Service-Oriented Architecture Governance for the Services Driven Enterprise

1.21. ACHIEVE THE "RIGHT" SOA RESULTS

What are the right SOA results? They are the goals and objectives you identified in your SOA strategy. The right results are those that support your business and mission objectives. Use metrics and SOA scorecards to track SOA value and results. Demonstrate how SOA is helping your business consumers achieve their goals, and also ensure you are improving IT delivery as well. Caution though: Do not let your SOA be reduced to a reuse project or get hijacked as a technology initiative. Explicitly align your SOA initiative to support your business and mission objectives. Consider the following suggestions to help you achieve the right SOA results:

• Consider establishing a SOA Value Hypothesis to test the value you can achieve via a SOA in a number of controlled experiments. Do not bet on a big bang model. Implement SOA incrementally based on your desired end state.

• Work backward from your desired business end state and set clear, intermediate goals for your SOA projects and initiatives. Use a hypothesis-based approach to test assumptions and expected SOA results. Estimate expected value and benefits from controlled SOA implementations, and then adjust strategies and initiatives according to the results.

• Assiduously track your progress through clear metrics that prove SOA value and business value.

• Use Big Hairy Audacious Value (BHAV) as the gauge of SOA success. Be bold yet realistic with your SOA goals. Do not settle for reuse as the end state and ultimate ...