EAI Implementation Project and Shakedown: An Exploratory Case Study

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is a pertinent approach to integrating core business processes and data processing in the organization. Based on a generic enterprise system experience cycle model and previous research on EAI and enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects, we propose an initial framework for the EAI implementation process. The framework is then applied in an exploratory case study of an EAI implementation project in a Norwegian energy group. As a result, we suggest a revised framework for the EAI implementation process. The revised framework identifies ten new factors based on the findings from the case study, which affect core business process integration by EAI,: two in connection to the chartering phase, six related to the project phase, and two for the shakedown phase of the enterprise system experience cycle. The framework provides guidance for practitioners when planning for EAI implementations.