Modularization as a path to Efficiency

Abstract

SIIUE is Universidade de Évora’s Management Integrated Information System, in use since 1999 when it started as a semi-academic project. Today, SIIUE has grown to be the main institutional management tool. In 15 years of existence SIIUE has had many twists and changes. Development architecture and procedures are well defined and known by everyone, yet pressure, timing and fast decisions often speak louder. The need to keep up with all the requests and to achieve quick results frequently leads to unstructured development.

With this in mind, the need (and opportunity) to have an IS development methodology that guarantees higher sustainability and reduces the cost of changes became very clear. The goal we aim to achieve is to turn SIIUE into a modular set of reusable building blocks, instead of the monolithic structure it has now.

SIIUE has faced many changes since its birth. What is presented here is probably the most drastic of all, because it goes straight to the core and leads to a full re-organization of the IS. Also, it is probably the most important and future-oriented change. In our vision, a real need to guarantee the service and support quality and to open new doors for SIIUE and for Universidade de Évora.