SHLF FRESCHI Case Study: Systemic Governance of Evolving Digital Ecosystems

SHLF Systemic Hybrid Learning Framework (Purple People Forge) FRESCHI Case Study: Driving the Evolution of Digital EcosystemsGuidelines for case development This resource is part of the SHLF Toolkit – Purple People Forge: Open Educational Resources for MIS (v1.0) Gianpiero Mattei, Elias Montini, Marzio Albertoni Department of Innovative Technologies (SUPSI-DTI) Version 1.0 | AY 2025-2026 FRESCHI Case – Guidelines for Case Development │ SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge © 2025 G. Mattei, E. Montini, M. Albertoni | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 2 Document Overview What is this? A comprehensive implementation guide for the FRESCHI longitudinal case study, a high-fidelity consulting simulation that demands the systemic definition of Information Systems (IS) strategy. The simulation covers AS-IS analysis, ERP selection, TO-BE architecture design, and roadmap development. The core methodology requires the application of Digital Maturity Models (and potentially AI Maturity Models) to assess and orchestrate enterprise evolution. Includes structured templates, evaluation rubrics, and facilitation notes. Who is it for? • MIS/Business instructors teaching strategic IS design, ERP systems, or process management. • Educational designers structuring high-fidelity, project-based learning simulations in technology management. • Students/consultants seeking structured frameworks for systemic case analysis, IS architecture design, and strategic roadmap development. How to use it Start by reviewing the companion document, "Freschi Case-Description_V1.0.pdf" for the full business scenario and AS-IS context. Then, follow the systemic 7-phase structure (§1-7) outlined in this guide. Consult Rubrics (Annex A) for evaluation criteria. Table of Contents DOCUMENT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................................... 3 ABOUT THE SHLF FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................................... 4 1 THE FOUR PILLARS ....................................................................................................................................... 4 2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 5 3 SHLF TOOLKIT ............................................................................................................................................. 5 GUIDELINES FOR CASE DEVELOPMENT: INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE ........................................................ 7 RECOMMENDED REPORT STRUCTURE, CONTENT, AND ANALYSIS PROCESS .................................................. 8 1 ANALYSIS OF THE CONTEXT AND BUSINESS MODEL ............................................................................................. 8 1.1 Business Model and Value Creation .............................................................................................. 8 1.2 Corporate Strategy ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.3 IT and IS as Strategic Drivers ......................................................................................................... 8 2 ANALYSIS OF THE AS-IS SITUATION.................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Process Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Critical Process Analysis and KPI Definition ................................................................................... 9 3 DEFINITION OF FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INFORMATION SYSTEM ......................................................... 9 4 ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (IS) ..................................................................................... 9 4.1 Analysis of Current IS Architecture ................................................................................................ 9 4.2 Analysis of Functional Coverage .................................................................................................. 10 4.3 Critical Analysis of Current IS Issues ............................................................................................. 10 5 DEFINITION OF THE TO-BE MODEL ............................................................................................................... 10 5.1 Functional Coverage Analysis of Selected Open-Source ERP Systems ......................................... 10 5.2 Solution Selection......................................................................................................................... 10 5.3 Digital Maturity Assessment ........................................................................................................ 11 6 DEFINITION OF TO-BE INFORMATION SYSTEMS ............................................................................................... 11 6.1 Software Architecture of the Proposed IS (Module Structure) ..................................................... 11 6.2 Network Architecture of the Information Systems ...................................................................... 11 7 ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED IS .............................................................................................. 12 7.1 Risks ............................................................................................................................................. 12 7.2 Benefits ........................................................................................................................................ 12 ANNEX A: FRESCHI CASE EVALUATION RUBRICS ........................................................................................... 13 HOW TO CITE ................................................................................................................................................ 14 SHLF FRESCHI CASE STUDY: DRIVING THE EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS ........................................................... 14 SHLF TOOLKIT – PURPLE PEOPLE FORGE: OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR MIS ....................................................... 14 AUTHOR & CONTACT: .......................................................................................................................................... 14 FRESCHI Case – Guidelines for Case Development │ SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge © 2025 G. Mattei, E. Montini, M. Albertoni | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 4 About the SHLF Framework The Systemic Hybrid Learning Framework (SHLF) aims to lay the foundations for hybrid profiles who bridge business strategy, process optimisation and technical knowledge. The “purple people” concept describes profiles who connect business and technology; in SHLF this idea is extended into the role of Bionic Capability Orchestrator (BCO), a strategic and architectural role that designs and orchestrates a composable digital ecosystem of information systems, data platforms, analytics, AI and low-code / no-code tools. The BCO creates the conditions for applications and services to be assembled, adapted and evolved over time in line with business needs, extending the cognitive and computational decision-making capabilities of people rather than replacing them. Within this perspective, the course and the Toolkit provide the conceptual and methodological foundations that can support the future development of such roles, which typically mature through professional practice and experience in real organisations. Fig. 1: SHLF Learning Framework: pillars and didactic enabler 1 The Four Pillars The framework integrates four pedagogical pillars: I. AI-Enhanced Metacognitive Diary: reflective learning with the 2+2 rule (2 AI-assisted + 2 autonomous answers per block), developing AI literacy and metacognitive awareness. II. FRESCHI Case Study: systematic, authentic consulting simulation (AS-IS → Requirements → ERP Selection → TO-BE → Roadmap) with rubric-based assessment and framework to guide the IT (including IS) strategy and its evolution. FRESCHI Case – Guidelines for Case Development │ SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge © 2025 G. Mattei, E. Montini, M. Albertoni | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 5 III. Company Testimonies (TIAM Method): structured analysis of industry insights across four dimensions: Technology, Innovation, Adoption, Market. IV. Real-World Tools & Frameworks: integration of professional tools (e.g. ERP systems, BPMN, KPI dashboards, maturity models) and analytical frameworks (TPACK, DigCompEdu, SAMR, UDL, UNESCO AI). 2 Theoretical Foundations The SHLF Toolkit is conceptually consistent with some reference frameworks in the broader field of technology-enhanced education, including recent work on digital and AI-enhanced learning. This document focuses on the description of the artefacts and their use in MIS courses, while a separate academic article will provide the full theoretical mapping and a detailed account of the validation results. Its positioning can be summarised along three complementary dimensions: • Pedagogical alignment: from a pedagogical perspective, the design of the Toolkit is compatible with frameworks such as TPACK and DigCompEdu, and with models that reflect on how technology is integrated into teaching and learning (for example SAMR, UDL and emerging AI competence frameworks such as the UNESCO AI guidelines). Here they are used as orientation tools rather than as strict checklists. • Learning paradigms: in terms of learning paradigms, the Toolkit combines elements of problem-based learning, experiential learning and structured reflective practice through the use of cases, company testimonies and the AI-enhanced metacognitive diary. • Research and validation: from a research perspective, the development and refinement of the Toolkit follow a Design Science Research (DSR) logic. A validation study has already been conducted in real MIS courses, and its methodological details and results will be reported in a dedicated academic publication. 3 SHLF Toolkit All SHLF materials are released under the CC BY-NC 4.0 International License (Attribution-Non Commercial). They are distributed as part of the SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge: Open Educational Resources for MIS, a reusable set of open educational resources. A visual document map of SHLF Toolkit is provided below. SHLF Toolkit – Purple People Forge: Open Educational Resources for MIS (DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17801180) • SHLF FRESCHI Case Study: Driving the Evolution of Digital Ecosystems o SHLF_Freschi_Case_Description_v1.0.pdf o SHLF_Freschi_Case_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf • SHLF TIAM Framework: Structured Methodology for Industry Testimony Analysis, Technology Foresight and Impact Assessment o SHLF_TIAM_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf o SHLF_TIAM_Tool_v1.0.xlsm • SHLF AI-Enhanced Metacognitive Diary: Guidelines & "2+2 Rule" o SHLF_Learning_Diary_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf o SHLF_Guided_Questions_Examples_v1.0.pdf • SHLF_Evaluation_Rubrics_v1.0.xlsx • SHLF_Course_Syllabus_v1.0.pdf The table below lists all documents in the SHLF Toolkit together with the corresponding Zenodo DOI to be used for references and cross-citations. Document (title / file name) Zenodo DOI to use SHLF Toolkit – Purple People Forge: Open Educational Resources for MIS 10.5281/zenodo.17801180 SHLF_Course_Syllabus_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17801180 SHLF_Evaluation_Rubrics_v1.0.xlsx 10.5281/zenodo.17801180 SHLF_Freschi_Case_Description_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 SHLF_Freschi_Case_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 SHLF_TIAM_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17807847 SHLF_TIAM_Tool_v1.0.xlsm 10.5281/zenodo.17817819 SHLF_Learning_Diary_Guidelines_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17808054 SHLF_Guided_Questions_Examples_v1.0.pdf 10.5281/zenodo.17808054 Guidelines for Case Development: introduction and purpose This document is a core component of the Systemic Hybrid Learning Framework (SHLF) and the Open Toolkit it defines. Its purpose is to provide a rigorous, structured methodology for systemically analyzing, redesigning, and developing a simple framework for piloting the future evolution of Information Systems (IS) architectures within a high-fidelity industrial context (the Freschi SA case, a manufacturing company). The entire project simulates a consultancy engagement realized for the company described in the companion document, "Freschi Case Description." The framework is explicitly designed to cultivate Bionic Capability Orchestrator (BCO) competencies, integrating strategic analysis and technical design. It offers a structured content roadmap while empowering the student's analytical autonomy and creative decision-making. This document offers a potential structure for the contents to be developed throughout the project and can be freely adapted according to the student’s analytical and creative approach FRESCHI Case – Guidelines for Case Development │ SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge © 2025 G. Mattei, E. Montini, M. Albertoni | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 8 Recommended report structure, content, and analysis process 1 Analysis of the Context and Business Model 1.1 Business Model and Value Creation Objective Provide a concise description of the company’s operations and identify the value generated for its customers. Required activities Use one of the theoretical models introduced in class (e.g., Business Model Canvas). Highlight how Freschi SA creates value, its distinctive factors, and possible improvement opportunities. Expected output A synthetic representation of the business model showing the value created for customers. 1.2 Corporate Strategy Objective Define or refine the company’s strategy in relation to its competitive environment. Required activities • Analyze the external context (customers, suppliers, competitors, market trends). • Analyze the internal situation (resources, competences, strengths, and weaknesses). • Apply appropriate strategic frameworks (e.g., Porter’s Five Forces). Expected output A concise synthesis of the proposed strategy, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvement areas. 1.3 IT and IS as Strategic Drivers Objective Evaluate the role of Information Technologies within the corporate strategy. Required activities • Address the following questions: • Can ICT technologies have an impact on business strategy? If yes, in which ways? • Are information systems a lever to enhance customer value? Expected output A short paragraph analyzing how IT contributes to or influences business strategy. FRESCHI Case – Guidelines for Case Development │ SHLF Toolkit - Purple People Forge © 2025 G. Mattei, E. Montini, M. Albertoni | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17792257 9 2 Analysis of the AS-IS Situation 2.1 Process Analysis Objective Map and understand the company’s main business processes. Required activities • Sketch the structure of the supply chain. • Map the core business processes using diagrams or flowcharts. Expected output A visual representation of the main processes with a concise description. 2.2 Critical Process Analysis and KPI Definition Objective Analyze in detail one critical process for the company. Required activities • Select one critical process from those mapped. • Represent it graphically (e.g., process flow diagram). • Identify main bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or sources of error. • Define appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Expected output A clear description of the selected critical process, including identified weaknesses and KPIs. 3 Definition of Functional Requirements for the Information System Objective Identify the functional modules required to support the company’s processes. Required activities • Apply one of the segmentation models discussed in chapter 2. • Link each functional module to the corresponding main business process. Expected output A list and description of required functional modules, with clear connection to business processes. 4 Analysis of the Current Information Systems (IS) 4.1 Analysis of Current IS Architecture Objective Represent and analyse the existing IT architecture. Required activities • Draw a schematic diagram of the current IS architecture. • Highlight the relationships between IT systems and business processes. Expected output A clear description of the current IS architecture and its link to business processes.