System Integration

[Allen]

System Integration
Not sure if this fits here, but I thought I would move around a little.
As with many companies we are looking to eliminate cost (people), but no one ever looks at eliminating the work in our systems.
I represent the quality discipline for a System Integration Project in my company. We have found that between the corporate level and plant level we have though the years created and maintain over 50 different applications. Each application was created for a specific task in mind and only does that one task. Looking at the data within these applications we have found the same information is being entered, but never shared with other apps. Data like part numbers, revision levels, contacts, customers, programs, defect codes, suppliers, components, specifications, etc..........
I was asked to join the project after the decision was made to keep those apps, but to integrate them sharing or linking data vs.. starting from scratch.
I am not so sure that was there right decision. The current apps do not have a friendly flow & each requires its own sign on.
To me there is only two options here. 1; Start from scratch and custom build an application that fits the way we do things, or 2; find an application in the market that is a close fit. There are several out there Powerway, Cebos MQ1 (started as an Access DB).
I would like anyone's opinion on this if there are any. Maybe I just needed to blow steam.
Thanks for listening.

[Access Guy]

Hi Allen

I think integration is the way to go. Have had to do this a few time over the years. It takes work but if the apps have a lot of code and functionality behind them then I found it better to pull them together than start again.

In one system I successfully drew all the objects from a couple of system into one interface and then rearranged the interface so that it looked like it was planned. A few compromises but over a period we have slowly merged things together.

As far as something off the shelf, I think that is something you have to evaluate regards costs, lack of ability to modify, unless you get source, etc

[Stephanie McAdie]

Well maybe this is a bit late (I have only just joined the site) but maybe somebody needs to do a bottom line analysis - that is how the company is being hit in the hip pocket. Just simply timing someone entering all of the information for each application (including collecting the information if this needs to be done and putting it back eg going to a file cabinet and finding the relevant file), and multiplying it by the estimate of how often this is done and by the cost of employment for those hours (not necessarily just the salary). You yourself might be surprised by the outcome.