6+1 secrets of successful soa

Page: 1© 2010 Elemental Links, Inc. http://www.elementallinks.com

6+1 Secrets of Successful SOA

Brenda M. MichelsonElemental Links

Open Group Conference, Boston MAJuly 20, 2010


SOA Success Secret #1

Accept that

SOA has a Marketing Problem


SOA Marketing Problem

I’m SOA I’m Web 2.0I’m SOA I’m SaaS

SOA…

• Perceived as IT Thing

• Worse, an EA IT Thing

• Duration > Exec’s attention

span

• SOA is Faceless

• Forces broader view

• Uncovers ‘sins of the past’

Shift Conversation…


SOA Marketing Problem

I’m SOA I’m Web 2.0I’m SOA I’m SaaS

Shift Conversation to Business ValueSOA…

• Perceived as IT Thing

• Worse, an EA IT Thing

• Duration > Exec’s attention

span

• SOA is Faceless

• Forces broader view

• Uncovers ‘sins of the past’


Selling SOA - Approaches

SOA as IT Strategy/Platform

- Next Generation Architecture

- Technical Underpinnings- Code Re-use

1. Business Pain Points Approach

– Business Process and Activities

– Business Information– Business Opportunities– Current Constraints

2. Skunkworks Approach

– Prove out under the radar– Deliver business value



SOA is not a Destination

SOA is a Journey


SOA: Destination vs. Journey


SOA Journey Checklist*

1. Reason – SOA Driver(s)

2. Target Offering – End Deliverable & Business Outcome

3. Program w/Leadership & Roadmap

4. Services – Business, Information & Infrastructure

5. Supporting Architecture

6. Supporting Infrastructure

7. Project Execution – Management & Engineering

8. Operations Support

9. Controls: Governance & Measurement

10.Communication / Change Management Plan

11. Portfolio Management* Individual starting points, activity choices, sequences, depth and execution and overall experience will vary based on drivers, resources, existing environment and organizational maturity.


SOA Journey: Planning Context Diagram



Have a Business Reason

Measure in Business Terms


Real World SOA Drivers



Your SOA is only

as Good as Your Services


Consumer Influences on Enterprise IT


Advertise Your Services?


Advertise Your Services!

Service Catalog

Service Description


Service Definition

Common Areas of Agreement• Service = Business Concept

• Business, Information, Utility & Infrastructure Services

• Multiple Versions in Production

• Leverage Composition

• Externalize Context, Policy & Mgt

“Develop the skillset to define services correctly. A service needs to contain a complete business unit of work.

Too specific business context included, little reuse. Too fine-grained, lacking business rules, consumers won’t know

how to use it accurately.

Layer on specific business context using business process automation or composite service assembly.” – winning case study

Organization Options• Method: capability, process,

domain, MDM, industry model

• Analysis (Modeling) vs. Design (Contract)

• EA, Business Analyst, Service Designer, Service Developer

• Number of Active Versions (3)


SOA Governance

Common Areas of Agreement• Policies for Design-time & Run-time

• Relates to Data & IT Governance

• Command & Control has limited effectiveness

• Exceptions / Waivers should be formal

• Incentive is Performance Review

“SOA Governance is the combination of people, policies, and processes within your organization that will ensure that the

desired behaviors of your strategic SOA initiative are achieved".

– SOA Governance by Todd Biske

“Clearly projects need to succeed. At the same time, lasting enterprise value can be delivered with shared services.

Governance ensures that value is not lost in the normal hurly burly of how projects go.”

– Chief Architect at Executive Summit

Organization Options• Degree of automation, tooling

• Centralization vs. Federation

• Governing Board: EA, SOA Center, Business Initiative, IT leadership

• Industry Specific Policies & Compliance



SOA is Collaborative


Business Smart IT Organization

“One of my VPs said, I’m never bringing [architect] to another meeting because he opens his mouth

and all that ever comes out is SOA, SOA, services-oriented architecture, and I can’t bring him to my

business clients.

[Architect gets Business Smart]

A year later, he is the most articulate business speaker and has really turned the community

where they now say, we want [architect] at all of our meetings.

– CIO at Feb 2007 Executive Summit


SOA is Social

“A significant challenge of SOA is bringing together organizations, processes, people, systems and information that historically existed in silos.”

“The maturity of an SOA reflects the organization’s ability to collaborate.”

“You need the community effect for the socialization of the ideas, but not necessarily the community

to develop every idea.”

- European SOA Practice Leaders



Ignore the Hype


Cloud Computing

Hype Sampler


Business Capability Building Blocks

“By nature, SOA enables an enterprise to compose business services, business events, rules and

policies into business processes and interactions that actually match the intent of the business strategists and process owners.” – Elemental Links

Business Technology


SOA Success Secret +1

Be Holistic


Adopt a Product Management Perspective

Market AnalysisMarket Analysis

Funding Model

Funding Model

Design to Delivery

Design to Delivery

Marketing

MarketingSupportSupport

Manage LifecycleManage Lifecycle

Service Portfolio

Management

Service Portfolio

Management


Strive for Everyday SOA


Think About This…

1. What outcomes will a SOA approach allow your organization to achieve?

2. How prevalent are silos in your organization? Business? IT? Business & IT?

3. Does your organization have the maturity / fortitude to adopt SOA as a business-driven IT strategy?

4. What will your service marketing strategy look like?

5. [Intentionally left blank]


Questions?

Thank You!

Brenda M. MichelsonElemental Links

[email protected]

Twitter: bmichelson

6+1 secrets of successful soa

Technology

soa approaches soa

business value soa

destination soa

im soa im saas soa

soa success secret

business concept business

soa journey checklist

strategic soa initiative