The Business Case For Integrated Systems

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I've been looking at the 'business case for integration.'  How odd does that sound? 

If I'm going to be able to sell the idea that 'integration is a good thing to spend our time on,' then I need to know both WHY we would want integration, and IN WHAT SITUATIONS would I expect integration to produce a benefit.  In short, the business case. 

This is my second attempt.  My first attempt was a partial success.  I created a notion of the business processes (in general) driving the need for integration across systems, but honestly, it didn't click.  I couldn't find an approach that made sense.  Nothing that an executive sponsor would be able to understand, much less agree with.  Then, I looked at the problem from a different angle.

"Begin with the end in mind." 

(Obvious, I know, but I will admit to you, gentle reader, that sometimes the obvious only appears that way after you've recognized it.  Until that time, it was not obvious.  After that point in time, it was common sense.  Case in point: why did it take so long to put wheels on luggage?)

If I'm going to 'begin with the end in mind,' then I need to ask a simple question.  Assume we succeeded, and our systems are all optimally integrated.  What has changed? 

  1. We have better business intelligence.  We have better understanding of our customers, our partners, our products, and our business.  And from that understanding, we make better decisions.  Those decisions are made in a federated manner using self-apparent information.
     
  2. We have end-to-end business processes that cross multiple systems, multiple roles, multiple geographies, and multiple data stores, all aware of and supporting the needs of the customer.
     
  3. We have end-to-end awareness of the metrics that drive both dissatisfaction and cost, and we can take that knowledge and apply it to making our business better.
     
  4. We have a more efficient enterprise, more able to grow to a larger size, at an accelerated rate, and still respond with agility to changing business opportunities.

That's it.  The big four.  Those are the shining lights that drive the vision for integration. 

With integration, we create the foundation for a business that is Smarter, more Comprehensive, more Self Aware, and more Efficient. 

SOA is a tool for integration.  So is Master Data Management.  So is Enterprise Information Management.  We are all reaching for the same goal. 

My business case for SOA is not a business case for SOA.  (I don't believe in selling SOA to the business and more than I believe in selling C# to the business.)  Nope: I don't care to talk about SOA.  I want to talk about the problems that we can address through integration.  I want to share the benefits outlined above.

Integration will let the business grow larger, run smoother, make better decisions, and improve upon itself.  Who can say "no" to that?