Invisible Architecture: The Benefits of Aligning People, Process and Technology: Case Studies for System Designers and Managers

The Benefits of Aligning People, Processes and Technology: Case Studies for System Designers and Managers This book provides strategies for designing software around the cognitive, social, cultural, political, economic, organisational and business processes affecting companies and their IT systems. It also provides an introduction to the design and management of 'socio-technical systems' using examples of portals, supply chains business and learning systems across different industry contexts.

"Our JIT (Just-in-Time) manufacturing systems are working fine in Germany, why don't they work in Brazil? The technology is the same - so what's the difference" - German-Brazilian automotive manufacturing CEO

The biggest problems faced by those involved in designing, managing and intergrating networked systems are often not technical - they are 'socio-technical'.

You are highly technically trained, but do you have the additional cultural and comunicaion skills that rolling out IT systems across different countries requires? Are you confident you understand how cognitive, social, cultural and political processes impact on technical ones?

Invisible Architecture presents practical scenarios, using real examples of portals, supply chains, business and learning systems taken from across financial services, oil and gas, and the automotive manufacturing industries. Invisible Architecture provides practical examples of problems and solutions employed Invisible Architecture illustrates approaches used to cut costs and risk, as well as enhaving competitiveness Invisible Architecture can help you to identify strategies to constructively manager dynamic processess in your organisation Invisible Architecture highlights the potential for harnessing 'soft' factors to competitive advantage in distributed networked systems, and the pitfalls of ignoring them Invisible Architecture offers a set of strategies for mapping, sharing and managing these factors to competitive advantage

Jenny Ure is a research fellow at Edinburgh university, having previously worked in a range of higher education establishments in the UK, Australia and Latin America, researching, developing and evaluating collaborative networked systems in education and business.

Gudrun Jaegersburg is based at the university of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, Germany. She has worked in management and industry globally and has been a visiting professor at universities in the UK, Finland, Italy and Brazil. She is an expert in cross-cultural issues in globalisation and knowledge management in the supply chain.