Interfaces & Integration
How true integration between tools can be accomplished
Tool integration is probably one of the most common challenges in typical engineering environments. Interdisciplinary collaboration in project teams requires consistent real-time collaboration across tool boundaries. Separated “tool silos” lead to delays, errors, and a lack of coordination between teams.
Specialized tools used by teams and domains often operate in isolation from one another, with incompatible structures and formats that impair data exchange. Poor integration into engineering toolchains results in fragmented workflows and a lack of coordination between teams. This leads to distributed and asynchronous information, making it difficult to maintain a consistent overview of the project.
Reporting can also be affected if data sources are not properly linked, which impairs transparency with regard to project progress.
Even more critical is the significantly reduced traceability: links between requirements, tests, and errors may be incomplete or even missing, which makes it difficult to analyze the impact of changes and, in particular, to prove compliance.
A strategy for seamless digital integration across the entire toolchain minimizes these risks and forms the foundation for the project's digital thread.
Interoperability & Data Exchange
True interoperability between tools in the engineering lifecycle is achieved when everyone in the team can visualize artifacts from other tools in his/her own tool environment in real time and without conversion or synchronization. This creates the digital thread.
This requires the use of a common, ideally standardized access method for all engineering artifacts created in the project. One example of such a standard is OSLC (Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration).
Thanks to standardized APIs, OSLC provides a unified solution for linking data. Its central function is to establish relationships between engineering artifacts and their repositories without having to replicate data or implement new interfaces.
Integration of your existing tools
There are several proven adapters for the standardized OSLC platform that allow you to connect existing tools to OSLC. This enables you to achieve a consistent digital thread even in environments where not all tools are natively OSLC-compatible.
For the widely used Atlassian tools Jira and Confluence, there are OSLC connectors from SodiusWillert that have already proven their practicality for many customers.
One way to make the digital thread visible and traceable in a heterogeneous tool chain is SECollab from SodiusWillert, a web-based solution in which all artifacts can be visualized with their links.
For connecting models created and edited in IBM Rhapsody, there is the IBM Rhapsody Model Manager, which provides access to the OSLC platform.
Customization options
Every engineering organization has its own specific tool environment. The options outlined so far may not be directly applicable to your development environment. However, this does not necessarily mean that existing integration gaps cannot be bridged.
Most commercially available tools offer additional interfaces or other extension options that can be used to establish or improve integration. With the help of an experienced project partner, check which options are available for adapting your specific tool environment in order to achieve the best possible result with the least possible effort: preserving established and well-operating processes and filling gaps with tailor-made solutions. This effectively reduces the workload on your development teams and allows projects to be completed faster.
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Integration gaps in your development environment?
SodiusWillert is your partner for seamless tool integration. With decades of expertise, we accompany you from selection to customized adaptation and integration to productive use—including hotline support and training.