|
|
|
Ten Top Tips - How To Run A Successful Integration Project
If you are thinking of embarking on a database integration or enterprise
application integration project for the first time, here are some tips that
might help your project to be one of those that makes up the 70 percent that are successful.
- "You have to have a good understanding of the business processes and data models and how
they are supported by the systems and applications currently in place" says Ed Wrazen,
Marketing Director of independent IT consultancy CITL. "There is likely to be overlapping,
duplicity, manual intervention and inconsistencies that only come to light when you
integrate your systems."
- Make sure you know what you are trying to achieve. Have your strategy mapped out and make
sure it matches the business strategy and objectives. Then produce a detailed specification.
- Find a champion who will fight for the project, and give the project team the necessary
authority. "Organisational and cultural boundaries between development teams and sponsors of
existing systems can often lead to uncertainty and lack of authority over decisions" says Wrazen.
- "Evaluate vendors based on the breadth and reach of your integration requirements.
Look for comprehensive coverage and for products that provide a flexible framework that
enables customisation and can hook into legacy environments. How commercially stable is
the vendor? How local and strong is the support?"
- Evaluate the technology. If possible, get some references to the preferred solution
before you commit. "Is it scalable, will it perform well and not crash under stress
conditions? How easy is it to use and configure? How easy is it to customise integration
adapters, or write your own?"
- Agree a budget for the contract, and make sure the contract includes such things as
installation, support and training. The contract should also include timescales for when
you want things done.
- Include a pilot process in your plan to highlight any complexities. The pilot should
not be so complicated that the delivery timescales are far into the future, but it should
be comprehensive enough to test the stability, flexibility and scalability of the desired
methodology.
- Review your progress regularly. Try to identify problem areas as soon as possible.
- Invest in the right skills. "A project manager will need to be appointed and he/she
will require skilled consultants in support" says Wrazen. "External consultancy firms are
often the best source for such expertise and may well offer a high degree of skills transfer
in appropriate areas". The strategy of seeking skills transfer enables teams to rapidly climb
the learning curve. It also leaves you with staff who are well trained, confident and motivated.
- "Make sure you have the procedures and tools in place to monitor and manage the
performance and availability of the new system. Tools which enable the end-to-end management
of all the underlying technologies should be sought."
|