184 Part I • Information Technology
there is something I want to tell you. I am planning on
retiring at the end of the year. This week the Executive
Committee will appoint a search committee and begin
accepting resumes from interested parties. I really would
like you to consider applying for this position.”
Lassiter was speechless, but by this point he no
longer had any desire to stay with the MSCC. In his
mind, he had taken the marketing effort at the MSCC
about as far as he could—especially given the informa-
tion system’s limitations. Lassiter had already received a
lucrative offer to be the chief operating officer of a local
investment management company and was ready to
accept it. Lassiter was not alone, however, as Ed Wilson
had just had a final interview with a new government pol-
icy think tank. But, while Lassiter did not throw his name
into consideration, Wilson did because his final outside
interview had not gone well. Nevertheless, the search
committee was acutely aware that Wilson would just be a
temporary fix as he was nearing retirement; Lassiter was
their preference.
As a result, after reviewing the other available can-
didates again, two search committee members contacted
Lassiter and urged him to apply. After two lengthy
meetings—in which the two members intimated that
they would not take no for an answer—Lassiter relented
and agreed to have his name offered for the presidency.
At the August 2010 meeting two weeks later, the Board
of Directors ratified that selection.
A Lack of Progress
The search for a President had not slowed down
the MSCC’s problems, however. In late August 2010,
Lassiter gave Porter an updated list of problems with the
software—as compiled by the MSCC staff—and asked her
to estimate the time to address these tasks in hours. Three
weeks later DMA sent back the time estimates and a series
of work orders with cost estimates. DMA indicated in that
correspondence that it would initiate the work when the
orders were signed and returned by the MSCC. Lassiter
refused to sign the work orders and informed DMA that he
considered the work to be part of the initial installation and
that DMA was in breach of contract.
On October 1, 2010, Lassiter officially took over as
President, and shortly thereafter, Ed Wilson announced he
would retire on December 1. Instead of replacing him,
Lassiter decided to disperse his duties among existing staff
members. Knowing that he had to shed some of his IS
development responsibilities and realizing that he could no
longer afford to leave Gramen as the sole person responsi-
ble for the MSCC’s information systems, Lassiter began
looking for a candidate with a strong information systems
and financial management background to oversee the
MSCC’s information systems and to serve as chief finan-
cial officer. In the interim he had Gramen report directly to
him while temporarily retaining the role of overseer of the
ever-tenuous relationship with DMA.
Meanwhile, DMA seemed to be creating as many
problems as it fixed. Confidence in the new software was
dwindling, and paper systems began to proliferate as some
modules were not installed and others were completely
nonoperational. Because of the slow response time, the
staff often had to work evenings and weekends to complete
simple tasks, which further diminished morale. In addition,
the integrity and dependability of the membership data-
base had become increasingly suspect as a result of the
data conversion problems and the general unreliability of
the system.
At the end of October, Rankin and Porter from DMA
spent a full day in meetings with the MSCC’s staff and
senior management. Each division outlined its problems
and frustrations with the software system. By the final
meeting that day, Lassiter was livid: “We have to bring the
initial installation to an end! It is time for your company to
deliver the system that we contracted for. I am tired of
missed deadlines, unreturned phone calls, and partial solu-
tions.”
“I understand your frustration, Mr. Lassiter,” Rankin
said. “But I want to reiterate our desire to keep you as a
customer. We will redouble our efforts to finish the instal-
lation, and I will personally send a letter to you outlining
the dates for completion of the outstanding problems.”
Two days later, Gramen and Porter held a conference
call to once again discuss the discrepancies between the
promised and actual delivery dates. Per Lassiter’s instruc-
tions, they also requested and received a listing of DMA’s
clients. Lassiter instructed Gramen to conduct a phone sur-
vey of these businesses to determine their level of satisfaction
with DMA. To Lassiter’s dismay, this phone survey revealed
that there was overwhelming dissatisfaction with DMA’s
products and services. The Lake Erie and Great Lakes
Chambers of Commerce were already in litigation with
DMA due to contract nonperformance, and many of DMA’s
other clients were calling for a multiparty lawsuit.
On November 4, Lassiter sent Rankin another letter
outlining the items still unfinished and demanding a
speedy resolution to these problems. In response, Rankin
instructed Porter to phone Lassiter with a pointed message.
“Mr. Lassiter,” Porter said, “I just wanted to let you know
that DMA has already incurred $250,000 of expenses it
has not charged you in an attempt to meet your concerns.
Nevertheless, DMA has decided to discontinue program-
ming support for the MSCC until the Chamber pays its
outstanding invoices.”