Learning outcomes To help students understand how the consulting industry works in an Indian context. A brief idea on what is product lifecycle management & why it is important in a manufacturing context. How an organisation can leverage IT and digital transformation to improve their existing software solutions. Case overview/synopsis On the night of January 1, 2024, while the world celebrated the New Year, Pranav Kamath sat anxiously, waiting for a response from Andrew Baker, his client partner at Quality Pharmaceuticals. Pranav, recently promoted to project lead after his predecessor Shakthi Mathur left the company, was managing a digital transformation project aimed at integrating AI-driven predictive analytics and IoT capabilities into Quality Pharma’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system. The project, initially scheduled for completion by December 2023, had encountered unforeseen delays due to data integration challenges, regulatory approvals and shifting client expectations. Unlike Shakthi, who built strong client relationships through quick decisions and personal rapport, Pranav followed a structured, data-driven approach. While this ensured accuracy, it slowed progress, frustrating Andrew, who was now aggressively pushing for results. Complexity academic level MBA students & students from engineering backgrounds. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.
Srinivasan et al. (2025) studied this question.