Managing integration of transit vehicle systems

Integration of the transit vehicle systems is a fundamental part of the vehicle engineering process which, if ignored, prevents timely and professional resolution of resulting engineering issues. The complexity and importance of the task necessitates its implementation as a dedicated assignment within a project, and this does not happen often. Time and again, project management underestimates the integration task. This can be attributed mostly to misconceptions about vehicle interfaces and lack of clear definitions. The paper: (a) defines the objective of the vehicle system integration; (b) identifies relevant integration parameters; (c) elaborates on the integration processes for the identified parameters; and (d) shows practical and economical means to achieve successful integration. The paper can serve as a guideline to developing an efficient system integration process which can contribute considerably to a project's success.