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Applications Management. The success of integrated open systems also depends on having a centralized location for all applications source and executable code. Because of the larger team size required to develop an integrated system, the project manager must ensure that tight control is kept over the code and that only single copies of any program or function are resident in the system.

Developers on a team often help each other by reviewing each other’s code and sharing tips and suggestions. Copies can be made of the code to facilitate the sharing process. Chaos inevitably results if the extra copies of the program are not cleaned up or erased when it comes time to link all the components together. An incomplete or nonfunctional piece of software can be linked in and ruin the clean performance of an otherwise effective system.

The first step in applications management is to install a file librarian or source code control system (SCCS). SCCS creates a central repository for all the source code of the system. It can maintain version control and does not allow more than one copy of source code to be checked out at a time. It also provides a layer of security. Any developer not given permission cannot pull source code out of the repository.

Third-party software libraries are also effective, and many software vendors provide for standard functions like date calculations or matrix manipulations. Rogue Wave is one such software or application program interface (API) provider. The independently provided APIs can be linked and loaded into an application along with software developed in-house.

Separating the development environment from the prototype environment, and the prototype environment from the actual production environment, is important to a successful system. The development environment is meant strictly for the writing and testing of code; it allows developers to try out different ideas or to rework ideas. Only programs still in flux, or those that are still deemed modifiable, reside in this environment.

In the prototype environment, tested and debugged components are installed, linked together, and run as a whole. In this environment, a system that is not yet ready for the users is built up. Full systems and integration testing is conducted, and software components are replaced only when bugs are found in the testing process. Only executable code resides in this environment. Replacement of system components and recompiling is done in the development environment.

The production environment also contains only executable code and is the area from which the user executes the system. It should be bug-free and should never be affected by anything that goes on in the development or prototype environments.

These different environments make change management vital. Careful scheduling must be observed when modifications are made to existing systems, be they in the development, prototype, or production stages. Developers and systems administrators should be aware that to avoid problems, changes to a system must be scheduled and implemented as scheduled. The procedures outlined in the change management process ensure that the development team, system administrators, and database administrators communicate with each other and that each knows what the other is doing with respect to the system. Systems modifications or upgrades should always be implemented at a time that is least inconvenient to the user. Unfortunately, for the systems personnel, that time is usually at night, after business hours, or on the weekends.

Notification of changes to an existing production system can be as easy as sending electronic mail. However, more sophisticated notification products are available on the open market.

Applications System. The applications system is the enabling component of the integration process. As noted, the application must be process supporting, easily ported and scaled to other needs, and functionally superior to its legacy predecessor. Above all, it must be maintainable.

RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION

Systems integration projects are enormously challenging and rewarding. Users are more demanding, and systems personnel are learning new roles as well as new technology. Regardless of how much experience a project manager has in mainframe and mid-range systems development and integration projects, each integration effort is a learning experience.

Because the project management environment is an ever-changing landscape of technical, personnel, and user issues, managers need an orderly and effective methodology that addresses the numerous components of integration and anticipates problem areas. The seven rules of integration presented in this chapter should better prepare project managers for the rigors and unknowns of systems integration. During what is often a tedious and demanding process, managers should remember that the tangible results of a successful integration are felt almost immediately by the organization.


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