Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
System coordination
German: Systemkoordination
In automation and systems engineering, system coordination is the overall alignment of the behavior of the parts of a system, such as machines, controllers, software services and people, so that they achieve the system's purpose together, covering states, modes, sequences, resources and data.
- System integration
In one sentence
System coordination aligns machines, controllers, software and people so they achieve the system's purpose together.
Example
In an automated warehouse, system coordination aligns conveyors, shuttles, lifts, the warehouse management system and pickers so orders flow without jams.
How it applies
- Engineering: System coordination is designed through architecture decisions: central or distributed coordination, common state models, interface definitions and rules for shared resources. Make these decisions explicit early.
- Integration: Coordination problems often appear only when all parts run together. Plan integration tests for coordination scenarios, not only for individual interfaces.
- Operation: Coordinated systems fail in coordinated ways: one stopped part affects others. Operators need a system-level view of states and dependencies.
- Documentation: Beyond component manuals, integrated systems need documentation of the coordination concept: how parts interact, how the system starts, stops and recovers, and who is responsible for which part.
System coordination vs. system integration
System integration brings parts together so they can work together, technically and organizationally. System coordination is the ongoing runtime alignment of their behavior once integrated.