5 attributes of successful systems integration projects
Bradford companies undertaking Systems Integration projects require a lot of thought and planning – they often bring together new ways of working with your existing resources i.e. workflows/business processes, staff and / or equipment. A successful system integration requires careful management; thinking about what ‘system’ actually means, what is required for it to be successfully integrated into the business environment, who needs to work on it and how, what are their skill sets (and deficiencies), when to use which technology, and so on. The effort required depends very much on the type of integration – but also on other factors such as existing systems in place, change management experience, available resources etc. There are many factors to carefully consider when businesses in Yorkshire are planning the success of a systems integration project or a software development project, we have picked out some key ones:
1. Distinguish ‘things that can be automated’ from ‘automation in the system’
2. Change in business process vs change in solution
3. Staffing for success
4. Keep everyone involved and informed
5. Monitoring, measuring, reporting on critical success factors (CSFs)
Let’s discuss each of these five considerations for systems integration / software development project success in a bit more detail:
1. Distinguish ‘things that can be automated’ from ‘automation in the system’
This is by far one of the most important concepts to understand before embarking on an integration project; sometimes people do not realize how much work it takes to make a system actually perform any tasks other than what it was designed for. This is generally where problems start as initial expectations are too high and significant re-engineering is required before anything can happen – which results in budget overruns and delays leading to loss of faith within the organization. The solution? – Perform very careful planning at the outset. If you have something that can be automated, for example sending out an email to a user when they are offline so it is not lost, this does not require any major processes or equipment changes.
2. Change in business process vs change in solution
The answer to this question will determine how much work needs to be done prior to the implementation phase of the integration project. An example might be where a vendor has brought forward functionality that can be embedded within your existing network infrastructure, similar to the above email example above – no problem! However if there are significant changes required before anything can happen (for example someone must manually check whether the user was online but did not receive their mail), then this requires extensive planning and testing because you are changing Bradford businessess processes to meet IT requirements.
3. Staffing for success
This factor is often the most overlooked but it is critical not to underestimate the need for specific skill sets and experience in order to execute a successful integration project; people matter and you should make sure you have enough of them and that they are available and ready when needed. For example, if your team members do NOT know how to configure IPS devices, then this should be addressed up front – training will take time and must be planned accordingly. One way around this is to bring consulting expertise on as required which can also result in budget savings as consultants usually charge by the hour (unlike employees who receive benefits etc). Also ensure that there are no gaps between people retiring or leaving their jobs and replacement employees being trained.
4. Keep everyone involved and informed
It is important to get the word out internally about what you are doing and provide updates on progress at milestones within the project (the frequency depends, but an update every 2 weeks or even monthly is not too often). Involvement will ensure that people understand how this affects them on a day-to-day basis; it builds morale and provides comfort to management when they know exactly what is going on. Information flow should be bi-directional with team members providing feedback, suggestions for improvement etc; after all, who knows better than those actually working in the trenches? With good information comes trust!
5. Monitoring, measuring, reporting on critical success factors (CSFs)
This is the key to a successful integration project – it ensures that you have identified what ‘success’ looks like and can be measured. Yes, I know this sounds pretty straightforward but you would be surprised how often people after going through all of the effort in planning for an integration project simply go their merry way because they cannot meet success criteria! For example, if your CSFs are around reducing downtime by 50%, then you must ensure that during testing these milestones are being met or show improvement. You might also want to put in place a BI or Business Intelligence tool to provide trending data over time which will help you plan future projects more accurately. If at any point there is a significant difference between expected results actual results, make sure you address this ASAP; sometimes it might be caused by the integration itself – don’t ignore this!
It is important to note that Project Management techniques are good but must be tailored for the environment in which you are working. ‘Standard’ PM processes may not work (or at least, not well) in an IT environment; make sure you learn how your Yorkshire company works and leverage their expertise if necessary. The five factors mentioned above should provide a solid foundation for any project manager to build upon when planning their next successful project.
I hope you found this article helpful. If your business is considering a systems integration project or a bespoke software development project and you want a hand in stacking the odds of success more firmly in your favour then please contact Bradford Apps.