Mapping Strategic Thought and Action in Developing Disruptive Software Technology: Advanced Case Study Research on How the Firm Crafts Shared Vision

This case study uses two storytelling methods for analysis an advanced hermeneutic framework and an extended form of decision systems analysis (DSA) incorporating cognitive mapping to explore the strategic thought in building a software house around a philosophy of best practice application development. The account explores decision-making for turning an ambitious vision (automation of enterprise-based sales and marketing activities) into a focused application (pricing configuration software), and then into a large software house (Trilogy) offering enterprise e-commerce suites. Trilogy s management team s decision-making was heavily influenced by a strong perception that the organization needed to take risks to achieve critical mass in anticipation of a convergence of back-office and front-office applications into one market. The advanced case study also addresses Trilogy s transition of its applications into Internet environments, plus the transformation of the organization from a productorientation to a strictly industry-based business and application development perspective. Trilogy has not compromised its strict application development philosophies, but has incorporated its fast cycle time (FCT) methods into its industry-focused business divisions and now actually offers the method as a set of services