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PMAL 105 UNIT 4

CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT 2

ANEENA SHEELA NATH

Student ID: 229518100
Algoma University
Brampton Campus

Course/Section: PMAL 105: Introduction to Project Management

Professor’s Name: Ravi Sharma
May 29, 2023
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Strategic management is a continuous process of assessment, planning, and implementation

aimed at achieving an organization's long-term success. It includes four steps: reviewing and
defining the organizational mission; analyzing and making plans; setting goals; and putting
strategies into practice through projects. Strategic management links the organization's mission,
goals, objectives, strategy, and implementation with external environment monitoring, allowing
businesses to achieve long-term client satisfaction and survive.

IBM Watson project was a case study which implemented strategic management process, using
artificial intelligence to gain an edge in various markets.

1. Describe the major components of the strategic management process and if/how the
case fulfills these?

The strategic management process:

Review and define the organizational mission: The process of reviewing and defining the
company's purpose, goals, and values helps to ensure all efforts are aligned towards achieving
the mission and provides a common purpose for all employees.

Analyze and formulate strategies: A thorough examination of the company's internal and external
environments is necessary to identify opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, and threats. This
information is used to create strategic options and select the optimal course of action to achieve
the organisation's mission and goals.

Set objectives to achieve strategies: Setting objectives to monitor progress and assess strategies'
efficacy is essential for successful implementation of the strategies. These objectives provide a
focus and direction for the implementation of the strategies.

Implement strategies through projects: Implementing strategies through individual initiatives is

the last phase of the strategic management process, which includes planning projects, allocating
resources, and tracking development. This process helps to execute plans and achieve the
mission and objectives of the business.
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IBM's Watson Jeopardy Project was a case study which implemented strategic management
process. After shifting its focus from computer hardware to a service strategy, IBM developed a
strategy to pursue artificial intelligence, which was proven through the project. Goals like
providing healthcare solutions were defined and carried out through projects like the
establishment of a "doctor's consultant" programme.

2. Does IBM’s Watson’s Jeopardy Project Represent a Change in Strategy?

IBM's Watson Jeopardy project reflected its transition from a hardware-to-services focus, which
started more than 20 years ago. The Watson system was developed to provide customizable
artificial intelligence solutions and service items and provided IBM with a crucial component to
continue pursuing its service-based product and solution strategy. IBM's strategy has not
changed because of the Watson project.

3. What impact will Artificial Intelligence (AI) have on the field of project
management?

AI-powered tools will replace project managers' administrative chores, allowing them to focus
on more intricate tasks and planning. AI-based technologies can take over administrative duties
such as scheduling meetings, setting reminders, providing daily updates, and more.

AI systems can analyse data from ongoing and completed projects to generate insights, but it is
more than just a tool for cost and schedule estimation. Project managers can use AI for direction
and data-based insights to steer projects through challenging decisions.

AI systems can help keep projects on budget and on schedule by analyzing data from previous
projects to predict cost and time. This will give us more confidence in our forecasts.AI helps
project managers by automating notifications and scheduling work, as well as simplifying
difficult job procedures, resulting in time savings and improved performance evaluation.

IBM's Watson project is a representation of their strategy shift from computer hardware to
services. It can be applied to a variety of industries, including healthcare, and the company is
exploiting the project's findings to create useful business applications. The success of the project
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was largely due to IBM's strategic management methodology, which included evaluating and
defining the objective, creating strategies, setting targets, and implementing plans through
projects.
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Reference:
 Larson & Gray, Chapter 2, Snapshot from Practice 2.1: Does IBM Questions 1-3
 The Project wizards guide
 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-artificial-intelligence-can-help-project-managers-
marc-bara Extracted May 28, 2023)
 https://miro.com/blog/strategic-management-process(Extracted May 28, 2023)
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Watson (Extracted May 28, 2023)
 https://www.mbaknol.com/strategic-management/four-major-elements-of-the-strategic-
management-process/ (Extracted May 28, 2023)