Abstract :
The successful integration of material and data flow involves many different factors. On the one hand, there are what might be called the `hard´ issues. These involve the practicalities of integration. While on the other hand, the `soft´ issues often dominate the progress of a project, and involve the political and other intangible factors which control the decisions that can be made about the `hard´ issues. The author presents five guidelines focusing on these `soft´ issues: (1) secure management commitment, (2) make the integration a team effort, (3) design the process first, (4) model the system, and (5) understand the business
