Service Oriented Architecture Field Guide for Executives

8.6. SELECTING A MATURITY MODEL

Although SOA has been evolving and maturing since around 2000, there are still some fairly diverse perspectives regarding the scope of SOA. Some organizations view SOA as the next evolution in distributed computing and system integration, others view SOA as the next logical step beyond component-based enterprise system design, while still others look at SOA as a paradigm shift aimed at aligning business and technology to achieve agility. Each of these viewpoints is valid. The trouble comes into play when you try to gauge the maturity of an SOA initiative. Do you gauge the maturity of the underlying technologies, the overall architecture, the business processes, or the degree to which the organization has adopted the SOA paradigm?

So, how do you select the right model for your organization? The following guidelines may help:

• Select CBDI's Web Services Maturity Model if:

  • Web Service components will comprise the bulk of your services.

  • You want a model that addresses both business and technology aspects.

  • You want a simple, phase-based maturity model.

  • Selecting a model from a company that is not selling SOA solutions is an important factor in your decision matrix.

• Select IBM's Service Oriented Integration Maturity Model if:

  • You want a model that focuses on the progression of your enterprise technology layers.

  • You want a more detailed approach to maturing your SOA.

  • Going with "Big Blue" is an important consideration for your organization.

• Select Progress-Sonic's ...