Scenario

You work for Hoorah Corporation, which produces autonomous electric cars. It has committed to both internal and external stakeholders that the first autonomous electric car will come off the assembly line by the end of the next 24 months. Your department is to design and deliver a working prototype of the key component of electric cars, a microchip, or as they say in your industry, the "brains" of the autonomous car.

As the key member of the technology department, you have been directed to align your departmental strategic goals to theorganizational goals. The projected timeline is that mass production of the cars will begin in 24 months and that your microchip will be completed in 18 months. You are tasked with presenting your plan to Hoorah Corporation's board of directors in three months, bearing in mind the organizational goal of a 24-month time frame for the first cars coming off the production line.

Your specific task is to create a presentation to highlight key elements of your departmental strategic plan. Include speaker notes that detail your thinking, so the board of directors can clearly see why they should believe and trust in your presented plan.

Directions

In your presentation, the board of directors would like to see your departmental strategic goals and how they align to organizational goals, as well as the tactical steps you will take to achieve those goals. In addition, they want to see that you've amended your initial concept based on the findings from your completed conceptual gap analysis.

• To orient the board of directors to your plan, explain the purpose of your departmental strategic goals. In your explanation, consider the following:
  • What is the reason the department exists?
  • How would you articulate the intent of your department's strategic plan?
  • What are your department's core capabilities?
  • How does your department create value for the organization?
• Decide which two or three of the organization's goals relate best to your department. Then create one or more goals that align to that organizational goal. You do not need to include all organization goals, and one organizational goal may have more than one departmental goal aligned with it.
  • For example, if one organizational goal is to reach 25% market share, what goal in your departmental strategic plan relates to that organization goal?
  • In addition, if an organizational goal is to make the competition irrelevant, what goal in your departmental strategic plan relates to that organization goal?
• Explain what tactical action steps you will take to align to the organizational strategic plan. As you create these steps, consider the following:
  • What specific actions does your department need to complete in order to achieve organizational goals?
  • What steps would you need to take in order to ensure the deliverables are on time?
  • What does the organization expect of your department in order to reach the organizational goals?
• Develop how you will measure goal attainment for each of your departmental strategic goals.
  • How will you know if your tactical action steps will achieve what you expect?
  • What is the best method or metric to hold your department accountable to its strategic goals?
• Perform a conceptual gap analysis to identify the opportunities and needs of the department with regard to the departmental strategic goals. There is no need to create a graph. As you perform this analysis, consider the following:
  • Look at the departmental plan and organizational goals:
    • What is missing in order for the department to meet its obligations?
    • What are some roadblocks that may keep you from reaching your plan?

Southern New Hampshfe University Hoorah Strategic Organizational Goals Ensure financial stability while maintaining profitability 0 Financial stability means that the company is resistant to economic shocks and is fit to smoothly fulfill its basic functions: the intermediation of financial funds, management of risks such as zero tolerance for errors, and the arrangement of payments (payroll, suppliers, etc.). The system is stable enough to not need assistance from external institutions, such as the government. 0 To be successful and maintain profitability (revenue after expenses are deducted) in a business, it is necessary to survive and remain attractive to customers as well as investors. This shows the importance of managing costs, increasing productivity, reducing waste, reducing overhead expenses, purchasing more effectively, removing nonessential tasks, etc. Does each of the components impacting profitability contribute to that profitability, and if not, should it be included in the strategic plan? Diversify and grow additional revenue streams 0 To diversify means to invest in unrelated businesses that have different end customers but yet are within the company. Diversification can involve a strategy in which part of the business is not currently operating, thus creating a new product for a new market, for example. You diversify to grow additional revenue streams that have the potential to align with the growth strategy. It may be important to diversify in the company, as it has an opportunity to reduce risk and yet maximize return by investing in different areas. However, it does not guarantee against loss, so diversification is the most important component of reaching long-range financial goals, while minimizing risks. For example, the company may open new channels in which to sell their products or new partnerships that could increase the chance of long-term success and increase long-term profits. Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations 0 Compliance is a multifaceted and often complex matter. It requires a well-thought-out plan with the right policies and procedures in place to ensure requirements are met in a timely manner as well as a pristine recordkeeping system to document those procedures. One important area is auditing expenses. Spending is getting simpler and while that is a good thing for employees who are empowered, it is getting more difficult for companies to control. Another important area is human resources. Failure to comply with even a single human resource policy can land the company in a legal mess. A key aspect of staying out of a legal mess it to keep up with changing ADA provisions; stay current on what constitutes ADA compliance in the workplace. Corporate social responsibility (increase community outreach) - This is the idea that businesses should balance profit-making activities with activities that benefit society. It involves developing a positive relationship to the community in which the business operates. This means ensuring the company conducts its business in a way that is ethical and takes into account its social, economic, and environmental impact and also considers human rights. It can involve a range of activities, such as working in partnership with local communities such as Habitat for Humanity. There are usually four types of corporate social responsibility: environmental sustainability initiatives, direct philanthropic giving, ethical business practices, and economic responsibility. . . . Southern New Hampslure Un1vers1ty Technology Department Information You report to the vice president of technology, who ultimately reports to the CEO of the company. Your department has been tasked with designing and delivering the working type prototype of the key component of electric cars, which are to roll off the assembly line in 24 months. Your department has 12 people, which include four rocket scientists who previously worked for NASA designing the chips for the rocket engines. Two of your department members are scheduled to retire in 912 months, and one of those two has an attitude of coasting through to retirement. In addition there are three employees who do not accept change and are grumpy and exhibit that grumpiness throughout the workday to whoever will listen or is within hearing distance. Three of the total 12 are new university graduates with newly earned PhDs and are eager and willing to show their intelligence and only want to work with the four rocket scientists, as they do not want to be bothered with team members who are coasting or negative. The company is considering a few key diversification possibilities. One of these is creating a low- cost chip to manufacture and sell to higherend competitors. In addition, it is considering purchasing mines and distribution methods for the minerals required for the microchip. This way, it would have more power over the raw materials needed in its new endeavors. The budget given to you for your tasks is nonnegotiable, and the directive given to you by the VP of technology is that you will come in on or below budget and yet deliver the design and prototype on time. You are to ensure through your department strategic plan that the budget covers all areas pertaining to your tasks; and yet you have the flexibility to move the budget monies within your department as you see fit. In addition, the company expects your department, like all departments in the company, to be a good citizen in the community, and it has asked you to identify in your strategic plan how you plan to accomplish this. For example, your team may have the desire to partner with Habitat for Humanity and build/repair homes in the community. Another possibility is for your team to donate its time and talent to tutoring students in the fields of science and math at the local elementary schools. This should be zero-sum to your department budget