Infra Travel Agency: Balancing Stakeholder Interests

Infra Travel Agency (ITA), a well-established player in Europe’s travel industry, faced declining revenues and sought to diversify into the electric vehicle sector to boost revenue and lead in reducing its carbon footprint. ITA aimed for a revenue increase of 20 per cent and required route optimization software to support this new vertical. To achieve this goal, ITA required advanced route optimization software and selected Tech Consulting Ltd. (TCL) for its development. The project began in February 2023, following a final statement of work signed in March. Despite initial optimism, the project faced significant issues, including disappointing demo results and delays in reaching the minimum viable product by May 2023. By that time, only 12 per cent of the planned work had been completed, while 30 per cent of the budget had already been spent. In response to escalating concerns, TCL replaced its initial delivery manager with Frank Raju. As the year progressed, Raju faced the challenges of addressing stakeholder trust issues, managing project scope, and ensuring alignment to secure a successful outcome by the end of the fiscal year.

This introductory case is suitable for operations management and information technology; however, its principles are applicable across various industries, including megaprojects in infrastructure, government projects, and manufacturing. Thus, the techniques discussed can be generalized and used universally.<br><br>The case study highlights project delays and illustrates how the stakeholder management matrix can be effectively used to regain client trust. It demonstrates the identification, characterization, and prioritization of stakeholders. The study also explores changes to the stakeholder matrix throughout the collaboration between TCL and ITA, helping participants understand how to adapt over time. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br><ul><li>Provide an overview of the internal and external stakeholders in a project.</li><li>Illustrate the use of an importance–influence matrix to assess and strategize for each stakeholder.</li><li>Adapt to changing positions of various stakeholders during the life cycle of the project delivery.</li></ul>

• stakeholder management, strategies