ROI Case File No. 043 | EDI Rear Support

Chapter One: The Incoming Request (Prologue)

London twilight, 1891. A request letter arrived at the detective agency on 221B Baker Street from Ishmar Corporation—a major enterprise boasting 60 years in industrial equipment wholesale with ¥203.7 billion annual revenue.

"We want to completely outsource EDI maintenance externally."

The request seemed like simple business outsourcing consultation. But all three of us at ROI Detective Agency frowned, sensing "invisible crisis" lurking behind.

This case I, Watson, record deals with extremely modern mysteries of "system person-dependency" and "technical inheritance disconnection" facing contemporary enterprises.

Chapter Two: Three Detectives' Perspectives (Frames of Thought)

🟦 Gemini | Compass of Reason

"EDI black-boxing creates 'invisible fixed costs' in system operations. Let's break this down with KPT Analysis, shall we?"

Gemini immediately deployed current state analysis frameworks: - Keep: Industry expertise and data assets accumulated over 60 years - Problem: Technical inheritance disconnection due to person-dependency, maintenance cost opacity - Try: Operational system reconstruction through external outsourcing

🟧 Claude | Narrative Alchemist

"Silent systems require human voices. Inheritance-less handovers are meaningless. This one sentence, couldn't we convey it with more 'feeling'?"

Claude identified reality where EDI systems became "nameless heroes" within enterprises. Daily processing countless transaction data, yet their importance is often overlooked—like house foundations: usually unconscious but everything collapses the moment they're gone.

⬜️ ChatGPT | Catalyst of Concepts

"Hypothesis: Behind maintenance requests lie internal person-dependency and technical inheritance disruption. That story sounds worth expanding, doesn't it?"

ChatGPT captured Ishmar Corporation's situation in broader context. Founded in 1962, the company has weathered digitalization waves repeatedly. Now, maintaining and managing crucial EDI infrastructure likely falls on specific technicians' shoulders.

Chapter Three: Dissecting Solutions and Structures (Case Details)

EDI System Current State Analysis

Ishmar Corporation's EDI system was truly "invisible blood vessel" existence. Nationwide partner order-delivery data flows through this system day and night. Despite being crucial infrastructure supporting ¥203.7 billion revenue, operations were extremely person-dependent.

System Structure Problems: - Complex legacy system integrations - Standardization difficulties due to custom modifications - Operational documentation inadequacy - Localized troubleshooting experiential knowledge

Multi-faceted Analysis by Each Detective

Gemini (Structural Analysis): SWOT Analysis verified external outsourcing validity: - Strengths: Specialized vendor expertise utilization, cost visualization - Weaknesses: Internal technical capability hollowing risks - Opportunities: Latest technology migration opportunities - Threats: Business continuity impacts

Claude (Intuitive Insights): Metaphorized EDI systems as "corporate nervous systems," exploring meanings of entrusting maintenance externally. While entrusting nervous system treatment to specialists is natural, appropriate treatment is impossible if patients don't understand their own bodies.

ChatGPT (Hypothesis Development): 5W1H framework background organization: - Why: Technician aging and successor shortages - What: Complete external outsourcing of EDI maintenance operations - When: Current timing with advancing system obsolescence - Where: From headquarters to vendors - Who: External contractors with specialized technology - How: Staged migration and knowledge transfer

Chapter Four: Systematic Analysis Summary

Problem Structure Organization by Gemini

"Let's break this down with KPT Analysis, shall we?"

Gemini clarified external outsourcing project structure from PDCA cycle perspectives:

Plan: - Complete current system documentation - Detailed migration schedule design - Clear SLA (Service Level Agreement) definition

Do: - Staged operational transfer - Parallel operation period establishment - Emergency response system construction

Check: - Regular operational quality evaluation - Cost-effectiveness measurement - Risk factor monitoring

Action: - Continuous relationship improvement - Technological innovation response - Internal system optimization

Chapter Five: Conclusion and Cross-Reinforced Hypotheses

Claude: Storytelling Summary

"This one sentence, couldn't we convey it with more 'feeling'?"

Ishmar Corporation's decision answered fundamental questions about inheriting 60 years of "manufacturing spirit" into digital ages. EDI system external outsourcing isn't mere cost reduction strategy—it's strategic choice clarifying "what to release and what to maintain."

The company's true strengths lie in deep industrial equipment insights and trust relationships with long-established partners. Rather than EDI technical details, the power to hear "market voices" from that data becomes competitive advantage sources.

ChatGPT: Insights from Analysis Results

"That story sounds worth expanding, doesn't it?"

Lessons from this case highlight challenges common to many traditional enterprises:

1. Technical Inheritance Strategization: Knowledge management preventing person-dependency
2. Core/Non-core Distinction: Clarifying elements supporting competitive advantages
3. Partnership Redefinition: From external outsourcing as mere cost reduction to strategic alliances

Gemini: Logical Reinforcement of Decisive Hypothesis

"Let's break this down with KPT Analysis, shall we?"

Five Forces analysis provided final validation of Ishmar Corporation's decision validity:

• Industry Competition: Avoiding risks of falling behind digitalization waves
• New Entry Threats: Differentiation in competition with IT specialized companies
• Substitute Threats: Securing adaptability to new technologies
• Buyer Bargaining Power: Responding to sophisticated customer demands
• Supplier Bargaining Power: Appropriate relationship building with specialized vendors

In conclusion, EDI maintenance external outsourcing represents "aggressive choice" rather than "defensive investment" for Ishmar Corporation.

Epilogue: Resonance and Anticipation for the Next Case

As evening shadows crept toward 221B windows, three detectives quietly smoked cigars.

"What impressed me about this case," I murmured while closing my notebook, "was the reality that technological progress demands corporate 'selection and concentration.'"

Claude answered while gazing outside: "EDI systems are truly corporate 'invisible hearts.' Decisions to entrust those heartbeats to others required deep insights."

Gemini logically supplemented: "Breaking it down with KPT Analysis, appropriate external outsourcing should lead to corporate value maximization."

ChatGPT finally added: "That story might be interesting for other companies to expand upon."

Outside, London cityscapes with rising industrial revolution smoke seemed to overlap with modern digital transformations. Though times change, essential challenges facing enterprises remain constant.

"True detectives see not what is visible, but what is invisible."