The Full Story
Doug Whittle is known for his pragmatic views well grounded from experience operationalizing enterprise technology. Doug is the closing keynote speaker at the InfoStrategies 2001 Management Conference, June 27-29 in Washington, DC, http://www.influent.com/infostrategies2001. Here, Doug shares his thoughts on integration strategy and why you must not proceed with your online projects without one!
TRENDS: Why is integration so important to ensure the success of online information?
WHITTLE: The successful implementation of online information is dependent upon a number of people-both from the perspective of those charged with designing and building the system as well as those for whom online information is being designed. This is not an effort that results from a party of one! And as soon as you involve multiple parties, departments, teams, and end users, you need to focus on the concept of integration. Who needs to be "on board" with you? How do you get their support and commitment? Who plays which roles throughout the process? These are just a few of the integration questions that need to be addressed.
TRENDS: What are the "right" issues on which we should focus?
WHITTLE: Integration requires examination of a number of factors and issues. One recent source identifies barriers to effective integration as lack of leadership commitment, cultural barriers, obstruction of middle management, and failure to achieve employee commitment. These barriers and others can be addressed upfront by simply starting with the development of an online strategy-the basic "architecture" upon which all online projects should be built. An online strategy should examine integration from a number of lenses, or frames of reference, those being culture, personal, interpersonal, stakeholder, and management systems and processes. One of the key pieces of a strategy is a stakeholder analysis that identifies everyone in your organization who might have a vested interest in your online project or product. There are multiple stakeholders for any online project. By examining each of these stakeholder groups in detail before you begin an online project, you can determine who will be supporting your initiative, who might interfere with your progress, and how you can deal with that resistance proactively. Strategy also involves examining any organizational change elements that need to be addressed as well as building a communications strategy that covers you from planning through implementation and review.
TRENDS: What causes us to shift our focus from them?
WHITTLE: Online projects generate a sense of adventure and excitement among those charged with the design and development. Typically, those involved in online projects are so excited about getting started, they simply roll up their sleeves and start "building the beast" before they've thought out in detail all the elements that belong in an online strategy.
Another problem is that all too frequently, these projects become focused on the tools rather than on business purposes and processes. Unfortunately, it's easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles of the technologies without first having a clear idea of sponsorship, business purpose, and business commitment to use this information once it's released.
Most organizations also find themselves facing tight deadlines with limited resources. Taking time out at the beginning to clearly address integration issues is perceived as a loss of valuable time. However, time and time again, organizations realize too late that starting an online project without building an integration strategy is like driving in a strange city without any map or directions. Chances are you'll get lost along the way or worse, find yourself in serious trouble. A well-developed integration strategy will ultimately save you time and money.
