A.1. Can we use IT to gain leverage over our suppliers? To improve our bargaining power? To reduce their bargaining power?

A.2. Can we use IT to reduce purchasing costs? To reduce our processing costs? To reduce suppliers' billing costs?

A.3. Can we use IT to identify alternative supply sources? To locate substitute products? To identify lower-price suppliers?

A.4. Can we use IT to improve the quality of products and services we receive from suppliers? To reduce order lead times? To monitor quality? To leverage supplier service data for better service to our customers?

A.5. Can we use IT to give us access to vital information about our suppliers that will help us to reduce our costs? To select the most appropriate products? To negotiate price breaks? To monitor work progress and read just our schedules? To assess quality control?

A.6. Can we use IT to give our suppliers information important to them that will in turn yield a cost,quality,or service reliability advantage to us? To conduct electronic exchange of data to reduce their costs? To provide master production schedule changes?

Strategic Questions related to customers

B.1. Can we use IT to reduce our customer's cost of doing business with us? To reduce paperwork for ordering or paying? To provide status information more rapidly? To reduce our costs and prices?

B.2. Can we provide some unique information to our customers that will make them buy our products/services? Can we provide better billing or account status data? Can we provide options to switch to higher-value substitutes? Can we be first with easy-to-duplicate feature that will provide value simply by being first?

B.3. Can use IT to increase our customer's cost of switching to a new supplier? Can we provide proprietary hardware or software? Can we make customers dependent upon us for their data? Can we make our customer service more personalized?

B.4. Can we use external database sources to learn more about our customers and discover possible market niches? To relate buying from us to buying other products? To analyze customers interactions with us and questions to us to develop customized products/services or methods of responding to customer needs?

B.5. Can we use IT to help our customers increase their revenues?To provide proprietary market data to them? To support their access to their markets through our channels?

Strategic Questions related to competitors

C.1. Can we use IT to raise the entry barriers of new competitors into our markets? To redefine product features around IT components? To provide customer service through IT?

C.2. Can we use IT to differentiate our products/services? To highlight existing differentiations? To create new differentiations?

C.3. Can we use IT to make a preemptive move over our competition? To offer something new because we have proprietary data?

C.4. Can we use IT to provide substitutes? To simulate other products? To enhance our existing products?

C.5. Can we use IT to match an existing competitor's offer? Are competitor products/services based on unique IT capabilities or technologies and capabilities generally available?

Redundancies:

B1 <---> C1

B2 <---> C2