System Integration Project Research Articles

Assessment of competitive advantages of IT system integrator companies taking industry factors into account

Purpose. To evaluate competitive advantages of IT system integrators in Ukraine. To investigate the influence of industry factors on the formation of competitive advantages using cases of the mining and fuel & energy industries. Methodology. The empirical basis of the study was presented by performance indicators of the leading system integrator companies of Ukraine. The methodological basis of the research was the scoring method using weight coefficients and the graphic method of creating a radial diagram of competitive advantages. During the research, the following methods were used: analysis and synthesis (to study the components of competitive advantages and to form integral indicators), induction and deduction (to form market trends and to identify enterprise strategies), classification (to form indicators that determine competitive advantages). Findings. In the process of research, a model of competitive advantages for system integrator companies was formed. A methodology was developed and an assessment of competitive advantages of the leading system integrators of IT industry of Ukraine was carried out. A radial diagram of competitive advantages was created. It allows performing a comparative analysis of the factors of company competitive advantages with the aim to form a development strategy to improve the competitive position of the company in the market. Features of influence of the industry factors on the formation of competitive advantages of system integrators were considered and this influence was evaluated using cases of the mining and fuel & energy industries. Originality. A model and methodology for assessing competitive advantages for system integrator companies in IT industry were proposed; the main factors of competitive advantages for system integrators have been identified. The necessity of taking industry factors into account when assessing the competitive advantages of these enterprises has been proposed and confirmed by the research results. Practical value. The applied value of the research lies in the possibility of applying the developed model and methodology to assess the competitive advantages of system integrators. The results of such an assessment can be used by system integrators to develop a competitive strategy and improve their competitive positions in the market. Customers (including enterprises in the mining and fuel & energy industries) can use evaluation elements when conducting procurement (tender) procedures for selection of contractors for the implementation of system integration projects. Also, the results of the study can be used for the analysis of the system integration market.

Contribution to Rail System Revitalization, Development, and Integration Projects Evaluation: A Case Study of the Zadar Urban Area

This paper aims to contribute to the process of evaluating urban rail infrastructure projects through the presentation of the methodology and the results of a preliminary feasibility study concerning the revitalization, development, and (re)integration of the rail with road, maritime, and air transportation in the Zadar urban area. The analysis included the identification and evaluation of rail infrastructure alignment variants that would ensure the revitalization of the existing railway infrastructure, relocation of freight rail traffic from the narrow and densely developed suburban coastal area, promotion of intermodal passenger and freight transportation, improvement of urban and regional accessibility and connectivity, increase of traffic safety, reduction of travel time and operating costs, and decrease of traffic impacts on the environment. By consulting legal frameworks, spatial planning documentation, and analyzing the socio-economic context and existing transportation infrastructure function, six variants for the (re)development of the rail infrastructure were designed. As their design approached the area’s transportation issues from different angles and could contribute differently to the area’s economic, social, and territorial issues, a multi-criteria analysis supplemented with a partial cost–benefit analysis was conducted to select the most suitable variant. The evaluation was based on seven weighted criteria quantified by the normalization of 32 indicator values, scored from 1 to 5, where a score of 5 was considered the highest. Weighting the scores according to the ratios determined through a consultation process with stakeholders resulted in ranking the best variant with a total score of 3.7 and the worst one with a total score of 2.6. To avoid potential objections that the set of criteria weights used was subjective and the result biased, a sensitivity analysis was carried out by systematically varying the weights among criteria. The results showed that the best-ranked variant was also the least sensitive to applied weight shifts, with a score range of 0.2.

Integrating health systems for children and young people in out of home care: Challenging the nature of siloed service delivery in rural Australia.

The purpose of this paper is to report on enablers and barriers during the first 2 years of the health systems integration project that included the implementation of a health navigator role. The project aims to improve health outcomes for children and young people residing in out of home care in rural Australia with a health navigator co-located between child protection practitioners and community health services clinicians. Rural Northwest Victoria. Sunraysia Community Health Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. The qualitative design of the project evaluation involved semi-structured interviews and documentary evidence analysis. Analyses of interviews and documentary data demonstrate the challenging nature of siloed service delivery in rural Australia, particularly during a time that comprised multiple interruptions due to COVID-19. A limited synergy between organisational priorities and reporting systems hindered project progress. The lack of a shared definition of 'health' challenged the effective collaboration between health clinicians and child protection practitioners and the role of the health navigator. The health navigator raising health awareness through project involvement, training and sector-wide stakeholder engagement resulted in a slow but steady process of increased prioritisation of health care, increased health literacy among the child protection workforce, and broadening participation of area-based stakeholders, but did not translate to increased access to health plans for children. Integrating health systems across multiple sites with support of a health navigator revealed difficulties, particularly during COVID-19. The first phase of the project demonstrated the value of shared governance and partnerships as an imperative foundation for fundamental change. Relationships strengthened throughout the project, leading to a better understanding of area-based strengths, which in turn supports improved pathways to health care for children and young people in OOHC within rural communities and driving the subsequent phases of the 10-year project.

SELECTED INNOVATION TOOLS IN DESIGNING PROCESS MANAGEMENT

This contribution deals with the specification of the current immunity of strategy and status and level of procedural management in special organizational structures referred to as industrial clusters. It represents selected specifics of the design and application of innovative tools, system integration, and agile project management of clusters. It describes and explains the context between the strategy, the organizational structure, and the need for project procedural management at the current position and competitiveness of clusters on the market in demanding energy and environmental conditions. In the end, it shall submit its own author's design scheme for a new organizational project aimed at a cluster structure and draft management process and coordination of clustered projects for their clients.

Information systems for servicing integration projects in enterprises

Most modern integrative processes related to the automation of production facilities do not bring the expected increase in efficiency. This paper is devoted to the complex use of modern integration technologies during the combination of management systems of production facility process and an enterprise as a whole. It is obvious that during the organization of this kind of work, various difficulties arise, the main of which are discussed in this paper and the recommendations for their solution are given. The solution proposed in the paper is beneficial in terms of relatively low implementation costs, the possibility of rapid implementation and relative simplicity. The main attention is paid to the issues of project management at the initial stage, when the influence of conceptual differences in the choice of the method of technical implementation is maximally strong. The use of the proposed methods can significantly improve the quality of system integration projects. The method proposed in this paper can increase the efficiency of the implementation and use of IT projects at large industrial enterprises.

Evaluating Management Actions to Mitigate Disruptive Scenario Impacts in an E-Commerce Systems Integration Project

E-commerce and other software-related projects are subject to disruptions that result in schedule delays, cost overruns, and degraded quality. Systems integration projects must address and mitigate the most disruptive scenarios resulting in the potential to miss predefined programmatic targets. In this paper, we present a method that aids in the selection of management actions that mitigate the effects of two concurrent modes of project disruption: 1) changes in the emphasis placed by decision-makers on project management success criteria, and 2) changes to the schedule network and its constituent activities. We identify disruptive emergent and future conditions and quantify those scenarios that are the most disruptive to the project. We then evaluate several management actions in mitigating project disruptions, accounting for benefits and costs. A systems integration of an e-commerce system with multiple functionalities is described in an example.

Effect of Cooperation on Manufacturing IT Project Development and Test Bed for Successful Industry 4.0 Project: Safety Management for Security

A new direction of the 4th industrial revolution in manufacturing and IT industries is presented in this study, wherein the manufacturing sector will be able to survive in this period by achieving rapid and flexible change through effective convergence between both industries. Under such an environment, manufacturing IT requires speedy development and a new distribution form, as well as a new method of IT project development which is adequate for that form. Thus, this study compares and analyzes the waterfall method which is being used in general manufacturing System Integration (SI) projects and the proposed DevOps method, which requires faster distribution and improvement. This study confirms that the required human resources are less than the existing SI projects when system improvement is made using the DevOps method. At the same time, this method provides much-improved quality for the same price. Therefore, future manufacturing IT projects would achieve a faster and more efficient development and operation form by adopting the DevOps method to perform continuous and repetitive improvement and operation through the convergence of manufacturing and IT. Also, some of the current smart factory models can be found in several ICT (Information & Communication Technology) advanced countries, and they have actually increased the efficiency in their factories and generated much value-added business. As with the production facilities, materials, and methods, human resource management occupies an important role in the smart factory system to increase efficiency. This study aims to validate such logic by proving the effectiveness of a Bluetooth beacon-based worker positioning system by which workers’ safety can be secured along with the security of the factory itself. This system can be foundational to establishing a safer working environment by controlling accesses to the critical production facilities and determining their whereabouts in case of an accident.

Integrating building modelling with future energy systems

The low-carbon building design process for a building engineer is often confined to construction, building services and occupancy. However, as we see coincident changes in climate, technologies, fuels and operation, it becomes important to extend this understanding to include wider energy systems, while clarifying the importance of the built environment within that system. With energy systems, such as the National Grid, involving multiple actors from different disciplines, a key challenge is to provide guidance and future projections that are translated into different discipline-specific vernaculars, but with a genesis of common assumptions. More generally, integration across the disciplines must be reflected by modelling approaches, policy-making frameworks and outputs. This article will demonstrate the initial stages of the energy demand research of the Centre of Energy Systems Integration project, where novel modelling techniques are being used to explore the effect of future buildings on national energy systems. Practical application: The tools and techniques described within this article are designed with future industry practice in mind. The driver is the increased importance of external factors outside the traditional building envelope in determining the energy and carbon performance of a building (or buildings). Building engineers, and others within building design teams, require a new portfolio of tools and resources to better account for the impact of buildings on wider energy systems and vice versa. The role of such practitioners is therefore likely to evolve.

大規模SIプロジェクトにおけるリスク・課題管理表を効果的に活用したプロジェクトマネジメント手法の提案( プロジェクトと組織のリスク)

大規模SIプロジェクトにおけるリスク・課題管理表を効果的に活用したプロジェクトマネジメント手法の提案( プロジェクトと組織のリスク)

A capacity review of the optimization of time spent on systems integration project implementation

A capacity review of the optimization of time spent on systems integration project implementation

Developing Organisational Capabilities through Customer-Led Systems Integration Projects: The Case of the Major Project BT 21st Century Network in the UK

Developing Organisational Capabilities through Customer-Led Systems Integration Projects: The Case of the Major Project BT 21st Century Network in the UK

Application Integration and Portals : A Brief Survey and a Roadmap

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the level of system integration among organizations that have deployed intranets or portals. In spite of being independent technologies, portals and EAI have in common the integration issue, and the combined usage of both may produce the synergic effect on application integration processes. The paper presents an instrument to analyze the integration level and the PMM (Portal Maturity Model) which can be used to assess the contributions of intranets and portals to Knowledge Management initiatives. According to the identified issues, this study suggests some guidelines for system integration projects.

Example of a Large-scale Systems Integration Project in Indonesia(<Special Issue>Management of People and Team)

Example of a Large-scale Systems Integration Project in Indonesia(<Special Issue>Management of People and Team)

Systems integration of heterogeneous cultural heritage information systems in museums: a case study of the National Palace Museum

This study addresses the process of information systems integration in museums. Research emphasis has concentrated on systems integration in the business community after restructuring of commercial enterprises. Museums fundamentally differ from commercial enterprises and thus cannot wholly rely on the business model for systems integration. A case study of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan was conducted to investigate its systems integration of five legacy systems into one information system for museum and public use. Participatory observation methods were used to collect data for inductive analysis. The results suggested that museums are motivated to integrate their systems by internal cultural and administrative operations, external cultural and creative industries, public expectations, and information technology attributes. Four factors related to the success of the systems integration project: (1) the unique attributes of a museum's artifacts, (2) the attributes and needs of a system's users, (3) the unique demands of museum work, and (4) the attributes of existing information technology resources within a museum. The results provide useful reference data for other museums when they carry out systems integration.

Research on Application Computer Technology in Project Management

This article detailed introduces the system integration project management present situation, analyzes the system integration project initial stage, executing stage and completion stage of each phase of the project management content. And the problems existing in the process of system integration project management are analyzed. And these problems include project scope management. Project team management is not perfect and project risk management is not science, etc. Based on the relevant theory of the system integration project management at the same time, it analyzes the cause of system integration project management problems, and puts forward the corresponding improvement countermeasures. Finally based on the theory of project management nine knowledge areas, according to the basic process of project management: start, planning, executing, controlling and closing to discuss a specific system integration project. The concrete covers the scope of the project management, human resource management and risk management, and other areas of the project management body of knowledge.

품질보증 이슈 조기감지 시스템의 경제성 평가

An early detection system for warranty issues periodically collects customers' claim data and automatically reports alarms about emerging issues based on statistical algorithms. It helps companies to reduce an issue definition time and save the handling cost of warranty claims. This paper provides an evaluation framework to validate the economic effect of an early detection system project. For this purpose, we present economical index of a project with explicit formulas such as ROI(return on investment), PP(payback period), NPV(net present value), PI(profitability index) and IRR(internal rate of return) and analyze the sensitivities of the index according to the variation of project input parameters. The proposed analysis framework is expected to be used for evaluating economic values of various system integration projects.

Supporting the Changing Roles of Maintenance Operators in Mining: A Human Factors Perspective

Rapid advances in networking and hardware have made it possible for remotely located individuals to perform physical tasks. Recently a number of systems have been developed with each supporting a different scenario of remote collaboration. Of particular interest to us is to explore the value of these technologies in the context of mining. As automation is being introduced in mines, more and more skilled operators are operating remotely. As a result, onsite operators’ job becomes more complex and requires input from remote skilled operators. The productivity of the future mine relies on the effective delivery, just in time, of remote guidance. This paper presents a remote guiding system called HandsOnVideo, which is developed as part of our Human System Integration project within the CSIRO’s Minerals Down Under (MDU), a National Research Flagship. Our aim is to design and develop a system that supports a remote helper guiding a mobile local worker in maintaining complex equipment in mine sites. The system is developed following a participatory design approach and the results of a usability study with real users indicate that the system is useful and effective.

Managing by E-Mail: What E-mail Can Do for Engineering Project Management

E-mails are, rightly or wrongly, a staple of the information and communication technology for managing work and collaborative activities. This paper examines the value of the content of e-mail at a project level rather than at the often-studied level of the individual user. The dataset consists of e-mails authored by an engineering team associated with a large, complex, long term, systems integration project, typical of the aerospace, marine, and defense sectors. The research applied a qualitative content analysis methodology to classify the content (what the e-mail contains) and purpose (why the e-mail was sent) of the e-mail in the dataset. The results of the content analysis were compared and contrasted with secondary evidence from interviews and project documentation to enable a time-phased analysis. The findings show that classifying e-mail content by the categories of management, information, and problem-solving transactions revealed signatures that align with project phases and, more importantly, problems encountered. Finally, we found that the purpose of e-mail is not necessarily consistent with the designated job role or responsibility of the sender or recipient. This paper contributes to empirical data on the relation between communication and project performance and the changing nature of e-mail communication throughout the lifecycle of a project. The findings point to a new way to leverage e-mail content to “manage by e-mail”.

Mobilising Local Networks of Implementers to Address Health Information Systems Sustainability

AbstractThis paper addresses the problem of health information systems (HIS) sustainability in developing countries. Two interrelated questions are addressed. 1) How do we mobilise the local networks in the present settings of shortage of human and capital resources? 2) In which ways are these networks sustained for the sake of the HIS sustainability? With empirical material from the information systems integration project for the Zanzibar healthcare sector, the analysis is centred on the communities of practice concept in conjunction with the networks of action concept. The study reveals that building communities through organised practical works helps to build such networks at the lowest level of the HIS bureaucracy, enhancing learning at minimal resource usage. To make the networks themselves sustainable, participation in the larger networks of similar activities to enable wider exchange of knowledge and material resources is very important. This direct involvement not only helps in knowledge and resource exchange but also helps to forge political establishment which is highly important in influencing decisions concerning HIS related issues.

An innovation management approach for renewable energy deployment—the case of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology

In the discussion of renewable energy deployment, one key concern is the various types of barriers that renewable energy needs to overcome before it can make its way into the mainstream. These barriers increasingly shift from the technical to the economic and institutional. The most general types of barriers are due to technological ‘lock-out’ or to carbon ‘lock-in’ [ Unruh, G., 2000. Understanding carbon lock-in. Energy Policy 28(12), 817–830 (Elsevier)]. These barriers necessitate the development of a strategic approach to deploy or introduce renewable energy technology. Existing energy policy has mostly relied upon financial subsidies, market-based instruments such as renewable portfolio standards, and production tax credits to stimulate the installation and use of equipment to generate electricity from renewable sources. These strategies target mostly system-level decisions of end users. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovation perspective on the renewable energy deployment process by introducing the innovation value-added chain (IVC) framework. The analytical objective of IVC is to evaluate the impact of a new innovation on the various stakeholders and players in the development and deployment processes. A deployment or innovation strategy that causes minimal disruption, enhances existing competencies, or expedites new learning by the players has a higher chance to succeed. We draw upon two sets of system integration costs data for grid-connected distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems in Japan and the United States and demonstrate conspicuously different dynamic learning behaviors. These two deployment models can be understood in terms of how the IVCs are organized and how PV system integration projects are performed in the field. In addition, IVC-based findings can inform the targeted application of conventional financial subsidies for learning investment not only at the PV system level, but also at the (localized) system integration level. This would involve other stakeholders, thus suggesting new energy policy space. We highlight some future research directions using the IVC framework.