Lean Integration: An Integration Factory Approach to Business Agility

"Lean Integration is an excellent resource for anyone struggling with the challenges of performing integration for a complex enterprise."Steve J. Dennis, Integration Competency Center Director, Nike Use Lean Techniques to Integrate Enterprise Systems Faster, with Far Less Cost and Risk By some estimates, 40 percent of IT budgets are devoted to integration. However, most organizations still attack integration on a "project-by-project" basis, causing unnecessary expense, waste, risk, and delay. They struggle with integration "hairballs": complex point-to-point information exchanges that are expensive to maintain, difficult to change, and unpredictable in operation. The solution is Lean Integration. This book demonstrates how to use proven "lean" techniques to take control over the entire integration process. John Schmidt and David Lyle show how to establish "integration factories," which leverage the powerful benefits of repeatability and continuous improvement across every integration project you undertake. Drawing on their immense personal experience, Schmidt and Lyle bring together best practices; solid management principles; and specific, measurable actions for streamlining integration development and maintenance. They offer practical insights on challenges ranging from team empowerment to process automation, as well as realistic guidance for managing everything from finance to metadata. Coverage includes  Treating integration as a business strategy, and implementing management disciplines that systematically address its people, process, policy and technology dimensions Providing maximum business flexibility and supporting rapid change without compromising stability, quality, control, or efficiency Delivering what's needed and eliminating the "gold plating" that delays many projects Using value stream mapping and metrics to "optimize the whole, not just the parts" Automating processes so you can deliver faster ndash; and avoiding the pitfalls of automation Building in both data and integration quality up-front In-depth case studies: how real organizations are applying Lean Integration practices and the lessons they've learnedWhether you're an IT manager, project leader, architect, analyst, or developer, this book will help you systematically improve the way you integrate adding value that is both substantial and sustainable.