SYSTEM INTEGRATION APPROACHES                      

System integration

System integration refers to the addition of value to a system by creating a stronger connections between the IS based computers and databases. It is usually needed for the incorporation of business and its interactions between subsystems.

System Development Life Cycle SDLC Approach

The outcome of a project heavily hinges on the realization of the software component. SDLC processes procedure for the developments of software's. SDLC models entail waterfall, spiral and agile. The model chosen varies on the basis of project size, complexities, aims, and stability. The most important factor, however, is the project timeline.

The spiral model

The spiral model is selected to mitigate risks because the project initiated incomplete set of the required documents.  It also delivers the capability that is requested more quickly and faster. The spiral model starts a project provided that the applications are partially known, and the operational necessities and concepts are easily understood. The remaining requirements will progress with time.  Each iteration in a spiral model adheres to a similar process. The method encompasses the definition of objectives, alternatives considerations, recognition of constraints, and generation of a working prototype. The model functions by building more progressive versions of the complete software, working centrifugally. Upon the last stage of each cycle, the stakeholders examine and scrutinize the risks then develop an appropriate risk reduction strategy at the next phase. The end-user then checks the work and can give suggestion so that modification can be done in the next loop.  The project reaches its climax when the customer consents that the prototype satisfies his/her needs and can, therefore, be made to operate (Booher, 1990).

 Migration strategy and implementation approach

When a DCS (Distributed Control System) becomes outdated, a decision to upgrade to a new and automatic system should come in place. The Upgrading is then defined. It is crucial to carry out the update with a small risk as possible. An important strategic decision must be made. Whether the new automated system will improve the qualities on the existing DCS or just replicate the operation. Replication is cheaper but more expensive in the long run (Oz, 2008).

Here is the rest of the assignment:

In the fast-paced, evolving enterprise environment, there is a need to integrate systems, whether with recently acquired organizations or with the latest off-the-shelf technology. The challenge seems insurmountable without some formalized approaches, tools, techniques, and best practices to support the effort. You will select a manageable systems integration project so that you will have practice with all phases of the systems integration process, from determining enterprise integration requirements through the final implementation planning.
 
Project Selection

The first step will be to select an enterprise as the target for your systems integration project, along with a list of the major systems to be integrated within the target organization. This project will be used as the basis for each of the assignments throughout the course and should conform to the following guidelines:
•Nontrivial: The selected enterprise should be large enough to reflect the need to integrate systems.
•Domain knowledge: You should be familiar enough with the organization to allow you to focus on its system’s integration needs.

Select an enterprise that fits these requirements, and submit your proposal to your instructor before proceeding further with the assignments in the course. Approval should be sought within the first few days of the course. Your instructor will tell you how to submit this proposal and what notification will be given for project approval.

Assignment Guidelines

For the assignments in this course, you will be developing a comprehensive Systems Integration Design Proposal as your project. Your first task in this process will be to select an enterprise to use as the basis of your project. You will also create the shell document for the final project deliverable, which you will be working on during each unit. As you proceed through each project phase, you will add content to each section of the final document to gradually complete the final project delivery. Appropriate research should be conducted to support the analysis in your report, and assumptions may be made when necessary.
•Submit the project proposal to your instructor for approval.
•Create the Systems Integration Project Proposal document shell. ◦Use Word
◦Title Page ◾Course number and name
◾Project name
◾Your name
◾Date

◦Table of Contents (TOC) ◾Use an autogenerated TOC.
◾This should be on a separate page.
◾Update the fields of the TOC so that it is up-to-date before submitting your project.

◦Section Headings (create each heading on a new page with TBD as content, except for sections listed under New Content below) ◾Project Information (Week 1)
◾Project Plan (Week 1)
◾System Integration Best Practices (Week 1)
◾Requirements Specifications (Week 2)
◾Enterprise System Integration Analysis (Week 3)
◾Systems Integration Approach Evaluation and Selection (Week 3)
◾Proposed System Integration Components Architecture (Week 4)
◾Implementation Framework (Week 4)
◾System Integration Implementation Plan (Week 5)

•New Content ◦Project Information ◾Provide a brief description of the enterprise (can be hypothetical) where the system integration design proposal has the potential of being adopted.
◾Describe the overall project objectives.
◾List the business or technical needs that will be met by the project.
◾List the major components of the project (major systems that will be integrated). ◾This list may change after further analysis is completed.

◾List the boundaries of the project (what the project will not address).
◾Material can be taken from the approved proposal that you submitted.
◾Be sure that this project is approved by the instructor.

◦Project Plan ◾This contains the work breakdown structure (WBS) for all of the tasks that will be required to complete the project.
◾Determine the start and completion dates (within the course's start and end dates).
◾List other resources that are required to complete the project.

◦System Integration Best Practices ◾Based on what you learned during completion of the Discussion Board activity, identify best practice areas you will cover in your project.
◾Provide a diagram that shows the process flow that you intend to use for designing the systems integration architecture.

•Make sure that the document is in APA format.

References

Booher, H, R (1990) Man print, an Approach to Systems Integration.Van Nostrand Reinhold:       Technology & Engineering

Oz, E (2008) Management Information Systems. Cengage Learning: Computers