help plan that new department. Form a group, as instructed by your professor, and answer the following questions:
1. State the major functions of this new IS department. Explain how each of the functions defined in this chapter pertain to PRIDE Systems
2. Assume that the experience of hiring Ajit Barid worked well and that PRIDE Systems plans to continue application development with him. Describe factors that may make the investors nervous about this decision. Explain how you would respond to each of those factors.
3. Assume that PRIDE Systems will hire a cloud vendor to provide PaaS functionality. Explain what this means in general and what it means in particular for PRIDE.
4. Given your answers to questions 2 and 3,
a. What will be the function and goals of the Operations group?
b. What will be the function and goals of the Development group? What job descriptions will this group need to staff?
c. What will be the function and goals of the Outsourcing Relations group?
d. Will PRIDE Systems need a CTO? Justify your answer.
5. Understanding that PRIDE Systems is a small startup company that needs to conserve its investment dollars, would you recommend outsourcing any of the following functions? If so, explain the risks of doing so. If not, explain how you would justify the costs associated with staffing that function with employees.
a. CTO
b. Operations
c. Outsourcing relations
6. Using Drucker's analogy, is IS Management in the front room or the back room for PRIDE Systems?
7. Summarize what you have learned in this exercise in a 1-minute statement that you could use in a job interview with a small company.