You don’t need to be a business owner to understand why it is frustrating when important information is not connected. System integration, or software integration, solves many workflow problems that maybe you don’t even know you have.
Implementing an integration solution reduces the need to manually enter data across several software applications, saving time and money while lowering the risk of human mistakes. This open data sharing network improves communication among departments within a corporation, increasing operational efficiency.
If you already have programs running at your organization, implementing system integration can be difficult — you don’t want to disrupt what is already working. So we selected a few tips on how to implement software integration successfully.
What to pay attention to in software integration?
1. Prepare a workflow
If you don’t already have this written down, it is important to make your business process and workflow official. Understanding how people work together, what inputs from one sector go to another and what needs to be done for deadlines to be met are essential.
This way, you’ll start your integration plan knowing what you want to achieve, and there is less chance you’ll create connections and automation that doesn’t need to exist — or worse, forget something indispensable.
2. Know what you already use
In order to be successful, it is also necessary to examine existing processes and software and understand how they manage data while developing pathways.
With this analysis, you will better know what integration is and how it will affect your systems. This can help determine whether your integration project will entail data replication or cause any crossovers in your operating systems.
3. Create a roadmap
It is necessary to begin an integration project with a roadmap that thoroughly conveys the precise functions and performance of the system to be created and integrated. Some may refer to this as a preliminary design guiding the entire system’s final design process.
4. Take the “people factor” into account
All the integrations will change the way people interact with the systems, but if you do it properly, the tools will change from obstacle to enabler. That is why training is fundamental. There is no gain in having integrations your team doesn’t use or know how to use.
You don’t have to wait until everything is up and running to involve your employees. They can even help with the first workflow analysis, and conveying the importance of this change will help more people get on board.
Next steps for success
The integration solution is ready for implementation once it has been created and tested for quality assurance. Since your first assessment, you can count on expert help or opt for a vendor that does only this part. However, a trained professional will help identify which solution is better for each software and offer legacy solutions for those programs that are out of the market.