Inheritance of features

Given my recent combining of Tracks and Shuffle. An interesting thing happened. Something that happens when you combine two products so that they inherit features from each other.

On Shuffle’s issue list there are a few items currently regarding repeating tasks, and the ability to hide a task for a period of time. Tracks has these features, since Shuffle can synchronize with Tracks, Shuffle now also have these features. That is if you choose to synchronize with Tracks.

I’ve done a few integration projects thus far. And the ones that are truly successful are when they take the aspects and features of both applications into consideration, to create a win-win scenario between the two applications.

Here is another recent example. At RemoteX, we recently integrated a system that handles the ordering of materials, goods, equipment etc. In essence this integration feature means that you can go to a retailer, order goods, specify the order they should tag the invoice with. End result, RemoteX automatically adds the goods to the application and if possible attaches a copy of the invoice to the case. Ready to be billed to the customer. Since the other system has integrated with almost all resellers of service equipment in Sweden, the daring customers running this set-up can, at least in theory, eliminates the need for keeping stocks of equipment or goods in house.

If you understand where these synergy effects can show up you can also align the integration so that both applications maximizes the gain of integrating with the other system. This is important to think of when designing an integration, how do we achieve the maximum win-win?