WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW AND WHERE DO I FIND IT? - AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF INFORMATION NEEDS IN ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION PROJECTS

Enterprise Integration can be briefly stated as the capability of an organization to integrate different system functionalities for enhanced operation of its business. In reality, this is a complex process because it attempts to integrate multiple aspects related to the enterprise, existing information technology, organizational data, people and business processes, which are dynamic entities often dealt with in isolation. Teams of individuals engaging in enterprise integration possess varied knowledge and skills catering to one or more of these avenues.Each task within an enterprise integration project requires access to considerable amount of information and to information sources that may contain the information. Our understanding of what kinds of information is needed for performing these tasks, and when and where individuals engaged in enterprise integration projects access this information remains poor. I report on a study that describes the information needs encountered by teams of individuals engaging in enterprise integration projects. Weekly data on tasks completed, was collected from a set of 19 student project teams for a period of ten weeks across which they participated in the projects. The data, comprising of over a 1000 task descriptions, was analyzed using quantitative methods in an attempt to characterize task impacts on information sources consulted and information sought. My interpretation of the results using task-oriented information seeking theory suggests that information needs encountered in the process, are satisfied in specific ways influenced by the type of the task triggering the need. The results hold implications for practice in enterprise integration projects and for organizations to better serve the information requirements of related teams.