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Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017

We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale

We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale.

Case topics represented on the list vary widely, but a number are drawn from the case team’s focus on healthcare, asset management, and sustainability. The cases also draw on Yale’s continued emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, and the role of business in state and society. Of note, nearly half of the most popular cases feature a woman as either the main protagonist or, in the case of raw cases where multiple characters take the place of a single protagonist, a major leader within the focal organization. While nearly a fourth of the cases were written in the past year, some of the most popular, including Cadbury and Design at Mayo, date from the early years of our program over a decade ago. Nearly two-thirds of the most popular cases were “raw” cases - Yale’s novel, web-based template which allows for a combination of text, documents, spreadsheets, and videos in a single case website.

Read on to learn more about the top 10 most popular cases followed by a complete list of the top 40 cases of 2017.  A selection of the top 40 cases are available for purchase through our online store . 

#1 - Coffee 2016

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort

Coffee 2016 asks students to consider the coffee supply chain and generate ideas for what can be done to equalize returns across various stakeholders. The case draws a parallel between coffee and wine. Both beverages encourage connoisseurship, but only wine growers reap a premium for their efforts to ensure quality.  The case describes the history of coffee production across the world, the rise of the “third wave” of coffee consumption in the developed world, the efforts of the Illy Company to help coffee growers, and the differences between “fair” trade and direct trade. Faculty have found the case provides a wide canvas to discuss supply chain issues, examine marketing practices, and encourage creative solutions to business problems. 

#2 - AXA: Creating New Corporate Responsibility Metrics

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort and David Bach

The case describes AXA’s corporate responsibility (CR) function. The company, a global leader in insurance and asset management, had distinguished itself in CR since formally establishing a CR unit in 2008. As the case opens, AXA’s CR unit is being moved from the marketing function to the strategy group occasioning a thorough review as to how CR should fit into AXA’s operations and strategy. Students are asked to identify CR issues of particular concern to the company, examine how addressing these issues would add value to the company, and then create metrics that would capture a business unit’s success or failure in addressing the concerns.

#3 - IBM Corporate Service Corps

Faculty Supervision: David Bach in cooperation with University of Ghana Business School and EGADE

The case considers IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC), a program that had become the largest pro bono consulting program in the world. The case describes the program’s triple-benefit: leadership training to the brightest young IBMers, brand recognition for IBM in emerging markets, and community improvement in the areas served by IBM’s host organizations. As the program entered its second decade in 2016, students are asked to consider how the program can be improved. The case allows faculty to lead a discussion about training, marketing in emerging economies, and various ways of providing social benefit. The case highlights the synergies as well as trade-offs between pursuing these triple benefits.

#4 - Cadbury: An Ethical Company Struggles to Insure the Integrity of Its Supply Chain

Faculty Supervision: Ira Millstein

The case describes revelations that the production of cocoa in the Côte d’Ivoire involved child slave labor. These stories hit Cadbury especially hard. Cadbury's culture had been deeply rooted in the religious traditions of the company's founders, and the organization had paid close attention to the welfare of its workers and its sourcing practices. The US Congress was considering legislation that would allow chocolate grown on certified plantations to be labeled “slave labor free,” painting the rest of the industry in a bad light. Chocolate producers had asked for time to rectify the situation, but the extension they negotiated was running out. Students are asked whether Cadbury should join with the industry to lobby for more time?  What else could Cadbury do to ensure its supply chain was ethically managed?

#5 - 360 State Real Options

Faculty Supervision: Matthew Spiegel

In 2010 developer Bruce Becker (SOM ‘85) completed 360 State Street, a major new construction project in downtown New Haven. Just west of the apartment building, a 6,000-square-foot pocket of land from the original parcel remained undeveloped. Becker had a number of alternatives to consider in regards to the site. He also had no obligation to build. He could bide his time. But Becker worried about losing out on rents should he wait too long. Students are asked under what set of circumstances and at what time would it be most advantageous to proceed?

#6 - Design at Mayo

Faculty Supervision: Rodrigo Canales and William Drentell

The case describes how the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prominent hospitals in the world, engaged designers and built a research institute, the Center for Innovation (CFI), to study the processes of healthcare provision. The case documents the many incremental innovations the designers were able to implement and the way designers learned to interact with physicians and vice-versa.

In 2010 there were questions about how the CFI would achieve its stated aspiration of “transformational change” in the healthcare field. Students are asked what would a major change in health care delivery look like? How should the CFI's impact be measured? Were the center's structure and processes appropriate for transformational change? Faculty have found this a great case to discuss institutional obstacles to innovation, the importance of culture in organizational change efforts, and the differences in types of innovation.

This case is freely available to the public.

#7 - Ant Financial

Faculty Supervision: K. Sudhir in cooperation with Renmin University of China School of Business

In 2015, Ant Financial’s MYbank (an offshoot of Jack Ma’s Alibaba company) was looking to extend services to rural areas in China by providing small loans to farmers. Microloans have always been costly for financial institutions to offer to the unbanked (though important in development) but MYbank believed that fintech innovations such as using the internet to communicate with loan applicants and judge their credit worthiness would make the program sustainable. Students are asked whether MYbank could operate the program at scale? Would its big data and technical analysis provide an accurate measure of credit risk for loans to small customers? Could MYbank rely on its new credit-scoring system to reduce operating costs to make the program sustainable?

#8 - Business Leadership in South Africa’s 1994 Reforms

Faculty Supervision: Ian Shapiro

This case examines the role of business in South Africa's historic transition away from apartheid to popular sovereignty. The case provides a previously untold oral history of this key moment in world history, presenting extensive video interviews with business leaders who spearheaded behind-the-scenes negotiations between the African National Congress and the government. Faculty teaching the case have used the material to push students to consider business’s role in a divided society and ask: What factors led business leaders to act to push the country's future away from isolation toward a "high road" of participating in an increasingly globalized economy? What techniques and narratives did they use to keep the two sides talking and resolve the political impasse? And, if business leadership played an important role in the events in South Africa, could they take a similar role elsewhere?

#9 - Shake Shack IPO

Faculty Supervision: Jake Thomas and Geert Rouwenhorst

From an art project in a New York City park, Shake Shack developed a devoted fan base that greeted new Shake Shack locations with cheers and long lines. When Shake Shack went public on January 30, 2015, investors displayed a similar enthusiasm. Opening day investors bid up the $21 per share offering price by 118% to reach $45.90 at closing bell. By the end of May, investors were paying $92.86 per share. Students are asked if this price represented a realistic valuation of the enterprise and if not, what was Shake Shack truly worth? The case provides extensive information on Shake Shack’s marketing, competitors, operations and financials, allowing instructors to weave a wide variety of factors into a valuation of the company.

#10 - Searching for a Search Fund Structure

Faculty Supervision: AJ Wasserstein

This case considers how young entrepreneurs structure search funds to find businesses to take over. The case describes an MBA student who meets with a number of successful search fund entrepreneurs who have taken alternative routes to raising funds. The case considers the issues of partnering, soliciting funds vs. self-funding a search, and joining an incubator. The case provides a platform from which to discuss the pros and cons of various search fund structures.

40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017

Click on the case title to learn more about the dilemma. A selection of our most popular cases are available for purchase via our online store .

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Partner Center

Problem management at the DWP

• Problem management

Author   Rosie Dalton

Rosie, Problem Process Owner, DWP - Department of Working Pensions

May 15, 2021  |

  14  min read

The UK government’s Department for Work And Pensions has been improving its problem management processes for years. They have used ideas from a range of service management frameworks, including ITIL 4, to optimize their ways of working and cultivate a effective problem management culture.

Read this case study to find out what changes they’ve made, and why.

Introduction

1.1 the department for work and pensions.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is the UK’s biggest public service department. It administers benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. This involves assessing claims, making and measuring benefits payments, and manning job centres and benefit centres. All these activities depend on various forms of IT. The DWP uses about 300 different technical services, each of which is managed by a dedicated service owner. Service owners act as a liaison between customers and operations, and they can call on technical teams as needed.

Service owners and technical teams are also responsible for problem management. They have the knowledge and expertise needed to investigate, diagnose, build, and implement fixes for problems. Technical teams investigate and present options to service owners on possible solutions to problems; service owners make the decisions.

1.2 The digital problem management team

Historically, the majority of the DWP’s IT service provision was outsourced to external suppliers. Service management was also outsourced, and problem management was part of a SIAM function that acted as a layer between the DWP and external suppliers.

Then in 2015, the DWP changed the way it manages IT services. The various outsourced supplier contracts were progressively insourced. However, the overall approach to problem management remained largely similar to the pre-2015 approach. External supplier technical teams became the DWP internal technical teams. SIAM problem management became the DWP digital problem management team (DPMT), and the DWP live service support teams evolved under the direction of a service owner.

Now, the DPMT generally does not manage individual problems. Rather, the team oversees the whole process to ensure that problems are raised and managed effectively. The DWP estate is extremely large and diverse; there are many services and many of those include distinct strands; for example, within user-facing functions, such as child maintenance and working age benefits. It makes sense, therefore, that the experts for each service manage their own problems.

“Organizations should understand the errors in their products because they may cause incidents and affect service quality and customer satisfaction. The problem management practice ensures problem identification and thus contributes to the continual improvement of products and services.” ITIL problem management practice guide, section 2.4.1

Sometimes, the DPMT will intervene in the management of specific problems, such as those having a major impact, those that need more traction and focus, or those that are difficult to diagnose. The DPMT might also facilitate cooperation between several service owners and technical teams who are trying to diagnose a problem.

“When problems have been identified, they should be handled effectively and efficiently. It is rarely possible to fix (remove) all the problems in an organization’s products, but identification without resolution is significantly less valuable for the organization and its customers.” ITIL problem management practice guide, section 2.4.2

The service owners and technical teams who manage problems also manage incidents, changes, knowledge, and so on. From a practical perspective, they have a full end-to-end control over their services and the processes to support them. This helps to drive quality; for example, it is in service owners’ interests to ensure that any changes are implemented safely because they will each have to manage the consequences of unsafe change.

The evolving demands on Problem management

The role of problem management has been evolving rapidly as new technologies emerge and ways of working change. The main driver for this evolution at the DWP was the insourcing strategy and the decision to move away from external suppliers. The strategy was to develop in-house digital services and at the same time to take advantage of emerging technologies, such as cloud services.

This change in strategy, the increasing use of agile methodologies, and introduction of site reliability engineering at the DWP provided an opportunity to evolve the processes and to reaffirm the value of problem management within the organization.

So, there has been a fundamental shift in the way services are managed. For example, pre-2015 external suppliers had to abide by detailed problem management policies and procedures, which were agreed between SIAM problem management and the DWP.

The policies and procedures tended to be very prescriptive; they described the process in detail and included statements about what suppliers must or must not do. An escalating scale of penalties for repeated non-compliance were included in suppliers’ contracts.

Post-2015, the insourced suppliers are not governed by commercial contracts. Instead, they have an internal obligation to follow the policies and procedures. There are no penalties for non-compliance. This meant that the DPMT had to redesign their interactions with the technical teams, service owners, and suppliers.

One of the first things the DPMT did was re-evaluate the purposes and efficacy of the policies and procedures (in part prompted by engagement with agile development teams). The team reworked the policies and procedures into a framework document that provided the minimum documentation necessary.

“Many problem management activities rely on the knowledge and experience of staff, rather than on following detailed procedures. People responsible for diagnosing problems often need the ability to understand complex systems, and to think about how different failures might have occurred. Developing this combination of analytical and creative ability requires mentoring and time, as well as suitable training.” ITIL ® Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition, section 5.2.8

The new framework documentation concentrates on communicating the value of problem management, the key guiding principles, and the team’s aims and objectives and how to achieve them. Prescriptive ‘must’ statements were removed. In all, the team reduced 11 process documents down to a single framework document.

The new framework provides just enough information that stakeholders can understand the principles of the process and implement it in their teams.

To meet the need for more detailed information and to provide additional guidance and support, knowledge articles have been created in the service management toolset. All the information that was in the policy and procedure documents is still available, but it is now easier to locate and kept separate from the essential framework.

One of the implications of the new framework is that those following the framework must have a good understanding of the role of problem management to be successful. As such, the DPMT’s role is evolving from one of enforcement (pre-2015) to one of training and upskilling (post-2015).

Problem management in the DWP

3.1 service management methodologies.

The DWP bases its service management upon ITIL ® principles but recognizes that other methodologies can help support the delivery of services. These include agile methodologies, SRE, and so on, which provide a framework for organizations to consider or adopt.

“Most of the content of the practice guides should be taken as a suggestion of areas that an organization might consider when establishing and nurturing their own practices.” ITIL problem management practice guide, section 7

The key to getting the most out of these methodologies is staff awareness. The DWP recognizes the need to have a fully trained and skilled workforce and fully supports training and development opportunities in these areas. All methodologies have their strengths, and inspiration can be drawn from all of them.

However, awareness alone is not enough. The team is encouraged to utilize their learning and translate theory into practice.

The DPMT do this by recognizing that methodologies are fundamental underpinnings of what is done: they do not specify how it is done in detail. By understanding the implied objectives of the methodologies and focusing on what can be improved, the DPMT have been able to evolve their processes and develop specific improvements, such as real-time root cause analyses (RCAs).

The ability to evolve, improve, and add value is due to the commitment of the team and a deliberately cultivated positive environment in which employees are encouraged to listen to stakeholders, try new ideas, and learn continually.

3.2 Training and awareness

The DPMT conducted a survey to find out what the problem management stakeholders thought of problem management, as well as what skills and training they needed. The survey made it clear that many people were confused about the practical application of theories. Many people also wanted to learn more about specific topics, such as root cause analysis techniques.

As a result, the DPMT has developed and continues to develop a range of training opportunities for stakeholders. Some of the most useful delivery methods are:

• Bitesize sessions These focus on a specific topic, such as ‘what is a problem?’ They were originally part of a dedicated ‘learning at work’ week, but they have since been turned into videos that are always available.
• Face-to-face sessions These sessions are useful for complex topics, and they have the added benefit of enabling direct contact with stakeholders.
• Knowledge articles These are an ‘always there’ resource that allow people to self-help. However, sometimes they are best used to support more direct training. Articles provide targeted information, such as advice on specific parts of the process.

3.3 The Problem process

The problem process in the DWP follows ITIL principles. The team objectives include minimizing the number of incidents (actual and potential) and their impact, such as through workarounds.

Definition: Problem

A cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents.

In the DWP, problems are raised for IT faults and for people and process issues. The focus is on improving and plugging gaps in processes, identifying training opportunities, disseminating information, and applying technical fixes.

A general principle is that problems are raised not only when the root causes of the incident are unknown, but also when the root causes are known and further actions are needed to fix or mitigate a risk. Problems should be documented so that incidents can be linked to them to help assess their overall impact. In fact, there are very few circumstances when a problem would not be raised if incidents are being generated.

A problem record promotes the visibility of the issue and allows it to be managed in a single space. Without the problem record, issues would be overlooked. Decisions and reasoning can be recorded in the problem record and revisited at a later date, regardless of whether or not a problem is fixed.

Key message: Problems are positive

Without a problem record, issues are never resolved, meaning incidents are never minimized or eradicated.

3.3.1 the problem lifecycle

Problems in the DWP progress through a problem management lifecycle. The lifecycle has six states:

• under investigation
• investigation complete
• fix identified
• fix scheduled
• fix implemented
• fix successful.

The lifecycle allows the team to assess how long it takes to complete an investigation or implement a fix, which means they can identify bottlenecks in the process. Targeted actions can then address process failings. Workarounds or mitigating actions can be introduced at any stage in the lifecycle and will be reassessed and improved as knowledge of the problem develops.

Ideally, all problems would progress through the lifecycle to the ‘fix successful’ stage. However, in many cases the team will decide early on not to progress a problem. In these cases, the problem is closed early.

“The problem management practice includes the following practice success factors:

• identifying and understanding the problems and their impact on services
• optimizing problem resolution and mitigation.” ITIL problem management practice guide, section 2.4

3.3.2 Closing problems

Problems are raised and worked on until a decision is made to close them by the service owner. Reasons for closure include:

• The problem has been fixed and will not reoccur.
• Action has been taken to mitigate the problem’s impacts in the form of a workaround.
• Some other action had been implemented, such as improved training or a process improvement.
• No action is taken; the problem is accepted as a risk.

The reason for closure is recorded using a closure code. However, closed problems are still important because incidents may still be linked to them.

3.4 Reporting on problem management KPIs

Defining effective KPIs is very difficult; focusing on individual KPIs does not provide enough context about the performance of the team, as the following example illustrates.

At one time in the DWP, suppliers had to propose specific problem fixes within a certain amount of time after raising a problem. The intention was to encourage suppliers to propose fixes quickly. In practice, teams would delay raising a problem record until a fix had been identified. The problem record would then be raised and the KPI would be met.

“In many cases, using single-system-based metrics as targets can result in misalignment and a disconnect between service partners regarding the success of the service delivery and the user experience […] This is referred to as the ‘watermelon SLA’ effect.” ITIL ® Foundation: ITIL 4 edition, section 5.2.15.1

The lesson is that focusing on metrics and managing by numbers can be very dangerous. Negative behaviours can develop, undermining the original intention to improve the process.

Now, the DPMT treats KPIs cautiously and avoids arbitrary targets. They also balance complementary KPIs without placing overreliance on any one. The problem record is emphasized as a good thing; a low number of problems is not a measure of success if the number of incidents remains high and incident resolution is low.

“Metrics will be based on the overall service strategy and priorities of an organization, as well as on the goals of the value streams to which the practice contributes.” ITIL problem management practice guide, section 2.5

3.5 Real-time root cause analysis

The approach taken towards root cause analyses at the DWP is another example of how the ways of working have changed since 2015.

Before, when a major incident occurred the teams responsible would be given a root cause document to complete. Completing this document was seen as a punishment for an incident.

Now, all parties involved in a major incident attend a post-incident review in which root cause analysis is performed in real time. The main advantages of this method are:

• There is a no-blame culture: the objective of the exercise is to identify root causes and what can be done to prevent or mitigate them. No one is interested in assigning blame.
• Participants are more willing to offer information and facilitate the process, even if that means owning up to mistakes.
• The quality of the resulting document is noticeably high.
• The time taken to complete the document was reduced from weeks to one or two days.

“Where reporting identifies failures or weaknesses, these must be viewed as opportunities for improvement. Employees who know they will be blamed when measurements uncover undesirable results will often mask problems, making it very difficult for the organization to correct them.” ITIL ® 4: Direct, Plan and Improve, section 4.2.1

To perform root cause analyses in real time, you need:

• someone conversant with the five-whys methodology to chair and guide the analysis
• a scribe to document the analysis
• a way of sharing the live analysis document as it is being written.

3.6 Problem communities

The concept of problem communities illustrates how far problem management has evolved. Each service has a number of stakeholders who are interested in its performance. Stakeholders include customers, other service owners, technical teams, or even the service desk (who have to deal with the fallout of problems).

These stakeholders need to know about any problems associated with that service and what, if any, impact those problems will have on them. This information could be shared in a report, but problem communities go further. At the DWP, when a problem is raised or reaches a critical point in the lifecycle, its impact is communicated to the problem community stakeholders, who are invited to respond with any questions or queries, which are then answered.

The service owner responsible for problem management can then draw upon diverse stakeholder expertise; for example, asking ‘is this workaround acceptable?’

3.7 Relationships with other process areas

The DPMT does not operate in isolation. The team has a mature set of processes that have grown and developed on two levels: there is a relationship between key process teams, such as the incident, change, and knowledge management teams; there is also a relationship between the various service owners and technical teams.

3.7.1 Key process teams

The DPMT works very closely with the incident management team to ensure the two processes are complementary and support each other. For example, the teams hold a monthly incident and problem review forum that allows the incident and problem stakeholders to discuss and resolve any issues involving the two processes. This encourages information sharing and collaboration within the direct community.

“Relationship management seeks to harmonize and synergize different organizational relationships with internal and external customers to realize targeted benefits through continual improvement.” ITIL ® Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition, section 5.1.9

Knowledge has always been a part of the DPMT’s activities, but the creation of a dedicated knowledge management team helped to formalize how and when knowledge is created. The consideration of knowledge is now integral to each stage of the problem lifecycle.

The DPMT also has close relationships with other areas, such as change management, to be able to manage problem fixes and also identify changes that introduce new problems. Another example is service transition, because it is important that new services have full problem support in place from the beginning.

Many of the things introduced and developed in the problem management space at the DWP are the result of many months or years of effort and change. Many of the ideas and ways of working that have been introduced, such as real-time root cause analyses and the problem lifecycle, have benefitted from the team’s perseverance and the open and collaborative culture.

The DPMT have been involved in problem management for several years. They have built their expertise and strongly believe in the value of problem management. They regularly identify opportunities to evolve and improve.

Problem management at the DWP has come a long way. Upskilling and promoting problem management within the wider organization is a key part of the team’s strategy. By giving stakeholders the skills and knowledge they need to understanding of the benefits of problem management, the process as a whole is carried out more effectively.

KPIs and measures are not the team’s primary focus. Although such measures exist, the focus is on actually managing problems for the right reasons. This approach results in automatic positive results. The main takeaway is that problems are positive!

About the authors

Rosie Dalton

Rosie has been a service management professional for over 15 years in the public and private sector.

Rosie has worked in various IT and operational roles within the DWP and has been the DWP problem process owner for the last 10 years.

Stephen Conway

Stephen has been a problem management team leader with the DWP for the last 13 years. Stephen has over 20 years’ IT experience spanning academia and operational/IT roles in the public/private sector.

Both Rosie and Stephen have ITIL experience stretching back to ITIL v2 and have recently completed the ITIL 4 Managing Professional transition.

Department WP Case Study

• DWP Case study

Do Your Students Know How to Analyze a Case—Really?

Explore more.

• Case Teaching
• Student Engagement

J ust as actors, athletes, and musicians spend thousands of hours practicing their craft, business students benefit from practicing their critical-thinking and decision-making skills. Students, however, often have limited exposure to real-world problem-solving scenarios; they need more opportunities to practice tackling tough business problems and deciding on—and executing—the best solutions.

To ensure students have ample opportunity to develop these critical-thinking and decision-making skills, we believe business faculty should shift from teaching mostly principles and ideas to mostly applications and practices. And in doing so, they should emphasize the case method, which simulates real-world management challenges and opportunities for students.

To help educators facilitate this shift and help students get the most out of case-based learning, we have developed a framework for analyzing cases. We call it PACADI (Problem, Alternatives, Criteria, Analysis, Decision, Implementation); it can improve learning outcomes by helping students better solve and analyze business problems, make decisions, and develop and implement strategy. Here, we’ll explain why we developed this framework, how it works, and what makes it an effective learning tool.

The Case for Cases: Helping Students Think Critically

Business students must develop critical-thinking and analytical skills, which are essential to their ability to make good decisions in functional areas such as marketing, finance, operations, and information technology, as well as to understand the relationships among these functions. For example, the decisions a marketing manager must make include strategic planning (segments, products, and channels); execution (digital messaging, media, branding, budgets, and pricing); and operations (integrated communications and technologies), as well as how to implement decisions across functional areas.

Faculty can use many types of cases to help students develop these skills. These include the prototypical “paper cases”; live cases , which feature guest lecturers such as entrepreneurs or corporate leaders and on-site visits; and multimedia cases , which immerse students into real situations. Most cases feature an explicit or implicit decision that a protagonist—whether it is an individual, a group, or an organization—must make.

For students new to learning by the case method—and even for those with case experience—some common issues can emerge; these issues can sometimes be a barrier for educators looking to ensure the best possible outcomes in their case classrooms. Unsure of how to dig into case analysis on their own, students may turn to the internet or rely on former students for “answers” to assigned cases. Or, when assigned to provide answers to assignment questions in teams, students might take a divide-and-conquer approach but not take the time to regroup and provide answers that are consistent with one other.

To help address these issues, which we commonly experienced in our classes, we wanted to provide our students with a more structured approach for how they analyze cases—and to really think about making decisions from the protagonists’ point of view. We developed the PACADI framework to address this need.

PACADI: A Six-Step Decision-Making Approach

The PACADI framework is a six-step decision-making approach that can be used in lieu of traditional end-of-case questions. It offers a structured, integrated, and iterative process that requires students to analyze case information, apply business concepts to derive valuable insights, and develop recommendations based on these insights.

Prior to beginning a PACADI assessment, which we’ll outline here, students should first prepare a two-paragraph summary—a situation analysis—that highlights the key case facts. Then, we task students with providing a five-page PACADI case analysis (excluding appendices) based on the following six steps.

Step 1: Problem definition. What is the major challenge, problem, opportunity, or decision that has to be made? If there is more than one problem, choose the most important one. Often when solving the key problem, other issues will surface and be addressed. The problem statement may be framed as a question; for example, How can brand X improve market share among millennials in Canada? Usually the problem statement has to be re-written several times during the analysis of a case as students peel back the layers of symptoms or causation.

Step 2: Alternatives. Identify in detail the strategic alternatives to address the problem; three to five options generally work best. Alternatives should be mutually exclusive, realistic, creative, and feasible given the constraints of the situation. Doing nothing or delaying the decision to a later date are not considered acceptable alternatives.

Step 3: Criteria. What are the key decision criteria that will guide decision-making? In a marketing course, for example, these may include relevant marketing criteria such as segmentation, positioning, advertising and sales, distribution, and pricing. Financial criteria useful in evaluating the alternatives should be included—for example, income statement variables, customer lifetime value, payback, etc. Students must discuss their rationale for selecting the decision criteria and the weights and importance for each factor.

Step 4: Analysis. Provide an in-depth analysis of each alternative based on the criteria chosen in step three. Decision tables using criteria as columns and alternatives as rows can be helpful. The pros and cons of the various choices as well as the short- and long-term implications of each may be evaluated. Best, worst, and most likely scenarios can also be insightful.

Step 5: Decision. Students propose their solution to the problem. This decision is justified based on an in-depth analysis. Explain why the recommendation made is the best fit for the criteria.

Step 6: Implementation plan. Sound business decisions may fail due to poor execution. To enhance the likeliness of a successful project outcome, students describe the key steps (activities) to implement the recommendation, timetable, projected costs, expected competitive reaction, success metrics, and risks in the plan.

“Students note that using the PACADI framework yields ‘aha moments’—they learned something surprising in the case that led them to think differently about the problem and their proposed solution.”

PACADI’s Benefits: Meaningfully and Thoughtfully Applying Business Concepts

The PACADI framework covers all of the major elements of business decision-making, including implementation, which is often overlooked. By stepping through the whole framework, students apply relevant business concepts and solve management problems via a systematic, comprehensive approach; they’re far less likely to surface piecemeal responses.

As students explore each part of the framework, they may realize that they need to make changes to a previous step. For instance, when working on implementation, students may realize that the alternative they selected cannot be executed or will not be profitable, and thus need to rethink their decision. Or, they may discover that the criteria need to be revised since the list of decision factors they identified is incomplete (for example, the factors may explain key marketing concerns but fail to address relevant financial considerations) or is unrealistic (for example, they suggest a 25 percent increase in revenues without proposing an increased promotional budget).

In addition, the PACADI framework can be used alongside quantitative assignments, in-class exercises, and business and management simulations. The structured, multi-step decision framework encourages careful and sequential analysis to solve business problems. Incorporating PACADI as an overarching decision-making method across different projects will ultimately help students achieve desired learning outcomes. As a practical “beyond-the-classroom” tool, the PACADI framework is not a contrived course assignment; it reflects the decision-making approach that managers, executives, and entrepreneurs exercise daily. Case analysis introduces students to the real-world process of making business decisions quickly and correctly, often with limited information. This framework supplies an organized and disciplined process that students can readily defend in writing and in class discussions.

PACADI in Action: An Example

Here’s an example of how students used the PACADI framework for a recent case analysis on CVS, a large North American drugstore chain.

The CVS Prescription for Customer Value*

PACADI Stage

Summary Response

How should CVS Health evolve from the “drugstore of your neighborhood” to the “drugstore of your future”?

Alternatives

A1. Kaizen (continuous improvement)

A2. Product development

A3. Market development

A4. Personalization (micro-targeting)

Criteria (include weights)

C1. Customer value: service, quality, image, and price (40%)

C2. Customer obsession (20%)

C3. Growth through related businesses (20%)

C4. Customer retention and customer lifetime value (20%)

Each alternative was analyzed by each criterion using a Customer Value Assessment Tool

Alternative 4 (A4): Personalization was selected. This is operationalized via: segmentation—move toward segment-of-1 marketing; geodemographics and lifestyle emphasis; predictive data analysis; relationship marketing; people, principles, and supply chain management; and exceptional customer service.

Implementation

Partner with leading medical school

Curbside pick-up

Pet pharmacy

E-newsletter for customers and employees

Employee incentive program

CVS beauty days

Expand to Latin America and Caribbean

Healthier/happier corner

Holiday toy drives/community outreach

*Source: A. Weinstein, Y. Rodriguez, K. Sims, R. Vergara, “The CVS Prescription for Superior Customer Value—A Case Study,” Back to the Future: Revisiting the Foundations of Marketing from Society for Marketing Advances, West Palm Beach, FL (November 2, 2018).

Results of Using the PACADI Framework

When faculty members at our respective institutions at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the University of North Carolina Wilmington have used the PACADI framework, our classes have been more structured and engaging. Students vigorously debate each element of their decision and note that this framework yields an “aha moment”—they learned something surprising in the case that led them to think differently about the problem and their proposed solution.

These lively discussions enhance individual and collective learning. As one external metric of this improvement, we have observed a 2.5 percent increase in student case grade performance at NSU since this framework was introduced.

Tips to Get Started

The PACADI approach works well in in-person, online, and hybrid courses. This is particularly important as more universities have moved to remote learning options. Because students have varied educational and cultural backgrounds, work experience, and familiarity with case analysis, we recommend that faculty members have students work on their first case using this new framework in small teams (two or three students). Additional analyses should then be solo efforts.

To use PACADI effectively in your classroom, we suggest the following:

Advise your students that your course will stress critical thinking and decision-making skills, not just course concepts and theory.

Use a varied mix of case studies. As marketing professors, we often address consumer and business markets; goods, services, and digital commerce; domestic and global business; and small and large companies in a single MBA course.

As a starting point, provide a short explanation (about 20 to 30 minutes) of the PACADI framework with a focus on the conceptual elements. You can deliver this face to face or through videoconferencing.

Give students an opportunity to practice the case analysis methodology via an ungraded sample case study. Designate groups of five to seven students to discuss the case and the six steps in breakout sessions (in class or via Zoom).

Ensure case analyses are weighted heavily as a grading component. We suggest 30–50 percent of the overall course grade.

Once cases are graded, debrief with the class on what they did right and areas needing improvement (30- to 40-minute in-person or Zoom session).

Encourage faculty teams that teach common courses to build appropriate instructional materials, grading rubrics, videos, sample cases, and teaching notes.

When selecting case studies, we have found that the best ones for PACADI analyses are about 15 pages long and revolve around a focal management decision. This length provides adequate depth yet is not protracted. Some of our tested and favorite marketing cases include Brand W , Hubspot , Kraft Foods Canada , TRSB(A) , and Whiskey & Cheddar .

Art Weinstein , Ph.D., is a professor of marketing at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has published more than 80 scholarly articles and papers and eight books on customer-focused marketing strategy. His latest book is Superior Customer Value—Finding and Keeping Customers in the Now Economy . Dr. Weinstein has consulted for many leading technology and service companies.

Herbert V. Brotspies , D.B.A., is an adjunct professor of marketing at Nova Southeastern University. He has over 30 years’ experience as a vice president in marketing, strategic planning, and acquisitions for Fortune 50 consumer products companies working in the United States and internationally. His research interests include return on marketing investment, consumer behavior, business-to-business strategy, and strategic planning.

John T. Gironda , Ph.D., is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His research has been published in Industrial Marketing Management, Psychology & Marketing , and Journal of Marketing Management . He has also presented at major marketing conferences including the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Science, and Society for Marketing Advances.

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• Knowledge Base

Methodology

• What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 20, 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case, other interesting articles.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

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Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

TipIf your research is more practical in nature and aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as you solve it, consider conducting action research instead.

Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

Example of an outlying case studyIn the 1960s the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania was discovered to have extremely low rates of heart disease compared to the US average. It became an important case study for understanding previously neglected causes of heart disease.

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.

Example of a representative case studyIn the 1920s, two sociologists used Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a typical American city that supposedly exemplified the changing culture of the US at the time.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.

Example of a mixed methods case studyFor a case study of a wind farm development in a rural area, you could collect quantitative data on employment rates and business revenue, collect qualitative data on local people’s perceptions and experiences, and analyze local and national media coverage of the development.

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

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In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Ecological validity

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

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• Project Management

Top 15 Project Management Case Studies with Examples

Home Blog Project Management Top 15 Project Management Case Studies with Examples

Having worked for more than 9 years in the dynamic field of project management, I would strongly refer to real-world case studies as invaluable resources for both budding and experienced professionals. These case studies provide critical insights into the challenges and triumphs encountered in various industries, illustrating the application of project management principles in practical scenarios.   I have curated the case studies as a part of this article in such a way that it delves into a selection of compelling project management case studies, ranging from the healthcare sector to infrastructure and technology. Each case study is a testament to the strategic planning, adaptability, and innovative problem-solving skills necessary in today's fast-paced business environment. These narratives not only highlight past successes but also offer guidance for future projects, making them essential tools for anyone eager to excel in project management.

What is Case Study?

A case study refers to an in-depth examination of a specific case within the real-world context. It is a piece of content that sheds light on the challenges faced, solutions adopted, and the overall outcomes of a project. To understand project management case studies, it is important to first define what a project is . A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end, aimed at achieving a specific goal or objective. Case studies are generally used by businesses during the proposal phase. However, they are also displayed on the websites of companies to provide prospects with a glance at the capabilities of the brands. It can even serve as an effective tool for lead generation. In simple words, case studies are stories that tell the target audience about the measures and strategies that the organization adopted to become successful.

What is Project Management Case Study?

A project management case study is a piece of content that highlights a project successfully managed by the organization. It showcases the challenges that the organization faced, the solutions adopted, and the final results. Keep reading in order to explore examples of successful project management case studies.

Top 15 Project Management Case Studies and Examples 

Are you looking for some examples of PMP case studies? If yes, here are some of the best examples you can explore. Let’s dive in!

1. Mavenlink Helps Improve Utilization Rates by 15% for BTM Global

The case study is all about how Mavenlink helped BTM Global Consulting to save hours of work and enhance utilization with resource management technology. BTM Global Consulting offers system development and integration services to diverse clients. The challenges that the company faced were that tools like Netsuite OpenAir and Excel spreadsheets were not able to meet the customization needs as the company grew. It impacted their overall productivity.

In order to overcome the challenge, the solution they adopted was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was that it increased the utilization of the company by 10% and enhanced project manager utilization by 15%. It also reduced resource allocation work from 4 hours to just 10 minutes.

2. Boncom Reduces Billing Rate Errors by 100% With Mavenlink

Boncom is an advertising agency that collaborates with different purpose driven brands to create goods worldwide. The challenge was that the company relied on several-point solutions for delivering client-facing projects. However, the solutions failed to offer the required operational functionality. An ideal solution for Boncom was to adopt Mavenlink. The result was that the billing rate error got reduced by 100%. Accurate forecasting became possible for Boncom, and the company could generate reports in much less time.

3. whyaye! Reaches 80% Billable Utilization with Mavenlink

whyaye is a digital transformation consultancy delivering IT transformation solutions to businesses operating in diverse sectors. The challenge was that whyaye used to manage resources and projects using tools such as emails, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel. However, with the growth of the company, they were not able to access project data or gain insights for effective management of the projects . The ultimate solution to this challenge was to make a switch to Mavenlink. The result was an increase in the utilization by 6%, doubling of new clients, tripling of the company size, and seamless support through business growth.

4. Metova Increases Billable Utilization by 10% With Mavenlink

If you are looking for a project planning case study, Metova can be the right example. Metova is a technology firm, a Gold Partner of Microsoft, and an advanced consulting partner of AWS. The challenge was that the company handled several projects at a time. However, its heavy dependence on tools like Google Sheets limited the growth capabilities of the organization. So, the company looked for a solution and switched to Mavenlink. The result was that it was able to increase its billable utilization by 10%, increase its portfolio visibility, and standardize its project management process.

5. Appetize Doubles Length of Forecasting Outlook with Mavenlink

Appetize is one of the leading cloud-based points of sale (POS), enterprise management, and digital ordering platform that is trusted by a number of businesses. The challenge of the company was that its legacy project tracking systems were not able to meet the growing needs of the company. They experienced growth and manual data analysis challenges. The solution they found was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was an increase in the forecast horizon to 12 weeks, support for effective companywide scaling, easy management of over 40 major projects, and Salesforce integration for project implementation.

6. RSM Improves Client Satisfaction and Global Business Processes with Mavenlink

RSM is a tax, audit, and consulting company that provides a wide array of professional services to clients in Canada and the United States. The challenge of the company was that its legacy system lacked the necessary features required to support their work- and time-intensive projects and delivered insights relating to the project trends. An ideal solution to this challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better to risk mitigation in tax compliance, improved client-team communication, templatized project creation, and better use of the KPIs and project status.

7. CORE Business Technologies Increases Billable Utilization by 35% with Mavenlink

CORE Business Technologies is a reputed single-source vendor self-service, in-person, and back-office processing to the clients. It offers SaaS-based payment solutions to clients. The challenge faced by the company was that its tools like spreadsheets, Zoho, and Microsoft Project led to a hectic work schedule owing to a huge number of disconnected systems. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of team productivity by 50%, time entry compliance by 100%, and enhancement of the billable utilization rate by 35%.

8. Client Success: Health Catalyst Improves Business Processes and Increases Consistency in Project Delivery with Mavenlink

Health Catalyst is a company that delivers data and analytics services and technology to different healthcare organizations. The firm provides assistance to technicians and clinicians in the healthcare sector. The challenge of the company was that the tools like Intacct and spreadsheets that is used for project management were not able to provide the required data insights and clarity for better project management. It also limited effective resource management. The solution was to embrace Mavenlink. The result was better resource forecasting, enhanced interdepartmental communication, consistency in project delivery, and better resource data insights .

9. Client Success: Optimus SBR Improves Forecasting Horizon by 50% with Mavenlink

Optimus SBR is a leading professional service provider in North America. It offers the best results to companies operating in diverse sectors, including healthcare, energy, transportation, financial services, and more. The challenge was that legacy software tools that the firm used gave rise to project management issues. The company was not able to get a real-time revenue forecast or gain insights into its future financial performance. The solution that the company adopted was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better data-driven hiring decisions, efficient delivery of remote work, and enhancement of the forecasting horizon by 50%.

10. Client Success: PlainJoe Studios Increases Projects Closing Within Budget by 50% With Mavenlink

PlainJoe Studios is an experimental design studio that focuses on digitally immersive and strategic storytelling. The company has a team of strategists, architects, and problem solvers to create value for the clients. The challenge of the company was that the manual processing of the company affected its ability to grow and manage the diverse project effectively. They lacked clarity about their project needs and profitability. The solution to deal with the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was an enhancement in the billing rates by 15%, better project closing within budget by 50%, better data insights for the success of different projects, and a faster shift to remote work.

11. Client Success: RPI Consultants Decreases Admin Time by 20% With Mavenlink

If you are looking for an example of one of the best software project management case studies, then RPI Consultants can be the ideal one. RPI Consultants offer expert project leadership and software consulting services for enterprise-level implementation of solutions and products. The challenge was that the task management solutions adopted by the company gave rise to a number of complications. It resulted in poor interdepartmental transparency and time-consuming data entry. The ultimate solution that the company embraced was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was a rise in the utilization rate by 5%, lowing of admin time by 20%, better forecasting and resource management, and a single source for gaining insights into the project data.

12. Client Success: CBI's PMO Increases Billable Utilization By 30% With Mavenlink

CBI is a company that is focused on protecting the reputations, data, and brands of its clients. The challenge that the company faced was that the solutions used were unable to meet the growing needs of the organization. The systems were outdated, data sharing was not possible, and time tracking was inconsistent. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better interdepartmental alignment, enhancement of time tracking to support business growth, an increase in the billable utilization rate by 30%, and detailed insights for a greater success of the projects.

13. Client Success: Butterfly Increases Billable Time by 20% with Mavenlink

Butterfly is a leading digital agency that provides digital strategy, website design and development services, and ongoing support to businesses across Australia. The challenge was that the different legacy systems used by the agency limited its capability of effective project management and reporting. The systems were time consuming and cumbersome. In order to deal with the challenge, the solution was to make a switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of billable time by 20%, fast reporting insights, enhancement of productive utilization by 16%, and better Jira integration.

14. Client Success: TeleTracking Increases Billable Utilization by 37% With Mavenlink

TeleTracking Technologies is a leading provider of patient flow automation solutions to various hospitals in the healthcare sector. The challenge of the company was that it used different systems such as Microsoft Excel, Sharepoint, MS Project, Jira, and Netsuite. The use of a variety of solutions created a number of challenges for the company. It had poor forecasting capability, an insufficient time tracking process, and unclear resource utilization. The solution was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of time tracking compliance by 100%, rise in hours to date by 18%, and enhancement of billable utilization by 37%.

15. Client Success: Taylors Improves Utilization Rates by 15% with Mavenlink

This is a perfect example of a construction project management case study. Taylor Development Strategists is a leading civil engineering and urban planning organization in Australia. The challenge that the company faced was that the systems that it used were not able to support the growth of the business. There were a lot of inefficiencies and limitations. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better global collaboration, an increase in the utilization rate by 15%, consistency of timesheet entry, and in-depth insights relating to utilization and project targets.

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Start Creating Your Project Management Case Study

Not that you have a detailed idea about project management case studies, it is time to prepare your own. When doing the project management case study exercise, make sure to focus on covering all the important elements. Clearly stating the challenges and the solutions adopted by the company is important. If you want to get better at project management, getting a PMP Certification can be beneficial.

Case Study Best Practices and Tips 

Want to prepare a project management case study? Here are some tips that can help. 

• Involve your clients in the preparation of the case study. 
• Make use of graphs and data. 
• Mix images, texts, graphs, and whitespace effectively.

Project Management Case Studies Examples

Hospital el pilar improves patient care with implementing disciplined agile.

If you are looking for an example of one of the best hospital related project management case studies, then Hospital El Pilar can be the ideal one. Hospital El Pilar is a private hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, that provides comprehensive care to patients in various medical specialties. The challenge was that the hospital’s application development team faced several obstacles in managing and delivering projects, such as unclear priorities, a lack of visibility, little interaction with users, and competing demands. The solution that the team adopted was to use Disciplined Agile® (DA™), a flexible and pragmatic approach to project management that optimizes the way of working (WoW). The result was improved project outcomes, increased user satisfaction, greater transparency, and more trust from stakeholders and customers.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Technology and Infrastructure (MoTI) gets its principal corridor for transportation up in 35 days

Reconnecting Roads After Massive Flooding (2022) is a case study of how the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) used a project management approach based on the PMBOK® Guide to restore critical routes after a catastrophic weather event. It is one of the examples of successful project management case studies you can look into. The challenge was that an atmospheric river caused severe flooding, landslides, and bridge collapses, cutting off the lower mainland from the rest of Canada2. The solution was to prioritize the reopening of Highway 5, the principal corridor for transportation of goods and people, by creating scopes, work breakdown structures, and schedules for each site3. The result was that Highway 5 was reopened to commercial traffic in 35 days, despite additional weather challenges and risks4. The construction project management case study we discussed demonstrated the benefits of flexibility, collaboration, and communication in emergency response.

Case Study Template 

To create a well-crafted and highly informative case study template in the realms of project management, you should start by providing a brief overview of the client's company, focusing on its industry, scale, and specific challenges. Follow with a detailed section on the challenge, emphasizing the unique aspects of the project and obstacles faced. Next, you might want to describe the solution implemented, detailing the strategies, methodologies, and tools used. Then, you would need to present the results, quantifying improvements and highlighting objectives achieved. Finally, please conclude the case study with a summary, encapsulating key takeaways and emphasizing the project's success and its implications for future endeavors. By following this structure, you can present a comprehensive yet concise analysis that is ideal for showcasing project management expertise and insights. You can also refer to the template for crafting a better case study on project management – Template for writing case studies.

By now, you must have gained a comprehensive knowledge of preparing a project management case study. This article elaborately explains the significance of real life project management case studies as vital tools for demonstrating a company's expertise in handling complex projects. These case studies, showcasing real-world scenarios, serve as compelling evidence of a firm's capability to navigate challenges and implement effective solutions, thereby boosting confidence in potential clients and partners. They are not only a reflection of past successes but also a lighthouse guiding future project endeavors in the discipline of project management within the fields of construction, pharmacy, technology and finance, highlighting the importance of strategic planning, innovation, and adaptability in project management. If you are aspiring to excel in this field, understanding these case studies is invaluable. However, you would also need to learn from project management failures case studies which would provide a roadmap to mastering the art of project management in today's dynamic business landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. how do you write a project management case study.

In order to write a project management case study, keep everything brief but mention everything in detail. Make sure to write it with clarity and include graphs and images. 

2. Why is a case study important in project identification?

It is important to highlight the story of the success of your company and your clients.

3. What are case studies in project management?

A case study in project management is the success story of how effectively a company was able to handle a specific project of the client.

4. What should a project case study include?

A project study must include information about the client, how your company helped the client in resolving a problem, and the results.

5. Which are the best-case studies on project management?

The best-case studies on project management have been listed above. It includes BTM Global, Butterfly, Boncom, and more.

Kevin D.Davis

Kevin D. Davis is a seasoned and results-driven Program/Project Management Professional with a Master's Certificate in Advanced Project Management. With expertise in leading multi-million dollar projects, strategic planning, and sales operations, Kevin excels in maximizing solutions and building business cases. He possesses a deep understanding of methodologies such as PMBOK, Lean Six Sigma, and TQM to achieve business/technology alignment. With over 100 instructional training sessions and extensive experience as a PMP Exam Prep Instructor at KnowledgeHut, Kevin has a proven track record in project management training and consulting. His expertise has helped in driving successful project outcomes and fostering organizational growth.

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Home » Management Concepts » Written Analysis of the Case Study Problems in Management

Written Analysis of the Case Study Problems in Management

There is a little difference between the classroom discussion and written analysis of case problem. The following steps can guide the students to analyse the case problem and arrive at best possible solution.

1.   Summary of the case: The important facts in the case are pointed out in brief. It is the indication that the student has grasped the contents of the case precisely.

2.   Identify the problem involved in the case: After giving a careful reading to the case, see certain apparent problems in the situation. Some are very prominent and most immediate. Whereas some may be partially indicated. The student has to mention the basic problem interwoven  in the case, e.g. a case may indicate failure in delegation due to too much interference of the boss; another case may indicate the need for taking appropriate disciplinary action to set things right with regard to labor management relations or State policy in respect of minimum wages etc. Such basic problem should be set out in clear terms. The problem is usually related with some basic principles of management or industrial relations. The student may indicate such principle basic to the main issue.

Recommended reading: Analysis of Problems in Management Case Studies

3.   Analysis of the case: The case should be read carefully because each sentence may present an important fact. Some details in the case are directly or indirectly responsible for the problem situation presented in the case. The facts may concern resources, plans, people, actions, inter-relationships, industrial disputes, efficiency of workers, collective bargaining etc.

There are certain crucial issues related with the main problem. They must be identified from the facts of the case e.g., in a case of communication; finding out an appropriate communication medium to inform about a major policy decision may be the major problem. But the case may have several other facts like language barriers between the boss and the subordinates, past experience of the subordinates and their tendency to interpret communication in a particular manner, problem in communication due to too many levels, effect of non-participative techniques of decision making on communication etc. When all the problems and their relationship with the main issue is established, all the facts of the case will be clear. While making such analyses, students may show what kind of relationship exists between different arsons and activities and what factors are likely to be responsible for the problem. Usually an organization chart is drawn to indicate exact formal relationship between different characters in die case. Positions on the organization chart also indicate the likely consequences of an action taken by a particular individual.

In the case of wage problem, the student may try to get answers to the following questions in order to assemble facts of the case:

• What are the types of wages? (living wages, minimum wages, need based minimum wage, fair wage etc.)
• Which facts determine the wages? (nature of work – skilled, unskilled, technical and table work – use of machines, extent of automation, elasticity of labour supply, wage policy)
• What recent changes have taken place in national wage policy? The facts like wage structure in different industries, different locations and the requirement of type of skill should also be taken into consideration while analysing the case.

4. Alternative solutions available: When the student has identified the problem, he should go on listing the various alternatives that come to his mind one after another. The students need not give a deep thought to each alternative at this stage. Student should look at the problem from various points of view and different interest groups. Each facet of the problem may suggest a number of alternatives to the student. He has only lo enumerate them, e.g.. if the main problem is decreasing morale of the work group due to unfair altitude of an employee in group, several alternatives are : ignoring the issue, reprimanding the employee concerned, discussing the issue with him in confidence, asking him to go on leave for few days, taking disciplinary action, transferring him lo another department, asking him to resign on his own etc. The alternative solutions range from very simple measures to very harsh action. The alternatives need not be listed according to desirability of action. The alternatives will come to the mid of a student like a spontaneous flash of lightning, once the process gets started.

5.   Analysis of the alternative solutions: After listing all the possible alternatives, the merits, demerits and consequences of every alternative are judged and evaluated against each other. Continuing the same example, if a manager chooses to ignore the unwarranted behaviour of, an employee, things may get smoothened automatically and no ill-will will remain in the mind of the concerned employee, but there is also possibility that employee develop a feeling that every thing is tolerated, of they may draw an inference that the boss favours the said employee or the boss does not have the boldness to reprimand him. Different alternatives can thus be evaluated in the light of their plus and minus points, their immediate and far reaching effects and then the students may point out which of them could be taken in to account, and which of them need not to be considered.

To maintain the status quo or to continue the situation as it is, should always be the first alternative solution. Not to take any decision on issue is the best solution to the problem. Time takes its own course and the normal situation is rectified / restored automatically, or let the situation deteriorate further. But while analysing this alternative solution, the student should state how it is advantageous if the situation is continued as it is. Give the merits of the alternative solution.

The student should also give the disadvantages / demerits or limitations of the alternative solution. If the situation given in the case is allowed to continue, how it will further deteriorate and damage the interests of concerned parties, e.g. if the employees are on strike and the status quo is maintained, the strike will be continued resulting into loss of production and ultimately loss of market.

In another example, in the given case if, the morale of employees is depressed and the status quo is maintained, it will result in employee frustration, affecting their productivity resulting into increased labour turn over rate and / or absenteeism. After taking into consideration the adverse effects of the alternative solution, the student should not advice it as a final solution.

6. Choosing the right alternative: Out of several possible alternatives, the student has to pin point, which in his opinion, is the best possible alternative. When he mentions that a manager should have taken a specific decision at a certain stage, he may also say whether the manager could have avoided the situation by acting in a particular manner at an earlier stage of the event He has to suggest an answer, or a way out from the problem in which the executive has ultimately landed. The student will have to justify why he is pleading for a particular solution and not another one by explaining all its aspects. The alternative that he is suggesting may have certain limitations, e.g., if he suggests written instructions as a solution, illiteracy of some of the workers may be a limiting factor. To make the solution workable, he will have to suggest a certain educational standard (o be introduced in recruitment policy.

The final solution the student suggests should be in accordance with legal and other statutory provisions. It should be objective, impartial and fair to all concerned. It should be economical as well as practical. It should be in harmony with other decisions and with the accepted ethical standards.

At the end of the case, some points, issues or questions are given to ensure a focus and predetermine the direction in which the discussion will go. While solving a case problem the student should not simply answer these questions. In the examination, these points, issues or questions help the student to focus on a particular angle. These points, issues or questions should be used for analyzing the case problem. The case problem must be solved through the steps given above and after giving the final solution; the student should answer these questions, if (necessary) specifically asked for.

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ABM Students Participate at NGA Show

Gained valuable experience at grocery industry event.

Best Bagger

Students assisted with the "Best Bagger" competition.

Student Standout Awards

Students evaluated products and services for the Student Standout Awards.

Case Study Competition

Students developed a business strategy for a grocery chain.

April 16, 2024

Seven agribusiness and food industry management students recently brought home valuable experience and recognition from the National Grocers Association (NGA) Show.

Held at Caesar's Palace Forum in Las Vegas, the NGA Show is a premier event for the grocery industry, bringing together retailers, wholesalers, and a passionate student community that included students from Cornell, University of Findlay, St. Joseph’s University, Arizona State, Kansas State, Auburn, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Fresno State.

Students Justin Kipper, Carmen Diaz, Elizabeth Vargas, Ariadna Castro, Megan Ebner, Avalon Anderson, and Irvin Ayon were not just attendees; they were active participants at the show in several activities.

One of the activities was the Student Standout Awards, which tasked them with forming cross-university teams and evaluating hundreds of products and services showcased on the expansive NGA Show Expo Floor.

The floor included 350 companies eager to connect with industry stakeholders. From Center Store and Fresh Food innovations to cutting-edge technology solutions, the students had a front-row seat to the future of grocery retailing.

The cross-university teams each tackled a specific award category: Center Store, Fresh, Health & Wellness, Pharmacy, Operational Services, Sustainability in Store Design & Equipment, and Technology.

Armed with a set of insightful questions, they approached each booth, engaging with company representatives and learning how these products and services could empower independent grocers.

Through these insightful dialogues, the expo transformed into a real-world learning lab for the students, exposing them to the grocery landscapes and giving them invaluable industry knowledge while honing their critical thinking and communication skills.

Best Bagger Competition

Cal Poly Pomona students Castro, Vargas, and Diaz also assisted with the Best Bagger Competition, which puts the spotlight on a fundamental skill in the grocery industry – bagging – and on customer service and company pride.

Grocery store baggers from across the country battled it out for the coveted championship title and a grand prize of $10,000.

The students’ support ensured a smooth-running event and exemplified the collaborative spirit fostered by the agribusiness program.

Student Case Study

In the ever-evolving landscape of the grocery industry, maintaining a competitive edge requires not just adaptation but forward-thinking strategies that anticipate future trends.

This was the challenge the agribusiness management students embraced in the Student Case Study.

Their mission was clear: to revitalize Niemann Foods Inc. by transitioning its County Market stores into B-level stores, rebranded as "Niemann's Market."

Niemann Foods faced the dual challenge of executing a successful rebranding strategy to build customer loyalty while adapting to the changing dynamics of the grocery industry.

The team was comprised of Kipper, serving as the senior program manager, Anderson as head of marketing strategy, Ayon as senior community activities director, Diaz as visual design manager, with valuable contributions from Vargas, Castro, and Ebner.

Under the expert guidance of Lecturer Katie Horvath, a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in the grocery and consumer packaged goods) retail sector, the student consultant team embarked on a journey to redefine the shopping experience at Niemann's Market

The key questions posed to the student team revolved around creating an integrated shopping experience, aligning the rebranding with future customer preferences—especially in the fresh category—and differentiating Niemann's Market in the coming decade.

The students' proposal focused on leveraging technology and community engagement to revolutionize the shopping experience at Niemann's Market. Their strategic plan included the implementation of Custom Shelf Talkers and new cost-saving Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) Digital Shelf Tags.

These innovations aimed not only to enhance the in-store experience but also to achieve significant cost savings through labor reduction and efficiency in promotional activities.

Furthermore, the team devised a compelling marketing strategy titled "Look closer, find more at Niemann's," emphasizing the unique value proposition of the rebranded stores. By integrating these elements, the students projected a rate of investment of 73 percent or more, with substantial savings in labor and material costs, while also saving valuable time spent on price changes each week.

Gerry Kettler, Niemann’s director of consumer affairs, lauded the students' presentation, highlighting the impactful ideas they brought to the table.

"Your students rocked the presentation with their ideas! I cannot wait to work with these students," he remarked.

Although the team did not clinch the top prize, their innovative cost-saving initiative caught the attention of independent grocers across the United States, with seven grocers keen on implementing their strategies.

As these bright minds continue to make their mark on the industry, the experience gained from the Student Case Study serves as a foundation for their future endeavors. Their work with Niemann's Market is a testament to the transformative power of innovative thinking in maintaining a competitive edge in the dynamic grocery industry.

The collaboration between Cal Poly Pomona students and Niemann Foods, Inc. exemplifies the potential for academic institutions and industry leaders to work together in addressing real-world challenges.

The students' ability to apply their knowledge, creativity, and strategic thinking to a complex business scenario underscores the quality of education and training provided by agribusiness and food industry management program at the Huntley College of Agriculture.

A NEW BI-OBJECTIVE MODEL TO OPTIMIZE SOLID TRANSPORTATION UNDER UNCERTAINTY TO FACILITATE CATASTROPHE VICTIMS: A CASE STUDY

• Jency Leona Edward Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, INDIA.
• Palanivel Kaliyaperumal Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, INDIA.

This study addresses the crucial challenge of efficient resource allocation during emergencies, aiming to minimize loss of life and property. We analyzed a case study for the 2015 floods in Tamil Nadu, India, where local emergency centers in Chennai and surrounding cities distributed relief materials. Additionally, employing a Bi-objective Solid Transportation Problem (BOSTP) model, minimizes both cost and time of delivery. Further, the traditional methods like Row Maximum, Least Cost, and Vogel's Approximation are compared to BOSTP, which shows that Column Maximum yields an optimal result based on cost and time constraints. However, introduced a novel algorithm for BOSTP using trapezoidal neutrosophic numbers(TNN) to account for inherent uncertainties in logistics, specifically shipment cost and time. Lastly, performance analysis of the BOSTP model and sensitivity analysis under various scenarios demonstrate its effectiveness in enhancing rapid humanitarian assistance during emergencies. This case study contributes to developing efficient bi-objective models for future disaster response efforts.

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IE11 Not Supported

Dallas county criminal case management adoption continues to have failures, the county commissioners court decided on a tyler tech product in 2020, but since the 2022 roll out, the results include longer incarcerations, large extra expenditures and layers of problems within the local criminal justice system..

• Unknown number of inmates held longer than expected
• All state required reporting hasn’t been met
• Difficult navigation
• Slow case number assignments
• Cases aren’t being placed on court calendars
• A lack of end-user training
• System notifications not activated or slow
• System doesn’t consistently show judge assignments
• Abrupt system timeouts
• 2020 purchase date with a $11.3 million price tag
• Commissioners decide in January to spend $1.5 million to correct issues
• $100,000 payout in a civil lawsuit filed by a former jail inmate
• Unknown amount of time lost across IT staff, legal staff and jail staff

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Industrial Manufacturing Case Studies

Mark Jackley | Content Strategist | July 31, 2023

In This Article

4 Industrial Manufacturing Case Studies

Achieve your objectives with oracle, industrial manufacturing case study faqs.

Whether a company makes steel wheels to keep the auto aftermarket turning or architectural building products for some of the most iconic structures, it needs data and technology to solve its toughest problems.

The case studies below show how four industrial manufacturers—Alcar Ruote, Construction Specialties, Precision Group, and ArcelorMittal—improved operational efficiency, supply chain visibility, machinery maintenance and repair, global staffing, and the overall customer experience in part by using the latest cloud applications.

Key Takeaways

• No matter what they make, industrial manufacturers deal with common challenges, such as sharing data across departments and functions and improving visibility into their supply chains.
• Industrial manufacturers are moving to cloud-based applications with the latest features to overcome some of their toughest challenges.
• Such applications let industrial manufacturers improve operational efficiency, respond faster to changing markets and conditions, and position themselves for growth.

Faster, better, more cost-effective. It’s the mantra of manufacturers that turn raw materials into computers, farm equipment, chemicals, plastic soda bottles, you name it. This usually means relying on automation and not just workers to perform key tasks again and again.

These case studies span a range of companies solving common challenges by implementing Oracle Cloud software applications. Let’s start with a manufacturer that believes “Swiss made” is more than a label.

1. Industrial Manufacturing Case Study: Alcar Ruote

Part of a multinational holding company, Alcar Ruote designs, produces, and distributes steel wheels for the automotive aftermarket. The Swiss manufacturer relies on technology to produce top-quality products at a competitive price—and deliver them on time.

When new cars hit the market, the company needs to manufacture the right wheels to spec. But its on-premises applications couldn’t provide the real-time data it needed to accelerate order management, enhance customer service, and lower costs. Fresh data was also needed to evaluate business systems and correct any problems, including production issues.

Alcar Ruote chose Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing and Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP applications to manage key business processes: manufacturing, planning, order management, procurement, and financials.

Oracle Fusion Cloud Order Management , part of the Oracle Cloud SCM suite of applications, automated order-to-fill processes. Now 80% of sales orders are generated automatically, accelerating the order process and boosting customer service.

Internet of Things (IoT) technology within the Oracle platform lets Alcar Ruote analyze sensor data from shop floor devices, predict equipment failures, take corrective actions, and reduce downtime. The technology runs on Oracle Autonomous Database , which processes data in real time across multiple applications.

“Swiss quality is a sort of dogma,” says Stefano Mariani, head of IT at Alcar Ruote. “You expect top-level quality and on-time delivery.” In using technology to achieve those goals, he says, “we see Oracle as not only a vendor, but also as a partner.”

2. Industrial Manufacturing Case Study: Construction Specialties

For 75 years, Construction Specialties has made a wide range of architectural building products: doors, wall coverings, architectural louvers and screens, flooring, safety vents, and other treatments. Architects have specified the company’s products for the most sturdy, elegant structures, including the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida and One World Trade Center and the redesigned exterior of Madison Square Garden in New York.

In recent years, competitors have emerged to meet increased demand for environmentally sustainable buildings. Construction Specialties had a strong sustainability record, but it needed to get the word out to architects, interior designers, contractors, property owners, and facility managers. The company needed applications to manage the marketing and social media campaigns it created for each customer persona and to track resulting orders through their lifecycle—from marketing and online sales to production and payments.

The goal was twofold: Increase sales and enhance each customer’s end-to-end experience.

Construction Specialties chose Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX) and Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP to manage orders from start to finish. The application suites integrate with others to unify digital marketing, online sales, supply chain operations, and finance. Sales staff and customers have a single place to search for, configure, and order hundreds of highly complex, engineered-to-order products.

“Our number one reason for upgrading to Oracle Cloud was to make it easier for our customers to do business with us,” says Mike Weissberg, digital marketing manager.

Construction Specialties teams now have an integrated suite of applications to view inventory, identify the best shipping options, and forecast lead times. Once quotes are approved and entered into the system, it automatically triggers events such as picking inventory, procuring parts, and scheduling production. As it processes orders, the application suite generates invoices.

“The cloud has completely taken away all of the maintenance and custom-coding requirements that were bogging us down,” says Arthur Cosma, enterprise automation manager.

3. Industrial Manufacturing Case Study: Precision Group

Precision Group operates two manufacturing companies: Precision Dies & Tools and Precision Plastic Products. The latter makes plastic packaging for multinational companies, including Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Many customers partner with Precision on key R&D projects.

Founded in 1984 in the United Arab Emirates, Precision requires cost-effective procurement of office equipment and supplies, capital equipment, and other goods and services. But its enterprise resource planning (ERP) application, which dated back 25 years, lacked automation and integration. Tasks such as vendor evaluation were completely manual. Managers had no visibility across procurement workflows.

Precision implemented Oracle Fusion Cloud Procurement in part to accelerate the process of qualifying suppliers on their financial stability and ability to deliver quality goods and services on time. Precision’s procurement is now 100% digital; paper purchase orders are a thing of the past. The company generates POs directly from requisitions—without manual intervention—and automatically applies negotiated pricing and terms from supplier agreements.

As a result, Precision reduced purchase order approval times by 40%. Self-service procurement features let employees shop for products and services much faster, including on mobile devices. Requisitions go to managers for approval automatically, reducing approval times by days. Overall, transactions are processed nearly two times faster than before.

4. Industrial Manufacturing Case Study: ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company, with primary manufacturing facilities in 16 countries and an industrial presence in 60. Formed when India’s Mittal Steel merged with Luxembourg’s Arcelor, ArcelorMittal is based in Luxembourg City and produces steel for numerous industries, including automotive, construction, mining, household appliances, and packaging.

In competing for talent globally, the company faced stiff challenges. Its recruitment teams were decentralized, using different applications and practices, making it difficult to coordinate talent searches, especially for specialized jobs. That lack of standardization also led to overreliance on costly staffing agencies and prevented ArcelorMittal from creating the consistent branding needed to attract top talent.

ArcelorMittal turned to Oracle Fusion Cloud Recruiting , part of the Oracle Cloud HCM suite of applications, to standardize the process of staffing jobs globally, including positions as varied as factory worker, logistics coordinator, sales executive, and mining specialist.

Oracle Recruiting has helped land talent for hard-to-fill high-tech jobs. In Poland, home to many high-tech companies and startups, ArcelorMittal received 1,400 applications in only eight weeks after launching Oracle Recruiting. Previously, HR teams often received just one or two applications per job opening in key markets.

Company recruiters have visibility into all recruitment activities, including requisitions, to avoid duplication. Standardized reports across a range of metrics help ArcelorMittal continually improve its recruitment strategies.

Metrics such as time to hire, number of applicants, and applicant-to-interview ratios per geography or job type inform when and how ArcelorMittal should use staffing agencies.

The unified recruitment system lets HR teams in different locations working on similar types of jobs exchange candidate information. Teams can also pool external advertising resources.

A single branded ArcelorMittal careers site lists every open position and makes it easy for people to apply and track the status of their applications. Delivering such a smooth application experience helps present the company as a desirable place to work.

Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain Management (SCM) & Manufacturing, integrated with Oracle Cloud ERP , lets industrial manufacturers plan demand , supply, and production more accurately, reducing disruptions , containing costs, and getting products to customers more consistently and reliably. Omnichannel order fulfillment accelerates orders and boosts customer satisfaction. Simpler, automated, more uniform procurement helps companies pick the best suppliers, create and approve orders faster, and enforce compliant spending.

Oracle Fusion Cloud Manufacturing offers IoT capabilities that simplify shop floor scheduling and production runs while monitoring machine health. Oracle industrial manufacturing cloud infrastructure , in tandem with Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse and Oracle Analytics Cloud , lets manufacturing teams analyze data across application workloads. Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM) helps companies hire and retain the talent they need to compete globally.

The companies in these case studies relied on the products above, in various combinations, to overcome major challenges in procurement, order management, production monitoring, and financial standardization.

What are examples of industrial manufacturing? Industrial manufacturers make and process various products, including automobiles, aircraft, steel, plastics, rubber, chemicals, semiconductors, computers, consumer electronics, oil and gas, and building products.

What are some of the top issues in industrial manufacturing? The industry faces issues that include a shortage of skilled workers, continued supply chain disruptions, compliance with myriad regulations, pressure to establish environmentally friendly and ethical business practices, further automation of production processes, and the manufacturing of products just in time to meet demand.

How are manufacturers solving their biggest challenges? Increasingly, industrial manufacturers rely on a range of technologies to help solve their biggest challenges. For example, IoT technologies that make it easier to monitor production, inventory, and machine maintenance. Integrated financial applications that help business units work as one. SCM applications that help keep their supply chains humming and gather the data they need to increase sustainability and transparency. Human capital management applications that improve recruiting, onboarding, training, and career development.

See how Oracle’s supply chain solutions reduce risk and cost.

2024 - Supercharging social protection systems with anticipatory cash: Case study on Fiji’s Anticipatory Action Framework

This paper explains how, through close collaboration with the Fijian Government and other relevant stakeholders, WFP has developed a first-of-its-kind system where 100 percent of WFP’s anticipatory cash assistance will be channelled through the country’s existing social protection infrastructure. By building on the country’s disaster risk management capacities and leveraging the Government’s existing social protection infrastructure, the initiative promotes local ownership—firmly placing the Fijian Government and people in the driver’s seat of proactive disaster mitigation.

Christoph Baade and Osborne Sibande, 2024, Supercharging social protection systems with anticipatory cash: Case study on Fiji’s Anticipatory Action Framework

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