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System Integration & Architecture

System Integration
& Architecture
Nagwovuma Margaret

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 Introduction

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• Many systems are built to easy, improve and
transform organizations.

System Integration & Architecture

• Some organizations have many departments which
run systems which are independent of each other.
• And systems built sometimes, may not have an
abstract view (architecture) which leads to failure
of system interoperability.
• There is need to have architectural view of the
system as a priority to help in the design to avoid
the likeliness of system failure. 2
 Introduction

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• Besides after the system has been designed and developed
in consideration of the size of the organization, i.e. most

System Integration & Architecture

especially when the organization is large, need is required to
integrate such systems to ensure flexibility, Speed, Cost ,
Standardization, Data integrity, reliability and robustness.
• This can help Information Technology (IT), energy, and
financial services industry among others to have an easy to
use integrated system. 3
What students need to know

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• Systems Integration (SI) process, approaches,
drivers, tools and techniques required for

System Integration & Architecture

successful SI, critical success factors, and best
practices.
• The course focuses on how a proposed system will
be integrated with other existing or planned
systems.
• It addresses the System Integration problem using
architectures as the basis and then addresses the
evaluation of the architectures in terms of the 4

capabilities they provide.

What students need to learn

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System Integration & Architecture
• The theory and practice of business process integration,

legacy integration, new systems integration,

business-to-business integration, integration of

commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, interface

control and management, testing, integrated program

management, integrated Business Continuity Planning

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(BCP).
 Aims

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•To provide the students an understanding of
the technical and business process issues

System Integration & Architecture

involved in systems integration.

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Learning outcomes

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• On completion of this course, the students will be
able to:

System Integration & Architecture

• Identify integration issues upfront in the process
of System Integration and should be able to
identify the best practices that ensure successful
System Integration.
• Understand the technical and business process
issues involved in systems integration.

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Teaching and learning

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pattern
•Teaching this course will be in lecture form.
A number of case studies will also be used to

System Integration & Architecture

illustrate some concepts as mentioned in the
indicative content.

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 Indicative content

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• The System of Systems Integration Problem
• Human, Organizational, Societal Cultural, Economic,

System Integration & Architecture

and Technological aspects;
• Processes, approaches, drivers, tools and techniques required for
successful SI, critical success factors, and best practices in
Systems Integration;
• The Role of Architectures in Systems Integration;
• Integration in a System of Systems and a Federation 60 of
Systems;
• Model Based Architecture, Design, and Integration;
• Systems of Systems Interoperability;
• Evaluation of architectures;
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• Measures of Performance and Effectiveness;
 Indicative content

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• Assessment of System Capabilities;
• Analysis of Alternatives;

System Integration & Architecture

• Case studies and examples from the Information Technology
(IT), energy, and financial services industry to illustrate the
concepts discussed.
• The theory and practice of business process integration,
legacy integration, new systems integration,
business-to-business integration, integration of
commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, interface
control and management, testing, integrated program
management, integrated Business Continuity Planning
(BCP). Specific focus will be given to issues of interface 10
integration and interoperability of systems.
 Assessment method

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•Assessment will be in form of tests and
practical assignments (40%) and final written

System Integration & Architecture

examination (60%)

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 Reference books

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• Sage A.P. and Rouse, W.B. Handbook of Systems
Engineering and management, John Wiley & Sons,

System Integration & Architecture

1999.

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Key terminologies in this course

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•Various key terminologies shall be used
throughout this course as follows

System Integration & Architecture

•System
•Systems thinking
•System Integration
•System Architecture
•Project

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 System

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•An array of components designed to accomplish
a particular objective according to plan. Many

System Integration & Architecture

sub-systems many be designed which later on
are combined together to form a system which is
intended to achieve a specific objective which
may be set by the Project manager.

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Systems thinking

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⚫ Is a way of understanding an entity in terms of its purpose, as
three steps
⚫ The three major steps followed in systems thinking

System Integration & Architecture

1. Identify a containing whole (system), of which the thing to be
explained is a part.
2. Explain the behavior or properties of the containing whole.
3. Explain the behavior or properties of the thing to be explained
in terms of its role(s)or function(s) within its containing whole
(Ackoff, 1981)

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System Integration

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• Is the combination of inter-related elements to achieve a
common objective (s).

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 System Architecture

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• The architecture of a system defines its high-level structure,
exposing its gross organization as a collection of interacting
components.

System Integration & Architecture

• Elements needed to model a software architecture include:
• Components, Connectors, Systems, Properties and Styles.

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What is a project?

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• From the key terms described above, a system developer and
architects cannot do anything without first establishing various

System Integration & Architecture

projects. These projects may be new or existing.
• So, it is inevitable to first understand what a project is, factors
that influence the project, who the owners are and many more as
discussed below.

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What Is a Project?

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• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to

System Integration & Architecture

accomplish a unique product or service
• Attributes of projects
• unique purpose
• temporary
• require resources, often from various areas
• should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
• involve uncertainty

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 Where do information Systems Projects

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Originate (Sources of Projects)?
New or changed IS development projects come from problems,
opportunities, and directives and are always subject to one or more
constraints.

System Integration & Architecture

1.Problems – may either be current, suspected, or anticipated. Problems
are undesirable situations that prevent the business from fully achieving
its purpose, goals, and objectives (users discovering real problems with
existing IS).

2. An Opportunity – is a chance to improve the business even in the

absence of specific problems. This means that the business is hoping to
create a system that will help it with increasing its revenue, profit, or
services, or decreasing its costs.

3.A Directive – is a new requirement that is imposed by management,

government, or some external influence i.e. are mandates that come 20
from either an internal or external source of the business.
Projects Cannot Be Run in Isolation

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System Integration & Architecture
• Projects must operate in a broad organizational
environment
• Project managers need to take a holistic or systems view of
a project and understand how it is situated within the
larger organization

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Stakeholders

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• Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by

System Integration & Architecture

project activities
• Stakeholders include
• the project sponsor and project team
• support staff
• customers
• users
• suppliers
• opponents to the project

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Importance of Stakeholders

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• Project managers must take time to identify,
understand, and manage relationships with all

System Integration & Architecture

project stakeholders
• Using the four frames of organizations can help
meet stakeholder needs and expectations
• Senior executives are very important stakeholders

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Table 2-2. What Helps Projects

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Succeed?
According to the Standish Group’s report
“CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success,” the

System Integration & Architecture

following items help IT projects succeed, in order
of importance:
• Executive support
• User involvement
• Experienced project manager
• Clear business objectives
• Minimized scope
• Standard software infrastructure
• Firm basic requirements
• Formal methodology
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• Reliable estimates

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Understanding Organizations
We can analyze a formal organization using the following 4
(four) frames;

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Structural frame: Human resources frame:

System Integration & Architecture

Focuses on roles and Focuses on providing
responsibilities, harmony between needs of
coordination and control. the organization and needs
Organizational charts of people.
help define this frame.

Political frame: Symbolic frame:

Assumes organizations are Focuses on symbols and
coalitions composed of meanings related to events.
varied individuals and Culture is important.
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interest groups. Conflict
and power are key issues.
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Many Organizations Focus on the
Structural Frame

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• Most people understand what organizational charts are

System Integration & Architecture

• Many new managers try to change organizational structure when other
changes are needed
• 3 basic organizational structures
• Functional-
• project
• matrix

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Basic Organizational Structures

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• Organizational structure depends on the company and/or the
project.
• The structure helps define the roles and responsibilities of the

System Integration & Architecture

members of the department, work group, or organization.
• It is generally a system of tasks and reporting policies in place
to give members of the group a direction when completing
projects.
• A good organizational structure will allow people and groups
to work effectively together while developing hard work ethics
and attitudes.
• The four general types of organizational structure are
functional, divisional, matrix and project-based.
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Basic Organizational Structures

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• Functional Structure - People who do similar tasks, have
similar skills and/or jobs in an organization are grouped
into a functional structure. The advantages of this kind of

System Integration & Architecture

structure include quick decision making because the group
members can communicate easily with each other. People in
functional structures can learn from each other easier
because they already possess similar skill sets and interests.
• Divisional Structure - In a divisional structure, the company will
coordinate inter-group relationships to create a work team that can
readily meet the needs of a certain customer or group of customers. The
division of labor in this kind of structure will ensure greater output of
varieties of similar products. An example of a divisional structure is
geographical, where divisions are set up in regions to work with each
other to produce similar products that meet the needs of the individual 28
regions.
Basic Organizational Structures

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• Matrix Structure - Matrix structures are more complex in
that they group people in two different ways: by the function they
perform and by the product team they are working with. In a

System Integration & Architecture

matrix structure the team members are given more autonomy and
expected to take more responsibility for their work. This
increases the productivity of the team, fosters greater innovation
and creativity, and allows managers to cooperatively solve
decision-making problems through group interaction.
• Project Organization Structure - In a project-organizational
structure, the teams are put together based on the number of
members needed to produce the product or complete the project.
The number of significantly different kinds of tasks are taken
into account when structuring a project in this manner, assuring
that the right members are chosen to participate in the project. 29
Basic Organizational
Structures

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Project Phases and the Project Life

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Cycle

System Integration & Architecture

• A project life cycle is a collection of project phases
• Project phases vary by project or industry, but some general
phases include
• concept
• development
• implementation
• support

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Phases of the Project Life Cycle

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