Case write up
Question 1. What was the level of IT alignment at Cirque du Soleil in 2008?
Answer By 2008 Cirque had nearly standardized and aligned all the IT capabilities needed by the various departments. A series of initiatives were taken for the task:
Cirque purchased IBM’s WebSphere Business Integration Server Express Plus Software in 2003 to integrate all the systems and organize all the applications on a single platform.
In April 2006, Cirque outsourced its information technology (IT) needs to CGI Group Inc.
In July 2006, Cirque took Orange Business Services help to manage its Global IT network and support its performances.
Then a planning system was built so as the information regarding the planning activities could be analyzed and accessed using the Cirque own network. In case of products and souvenirs sold by Cirque, real time data was available to the executives as Cirque used SAP to link point of sale data to merchandize.
After all the streamlining of IT process, In the year 2008 Cirque was at the The Standardized Technology Architecture Stage as per Ross’ definition[1] .Cirque was having a centralized data warehouse to share access to data but the transaction data was still embedded in the individual departments IT assets. Cirque was yet to leverage the huge compilation data they have to move their business forward.
In order to evolve to third stage of IT architecture Cirque would need to standardize business process, which is very difficult for Cirque business model as sometimes they would have to make instant decisions to keep the show running leaving aside the business rules .Business rules are easy to standardize in a manufacturing or Sales business but since Cirque depends on creativity to take it forward so rigid business can never be set up for it or it would suppress the creative environment. Furthermore, some of Cirque’s products are tour shows thus a highly improbable environment is there so setting up business rules for each process would be
Answer By 2008 Cirque had nearly standardized and aligned all the IT capabilities needed by the various departments. A series of initiatives were taken for the task:
Cirque purchased IBM’s WebSphere Business Integration Server Express Plus Software in 2003 to integrate all the systems and organize all the applications on a single platform.
In April 2006, Cirque outsourced its information technology (IT) needs to CGI Group Inc.
In July 2006, Cirque took Orange Business Services help to manage its Global IT network and support its performances.
Then a planning system was built so as the information regarding the planning activities could be analyzed and accessed using the Cirque own network. In case of products and souvenirs sold by Cirque, real time data was available to the executives as Cirque used SAP to link point of sale data to merchandize.
After all the streamlining of IT process, In the year 2008 Cirque was at the The Standardized Technology Architecture Stage as per Ross’ definition[1] .Cirque was having a centralized data warehouse to share access to data but the transaction data was still embedded in the individual departments IT assets. Cirque was yet to leverage the huge compilation data they have to move their business forward.
In order to evolve to third stage of IT architecture Cirque would need to standardize business process, which is very difficult for Cirque business model as sometimes they would have to make instant decisions to keep the show running leaving aside the business rules .Business rules are easy to standardize in a manufacturing or Sales business but since Cirque depends on creativity to take it forward so rigid business can never be set up for it or it would suppress the creative environment. Furthermore, some of Cirque’s products are tour shows thus a highly improbable environment is there so setting up business rules for each process would be