Dubai Port Authority (A) Case from Harvard Business School

1. What is the key problem facing DPA? (Please be specific and answer through the following sub-questions)

1a. What is DPA trying to automate? (This answer requires thinking!)

1b. Why is DPA trying to automate it?

2a. Explain how the shipping industrys value chain depends on data to move goods around by illustrating it via information from the case?

2b. What are (is) the critical source of inefficiencies in th data aspect of the value chain (as in 2a)?

3a. Why have they remained inefficient (i.e., should not market forces have induced a movement towards more efficiency)?

3b. What is the critical impact of this inefficiency?

4a. DPA plans to initiate a project to reduce these inefficiencies, what does the project aim to do, i.e., its specific objectives (you must be specific, general statements are inadequate!)?

4b. What is the potential technical label for such a project within the IT industry (technical name usually is not what the DPA calls it)?

5a. What are the potential benefits to DPA of using this?

5b. What will have to change within DPA for this to work?

6a. Which other organizations does the project potentially involve other than DPA?

6b. Are these organizations very likely to participate or notWhich are likely and which are not likely?

7a. What are the potential (dis) benefits of the project to these others?

7b. What will have to change in these organizations for them to use the system?

7c. Which outside entitys participation is most critical to success of the project? Why?

8a. You identified a key inefficiency(2b/c) earlier, will the project address this inefficiency as currently planned? (yes/no) How/why will it/will it not address this?

8b. Who is likely to put up the most staunch resistance to the project and why?

8c. What could be done to address their resistance?

9a. What is the primary IT functionality-set (capability-set) that should be included in the project? (the must-have system software features NOT nice-to-have for the project) Why/Why Not?

9b. Should the primary system functionality-set include the ability to handle un-containerized cargo? Why/Why Not?

9c. Should primary functionality-set include Customs features? Why/Why Not?

9c. Who should the initial users/participants inside/outside DPA be? Why/Why Not?