Question

What is enterprise application integration (EAI)? What types of EAI projects occur in organizations? What is the importance of proper lifecycle iterations in an EAI project?

Answer 1

Answer 2:

Enterprise application integration (EAI): Enterprise application integration (EAI) is the use of technologies and services across an enterprise to enable the integration of software applications and hardware systems.

Enterprise application integration (EAI) is the task of uniting the databases and workflows associated with business applications to ensure that the business uses the information consistently and that changes to core business data made by one application are correctly reflected in others.

Many proprietary and open projects provide EAI solution support. EAI is related to middleware technologies. Other developing EAI technologies involve Web service integration, service-oriented architecture, content integration and business processes.

Types of EAI projects occur in organizations:

EAI projects involve both business resources and IT developers. Business resources will be able to handle most of the configuration requirements and minor changes to business process flows. IT developers will be required to create custom application adapters, develop data mapping rules, or code customized business rules required by business processes. EAI may alter roles and responsibilities in cooperating organizations, sometimes eliminating tasks and corresponding FTEs like error detection. Most large companies use at least several kinds of software and types of data that are candidates for integration:

• Supply chain management (SCM)
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Business intelligence and analytics
• Human resources data
• Internal and marketing communications
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
• E-commerce optimization

Importance of proper lifecycle iterations in an EAI project:

The benefit of the lifecycle iterations is that the changes are taken cared of with less cost impact during the planning and until the next iteration. This also results to fewer feedbacks because there is a better understanding of the product using this particular project management life cycle.

The purpose of the life cycle iterations is that it is used where changes in the scope or objectives are needed to be managed. This reduces the complexity as the project progresses through time. Moreover, the deliveries also happen at each end of the iteration thus customers get something even if the project has not completed yet.