A systems integration framework for process analysis and improvement

Systems Integration (SI) is an important element of Systems Engineering. It involves the integration of hardware, software, products, services, processes, and humans. The ever-increasing scale of complexity of systems and its impact on the business requires that we revisit the processes involved in the development and integration of a system. This paper proposes a Systems Integration Process Model (SI^PM) based on a comprehensive lifecycle view of systems integration. As part of the ongoing SI research at Stevens Institute of Technology, the authors have developed a Systems Integration Framework (SIF) which incorporates the relevant aspects of integration from a lifecycle perspective and sets a foundation to an end-to-end approach to SI. Our end-to-end approach focuses on how integration issues can be addressed up-front to minimize integration related complexities and challenges later on in the system engineering process. This paper discusses the merits and benefits of applying the SI^PM to evaluate and improve current SI processes in organizations. The paper provides, in addition to an overview of the SI framework, the activities included in the model. The model was pilot tested to evaluate the SI processes at a government agency. The results were used to provide recommendations for SI process reengineering.