Case study: Enterprise integration and process improvement

Enterprise integration (EI) can be a major enabler for business process improvement, but it presents its own challenges. Based on the process improvement experiences of banks in several different countries, this chapter examines common EI challenges and outlines approaches for combining EI and process improvement to achieve maximum benefit. Common EI-related process improvement challenges are poor usability within the user desktop environment, a lack of network-based services, and data collection and management limitations. How EI affects each of these areas is addressed, highlighting specific examples of how these issues present themselves in system environments. The latter part of this chapter outlines best practices for combining EI with process improvement in relation to the challenges identified. Guidelines are provided on how to apply these practices in different organizational contexts. © 2007, IGI Global.