Superman Trainer, Inc. owns and operates fitness centers in a dozen Midwestern cities. The centers

have done well, and the company is planning an international expansion by opening a new

supercenter in the Toronto area. Superman Trainers president, Cassia Umi, hired an IT

consultant, Susan Park, to help develop an information system for the new facility. During the

project, Susan will work closely with Gray Lewis, who will manage the new operation.

Background

At their initial meeting, Susan and Gray discussed some initial steps in planning an information

system for the new facility. The next morning, they worked together on a business profile, drew an

organization chart, discussed feasibility issues, and talked about various types of information

systems that would provide the best support for the supercenters operations. Their main objective

was to carry out a preliminary investigation of the new system and report their recommendations

to Superman Trainers top managers.

After the working session with Gray, Susan returned to her office and reviewed her notes. She

knew that Superman Trainers president, Cassia Umi, wanted the supercenter to become a model for

the companys future growth, but she did not remember any mention of an overall strategic plan

for the company. Susan also wondered whether the firm had done a SWOT analysis or analyzed

the internal and external factors that might affect an information system for the supercenter.

Because the new operation would be so important to the company, Susan believed that

Superman Trainer should consider an enterprise resource planning strategy that could provide a

company-wide framework for information management. After she finished compiling her notes,

Susan listed several topics that might need more study and called Gray to arrange another meeting

the following day.

Tasks

1. Does the proposed system present a strong business case? Why or why not?

2. What fact-finding ,techniques should Susan and Gray consider during the preliminary

investigation? Also develop a list of questions they should include in an employee survey.

3. For each type of feasibility, suggest two questions that will help Susan reach a

determination.