Build the IT Dream Team:

1. CASE STUDY: ENCOMPASS PROVIDES EXECUTIVE
GUIDANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A STRENGTHENED IT CULTURE
AND STAFFING MODEL
CLIENT PROFILE
The company feared they had overspent on technical infrastructure and may
Northeast Ohio forging facility and
need additional staff to support their growing operation
independent subsidiary of one of
the largest global steel producers, Through several years of significant growth this $52 million tier-two automotive
Tier 2 automotive manufacturer manufacturer also made significant investments in information technology.
However, there was no clear consensus amongst management on if those
Industry: investments were providing an adequate return. And perhaps more importantly,
Manufacturing there was a growing rift between management team members sparked by
uncertainty of the capability, quality, and time usage of the company’s IT staff.
Locations:
Single location According to the company Vice President, three questions needed to be
answered: (1) Are our systems adequate for our business model? (2) Can our
“holes” be covered by third party firms economically? And (3), are our efforts
Business Services Provided:
balanced with our abilities?
Technology Strategic Planning, Third
Party Technical Analysis, The company’s management team pondered these questions and needed
Benchmarking, Strategic answers with solid recommendations grounded in the lean operating,
Recommendations competitive realities of today’s manufacturers. They selected enCompass to
provide the strategic insight they desired.
enCompass employed the Navigational Assessment framework to discover,
analyze, and benchmark the company’s IT function
enCompass completed a hands on discovery process intended to fully
comprehend the current state of the company’s IT systems, staffing model,
employee behavior, and management decision making.
To fully immerse in the culture and daily activities of the company, enCompass
shadowed the IT staff to probe for deeper understanding of the team’s daily
activities and time usage. Our systems engineering team worked to understand
and document all aspects of the company’s technical environment. A two-part
questionnaire and interview process was used to gain insight into the interaction
of staff with the company’s IT function, and most importantly if their needs were
being met and if improvements could be made to support their role.

2. After completing the discovery process, enCompass analyzed and benchmarked
enCompass Services Featured: the findings to industry standards and similarly sized manufacturers to prepare
 Navigational Assessment for recommendations.
 Business Technology
Leadership In this case our analysis of the situation pointed to a set of key underlying issues
 Executive Guidance contributing to management’s instinct. First, the company’s infrastructure
environment was rather robust for the size of their operations. Also, significant
investment had been made over the past several years on the installation and
customization of the company’s accounting and MRP systems with limited
functional return. And more, interfacing with IT staff was not always the most
pleasant experience.
“We were astonished by the time and Most noteworthy though, employee compensation was tied significantly to the
detail enCompass put into assessing profitability of the plant. Employees feared the company was spending carelessly
our company’s IT capability. on IT initiatives and that the spending was contributing to decreased
Recommendations were thorough and compensation. This created a sense of animosity towards IT. Something needed
actionable. Everyone was quite to be done; the company’s IT culture needed strengthened and the staffing model
impressed by the level of professional needed a change.
analysis and results we received”
Recommendations focused on the improvement of IT systems and the merits
Asset Manager
of different staffing model dichotomies
enCompass presented a comprehensive report
that included findings with detailed
recommendations. The company’s
executive team was surprised by some
of the project’s findings while other
areas of discovery confirmed their
assumptions. Recommendations
centered around infrastructure
optimizations; software
improvements; and how the
company’s IT staffing model could be
improved through the better
utilization of existing staff,
introduction of new full time hires,
part time hires, interns, a third party
managed services provider, and
different blends of resources.
The full report provided the strategic
insight necessary for company
executives to confidently move
forward with IT decisions effecting
their organization.
enCompass logo is a trademark of Encompass Group, LLC. All other brand and product names are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2011
About Encompass Group, LLC
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, enCompass was founded with the mission of helping clients implement purposeful technology solutions that
help navigate the pathways of business with more confidence. The enCompass team accomplishes their mission by providing honest and
forward-thinking solutions for small and medium businesses that think big. Specific technology skillsets revolve around custom
application development, network engineering, and strategic IT management with best-in-class solutions in collaborative and mobile
applications and managed infrastructure services.
Encompass Group, LLC | 2310 Superior Avenue, Suite 010 | Cleveland, Ohio 44114 | 216.539.0100