Service Oriented Architecture Field Guide for Executives

11.2. UNDERSTANDING SOA GOVERNANCE

SOA governance aims to provide a framework and model to manage SOA solutions in relation to managing service life cycles. It also establishes practices and lines of communication designed to facilitate collaboration and alignment with the business.

The SOA governance model should:

• Define the activities to architect, design, develop, test, and implement services.

• Define the methods employed to perform those activities, roles, responsibilities.

• Define measurement criteria to measure the success of and compliance with policies.

• Define service oriented teams, lines of communications, and best practices to facilitate alignment between business and IT.

A governance model is needed to ensure that the huge IT investments being made align with the business goals of an organization. SOA governance is primarily implemented and followed by defining procedures, policies, and metrics at various levels.

• Procedures. Formally identify resources and lay down processes to be followed for various activities and responsibilities assigned to various roles.

• Policies. These are principles that formally define the direction of a company in different areas such as security, business practices, customer support, and so forth.

• Metrics. These are specific indicators defined to measure the success of SOA and possibly even measure the ROI.

Beyond these three elements, guidelines and best practices are needed to promote effective service orientation. A culture of organizational ...