Case Study; Centene, Flowserve, and Shaw Industries: Relationships, Collaboration, and

Project Success

K.V.D.M.Kalatuwawa (17 MAT 5573)

Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
TM 3163: Development & Management Information System
Mr.R.V.S.P.K.Ranatunga
October 30, 2021
 Centene, Flowserve, and Shaw Industries: Relationships, Collaboration, and Project
Success
1. Why do you think the practices described in the case led to success for these
companies?
The company is made up of various separate sections that work together to improve the
company. The sections of the company should sit down and discuss what the plan is, how to
execute the plan and how to solve the problem when there are challenges in execution so that
ultimate success can be achieved.
Good connections between the Company, IT service providers, and project managers aid in
the early detection of issues. Instead of pointing fingers at each other or attempting to restore
schedules alone, IT teams and business partners may spend their time and attention sitting down
together to identify solutions to challenges. These relationships also help to make quick decisions
when solving challenges. Important choices must be made promptly and carefully in order to
minimize delays in the project continuation process and ensure that the project is finished on
schedule and within budget.
Centene, Flowserve, and Shaw are aware of it, and they sat down with the intern in their
organization or with partners to achieve what the company's aims were, and they addressed each
component in detail to reach a final accord. So, there is a relationship in the development of
excellent relationships between the Company, IT Service Providers, and project managers. This
positive relationship permits the project to stay on track even in times of crisis.
2. How do they change the structure of projects so that the likelihood of a positive
outcome increases?
They alter project structure by guaranteeing that a project does not appear to be an IT project.
The project is addressed as a business initiative by all relevant stakeholders, and the leaders are
involved in the key early design phase.
This paradigm shift is being ingrained in everyone from the workforce to the top leadership.
The aim is for this IT project to be viewed as a necessary improvement since it will benefit the
company's bottom line. And, as it turns out, the company's profitability improved as a result of
this significant and complete transformation.
3. In the case of Shaw Industries, how did Scrum help?
Shaw Industries' IT department is utilizing Scrum, an agile software development
methodology, to strengthen interactions between IT and business partners. IT may deliver
solutions for business partners on a regular basis using the agile method, which is faster than the
waterfall method. According to Livingston, Scrum requires business partners to meet with IT for
4-8 hours to review all projects in the backlog and decide which ones would be the most
profitable for Shaw Industries. IT then breaks the project into sprints of 30 working days, with
each sprint becoming increasingly productive. Scrum holds IT responsible to the business; when
business partners see measurable progress every 30 days, their trust in IT improves. Project
delivery improves as a result of the structure imposed by Scrum and the connections that emerge
from it.
4. Provide three specific examples from the case, and explain where and how those
activities helped the company move their projects along.
• Flowserve seeks to simplify the company's overall IT infrastructure of the company, which
has branches in more than 56 countries, and Flowserve's CIO ensures that this project is
treated as a business project not an IT project. Moreover, by involving business leaders in the
critical planning phase, the CIO was able to gain extensive support for the success of project
initiatives that affect the business strategy throughout the company.
• Centene installed a new finance system on time and within budget. The company uses
proven technology, appoints system integration specialists, and fosters a positive relationship
between the IT and finance departments. When a project is interrupted, this positive
connection helps the IT staff to focus on finishing the task ahead of schedule and on budget.
• Scrum is a software development approach used by Shaw Industries. Scrum splits projects
into 30 working increments. Business partners evaluate the success of the IT team's work on
the 30th day and give recommendations for needed adjustments. This 30-day plan is the most
successful as well as a better method than the waterfall method.
5. Using examples from the case and your own understanding of how those worked, can
you distil a set of recommendations that companies should follow when managing
technology-based projects? Would these be universal, or would you add any limitations
to their applicability?
• In software development, the waterfall methodology is being replaced with an agile
methodology. Agile methodologies are built to foster positive interactions between IT teams
and business partners. But this suggestion is not universally accepted. The waterfall
methodology is better suited in some situations.
Instance: A high-rise building project
• Build a strong relationship of trust between the IT staff and business partners, allowing for
more collaboration and quick decision-making.
• Using tried and true technologies.
• Using knowledgeable consultants.
• Consider IT initiatives as business projects rather than IT projects.
• Include corporate executives in the design process, as well as advice from experts in the
industry.