Sapient Case Review
Sapient Case Review
February 4, 2014
Sapient Corporation was founded by Jerry Greenberg and Stuart Moore. They believed that Sapient’s adaptability, execution, and reputation could all be traced to the company’s dedication to its purpose and core values, which were focused on client success. The purpose was to meet a business goal. Greenberg and Moore’s objective was to build a great and long-lasting company that would impact the world. They wanted to grow at a rate above the industry average and it required, “raising the bar” in terms of being client focused. They wanted to be focused on their clients like no one else. Moore and Greenberg compared building Sapient to building a cathedral-something concrete, tangible, and has impact and meaning. All Sapient’s competitors charged their services on time and material basis with no guarantee of when the project would get done. As system development dragged on because of changes in scope, changes in user preferences, or changes in technology companies often ended up paying more that what they had budgeted Two-thirds of IT projects either were never implemented or failed to meet their objectives-usually at the customers expense. Greenberg and Moore were determined not to rely on venture capital. They did not want interference with their objective of building a high-impact, value-based company or to push them from their fixed-price fixed-time strategy. Sapient built a reputation for implementing complex business and technology projects on time and on budget and grew quickly in its first few years. It was a firm that helped design and implement information technology applications for large organizations. Because Sapient would have to absorb any cost overruns, the company’s strategy was very risky. Sapient focused on using IT to solve business problems. They were quick to jump on new technology if it could provide business value. As Sapient took on
February 4, 2014
Sapient Corporation was founded by Jerry Greenberg and Stuart Moore. They believed that Sapient’s adaptability, execution, and reputation could all be traced to the company’s dedication to its purpose and core values, which were focused on client success. The purpose was to meet a business goal. Greenberg and Moore’s objective was to build a great and long-lasting company that would impact the world. They wanted to grow at a rate above the industry average and it required, “raising the bar” in terms of being client focused. They wanted to be focused on their clients like no one else. Moore and Greenberg compared building Sapient to building a cathedral-something concrete, tangible, and has impact and meaning. All Sapient’s competitors charged their services on time and material basis with no guarantee of when the project would get done. As system development dragged on because of changes in scope, changes in user preferences, or changes in technology companies often ended up paying more that what they had budgeted Two-thirds of IT projects either were never implemented or failed to meet their objectives-usually at the customers expense. Greenberg and Moore were determined not to rely on venture capital. They did not want interference with their objective of building a high-impact, value-based company or to push them from their fixed-price fixed-time strategy. Sapient built a reputation for implementing complex business and technology projects on time and on budget and grew quickly in its first few years. It was a firm that helped design and implement information technology applications for large organizations. Because Sapient would have to absorb any cost overruns, the company’s strategy was very risky. Sapient focused on using IT to solve business problems. They were quick to jump on new technology if it could provide business value. As Sapient took on