Ça Va de Soi: A Phoenix Rises from the Ashes of a Failed IT Project (A and B)
Case number : 9 65 2016 002A-B
Case published in the International Journal of Case Studies in Management, Vol. 14, No. 3
Keywords :
Project failure,
Information technology projects,
SMEs,
Project risk management,
Project vision
Date :
2016-06-14
Teaching notes included :
Yes
Abstract
This two-part case study of a Canadian knitwear SME called Ça Va de Soi (CVDS) presents a real-life situation: an IT project failure (part A) and how the project was “resuscitated” and transformed into a success (part B). The case highlights (1) the challenges and risks of IT projects for SMEs, (2) the importance of evaluating and selecting the right IT supplier and managing relationships, and (3) how, during a retrospective, lessons learned from a project failure can be transferred and applied to other IT projects.
Teaching objectives
This case aims to have students reflect on and discuss the following:
- The challenges and risks of IT projects carried out by SMEs
- The importance of carefully evaluating and selecting IT suppliers and managing relationships with them, and
- How lessons learned from a failed project can be transferred and applied to other IT projects
Primary domain :
Information technology
Secondary domain :
Management
- SME management
Sectors :
Consumer goods
Type :
Traditional case (Descriptive or analytical case)
Event location :
Montréal, QC, Canada
Year of start of the event :
2015
Year the event ended :
2015
Business size :
Small- and medium-sized
Concepts et théories en lien avec le cas
- IT adoption drivers of SMEs
- Strategic IT vision and project alignment
- IT project risk management and success factors
- The application of lessons learned to other IT projects