A&D High Tech

KEL156

MARK JEFFERY

A&D High Tech (A):
Managing Projects for Success
In his twelve years as a technology project manager at A&D High Tech, Chris Johnson had a strong track record of delivering projects on time and on budget. His techniques for project planning, estimating, and scheduling had become best practices at the St. Louis-based computer products company. He had just led a projectteam that successfully revamped the supply chain systems in less than eighteen months. He was especially proud since many observers had doubted that the project could be completed on time. As part of the strategic initiatives set forth by its CEO and founder, Ted Walter, A&D was to be second to none in utilizing technology to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs. The supply chainproject therefore received notable attention in the boardroom and with its competitors. Time and again, Johnson was asked to tackle difficult assignments that were critical to the company’s growth and profits. He had already been mentioned as the successor to the vice president of e-business, Chuck Gagler, pending his retirement. (See Exhibit 1 for the A&D High Tech organizational chart.) In early May2002 Johnson received an urgent message from the company’s CIO, Matt Webb. Webb asked Johnson to join him for a meeting with A&D’s senior managers to discuss taking over the company’s online store project. Johnson realized that up to that point the company’s top brass had virtually ignored the Internet and its sales potential. But that situation was about to change. As Webb explained, A&D’s vicepresident of sales, Jeff White, had advised CEO Ted Walter that A&D was losing its competitive advantage by not selling online. As a result, Walter had made the online store project the company’s highest priority. Walter wanted to know whether the project could be completed in time for the holiday shopping season, when A&D’s cyclic business traditionally boomed. The current project manager, EricRobertson, was taking a one-month leave of absence due to a family emergency, just as he was about to begin formulating the project plan and make staffing decisions. Johnson immediately began thinking about the best way to ensure the online store project’s success. He was concerned that there was too little time to get up to speed on this new project. It was already May, and the holiday season wouldapproach soon. Given the urgency put forth by Webb and Walter, Johnson was already feeling pressure to come up with solid recommendations in short order.

©2006 by the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. This case was prepared by Derek Yung ’03 and Alex Gershbeyn ’03 under the supervision of Professor Mark Jeffery. Cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion.Some facts within the case have been altered for confidentiality reasons. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 800545-7685 (or 617-783-7600 outside the United States or Canada) or e-mail custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Kellogg School of Management.

A&D HIGH TECH (A)

KEL156

Company History
A&D High Tech sold computer products, accessories, and services to consumers and small businesses. Thecompany had its roots in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Ted Walter started its first store in 1988. A&D’s made-to-order products were very innovative at the time, and were the first to be introduced in the personal computer industry. Walter emphasized friendly customer service, a value that was deeply ingrained in the culture of the Midwestern heartland where Walter had lived his entire life. A&D’s...