ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION READINESS IN A PHILIPPINE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY OF SYSTEM INTEROPERABILITY, DATA INTEGRATION, AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
TL;DR
The findings show that application connectivity alone may overstate enterprise integration maturity, and indicates that institutional readiness has progressed ahead of technical and operational implementation.
Abstract
Enterprise integration is increasingly important in digital government as public institutions deploy multiple information systems that must exchange data and support services across organizational boundaries. This study assessed the enterprise integration readiness of the Municipal Government of Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines using a descriptive-exploratory single-case study design. Documentary analysis and a MITO-validated administrative inventory of 16 major municipal information-system areas were evaluated using an adapted Enterprise Integration Readiness Index (EIRI) informed by enterprise and public-sector interoperability literature. Five dimensions were assessed: application and technical interoperability; data and semantic interoperability; process and organizational interoperability; governance and institutional readiness; and shared infrastructure, identity, and security. Six systems (37.50%) were reported as fully integrated and four (25.00%) as partially integrated, meaning 62.50% of the assessed portfolio exhibited some degree of application integration. Nevertheless, the overall EIRI was 2.72/5.00, classified as Partially Integrated. Governance and Institutional Readiness scored highest at 3.70, followed by Shared Infrastructure, Identity and Security at 2.70, Process and Organizational Interoperability at 2.50, Data and Semantic Interoperability at 2.38, and Application and Technical Interoperability at 2.33. The 1.22-point Governance-Implementation Gap indicates that institutional readiness has progressed ahead of technical and operational implementation. The findings show that application connectivity alone may overstate enterprise integration maturity. Sustainable interoperability requires standardized interfaces, master-data and semantic standards, integrated processes, shared identity, governance mechanisms, and common ICT infrastructure.