Pete Solvik, Cisco Systems chief information officer (CIO), considered the last remaining line item
of his ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementation budget. Cisco had a history of rewarding
performance with cash bonuses, but the amount allocated for rewarding the ERP team, over $200,000,
was unprecedented. To be sure, they had delivered a lot in a time frame that no one had believed
possible. It had not been easy either. The team members, Solvik included, had taken a risk in joining
the project. Rewards should, and would, be generous. The size of the bonus pool, though, made
Solvik think: they had done well, but how well? What had gone right? What had gone wrong?
Given another project of this magnitude and risk, would they be able to do it again?