BATES ENGINEERING I
Bates Engineering I Case Study
Orlando Phong is a project leader at Aflex Computer Consulting (ACC) who is responsible for the Bates Engineering Corporation (BEC) client. BEC is a supplier of machined parts to aerospace manufacturers who outsources IT services to ACC. As part of an IT infrastructure agreement, ACC keeps BEC computing devices up-to-date by: (a) replacing computing devices every three years, and (b) operating the annual PC refresh process. The annual refresh involves about 140 devices, representing one device for each engineer and technician. It is intended to keep BEC personal devices up-to-date with latest operating systems and applications software. Prior to the initiation of this process 10 years ago, important work was delayed due to poor IT integration often caused by incompatible software interactions across (and within) the five engineering departments. By ensuring that all engineers and technical staff used the same hardware and software systems, these delays were reduced substantially.
It was common knowledge, however, that some individuals were not allowed to use applications that they preferred in favor of standardized applications used by everyone. BEC managers believed that these sacrifices were outweighed by better alignment with business objectives and improved productivity. Orlando was granted approval to begin work on improving the engineering PC refresh process. Orlando started by organizing a series of informal lunch meetings with BEC engineers. He was surprised to hear that, although he interviewed them in an open-ended manner with no predetermined list of questions, their experiences were remarkably similar.
The major steps in the refresh process and customer impressions derived from these meetings are:
- An e-mail notice is sent to individuals indicating that they are eligible for a refresh. At this point, some customers are typically happy to receive a newer device to replace their existing older device. Customers already with newer devices may consider the refresh process somewhat of a nuisance. BEC employees are often confused – they may consult with their colleagues or contact the refresh liaison at ACC for clarification.
- The customer follows the instructions outlined in the e-mail by completing the attached survey containing refresh-related information and run a scan on their device. This information is used by ACC to determine what type of software is used and at what frequency. Some customers need to be reminded to complete the survey, or they fail to run the scan. The review identifies the hardware and/or software that requires updating with new versions or software that is obsolete.
- The ACC project manager sends an email asking the customer to accept or modify the planned refresh actions, and schedules a time and place to complete the refresh. Because the ACC liaison is scheduling many refreshes simultaneously, there may be several emails or telephone calls to confirm the appointment. Many customers express concern to ACC regarding their special requirements, such as secured data transfer for work involving government contracts, where tight regulations are present. If a customer does not schedule the refresh after three attempts by ACC, they are reprimanded by their bosses.
- An ACC software technician travels to the customer location to perform refresh duties such as setting up the new device, transferring data, loading updated OS and software, removing obsolete hardware, and replacing unnecessary peripherals. The current device’s software (and files) are transferred to the new device or updated if a new device is not required (in 1-4 hours). The technician will briefly train the customer on any new software changes or hardware nuances, although this training is not always effective. Often this appointment needs to be rescheduled due to BEC’s global supply chain, which necessitates that engineering personnel travel on short notice to remote locations.
- In the days or weeks after the refresh is complete, some customers realize that some software applications may be missing. Sometimes new applications are not fully understood. They will ask their colleagues for assistance or contact ACC for help, although sometimes terminology used by ACC technicians confused them.
Orlando initiated a critical incident approach to determine a robust set of customer performance dimensions. He e-mailed an open-ended online survey to refresh customers with a link to a survey. Of the 122 surveys sent, there were 38 unique responses, a 31% response rate. An affinity analysis determined the six most important dimensions of performance that apply to internal customers of the PC refresh process at BEC. They are: Conciseness (of instructions), Readiness (of the service), Agility (of the technicians), Confidentiality (sensitive information safeguarded), Usefulness (of the service), and respectfulness (of the technicians). Orlando needs help to create a set of performance metrics and customer satisfaction survey that he will send to internal customers at the end of each refresh cycle.
1 This case was developed by John Maleyeff and Henry Tran based on their work in service process analysis. All references to people and organizations are fictional. © 2025. All rights reserved.
Assignment
Turn in a Word file (on Blackboard). On the first page, include your name, descriptive title for the report2, the date, and a 100-word summary (it should include the goal of your analysis, how you approached solving the problem, and your results). The 100-word limit will be strictly enforced because an analyst needs to be concise when informing others about their work.
On the second page, use the table to list your set of performance metrics with one metric corresponding to each performance dimension.
| Dimension | Metric & How Data are Collected (10-Word Max) | Type of Data |
|---|---|---|
| Conciseness | Proportion | |
| Readiness | Count | |
| Agility | Measurement | |
| Confidentiality | Proportion | |
| Usefulness | Proportion | |
| Respectfulness | Count |
On the third page, use the table below to list your customer satisfaction survey with one question corresponding to each performance dimension to be completed by customers of the refresh process at BEC. Be sure that the response formats are customized to each question (otherwise, full credit will not be awarded).
| Dimension | Question | Four Customized Responses |
|---|---|---|
| Conciseness | Rate the conciseness of the PC refresh service | |
| Readiness | Rate the readiness of the PC refresh service | |
| Agility | Rate the agility of the PC refresh service | |
| Confidentiality | Rate the confidentiality of the PC refresh service | |
| Usefulness | Rate the usefulness of the PC refresh service | |
| Respectfulness | Rate the respectfulness of the PC refresh service |
2 Bates Engineering I or AD734 Case Study I are not descriptive titles.