Mini-Case

Williams Specialty Company is a small printing and engraving organization. When Pat Williams, the owner, brought computers into the business office 8 years ago, the business was very small and very simple. Pat was able to utilize an inexpensive PCbased accounting system to handle the basic information processing needs of the firm. As time has gone on, however, the business has grown and the work being performed has become significantly more complex. The simple accounting software still in use is no longer adequate to keep track of many of the company’s sophisticated deals and arrangements with its customers.

Pat has a staff of four people in the business office who are familiar with the intricacies of the company’s recordkeeping requirements. Pat recently met with her staff to discuss her plan to hire an IS consulting firm to evaluate their information system needs and recommend a strategy for upgrading their computer system. The staff are excited about the prospect of a new system, since the current system causes them much aggravation. No one on the staff has ever done anything like this before, however, and they are a little wary of the consultants who will be conducting the project.