Soa In The Combat Zone

SOA in the Combat Zone How to Succeed with SOA the First Time, and Never Make a Mistake David S. Linthicum September , 2008 Building a Foundation for Continuous Change

Time to Make Something Work

We’ve been working with the notion of SOA for over 5 years now .

We’ve proven that SOA can work, if you approach it correctly.

We need to start doing, but never stop learning.

They hype is officially over.

Time to make something work!

What went wrong?

“ We could not get the culture to shift to accommodate the disruptive changes we needed for SOA.”

- Name withheld upon request

“ We put our trust into a single large vendor and our technology solution was not the right fit.”

- “ Do not use my name”

“ We service-enabled everything…now what?”

- “I’m a complete idiot.”

What worked?

“ We changed our leadership to change the culture to make way for new approaches, such as SOA.”

“ We took the time to understand the business first, then the technology.”

“ We focused on the architecture.”

“ We made some quick wins which provided creditability, and built more complex and far reaching projects around that very positive foundation.”

“ We created a common team across the organizations which broke down any political barriers.”

“ We spent a hell of a lot of money.”

So, how do I win with SOA the first time?

Make sure there are advocates with budgets, at the executive level.

Begin with architecture, not with technology.

Get the talent and knowledge you need now.

Understand that SOA is ongoing (journey not a project).

Focus on understanding the business.

Define the ROI up front, and make sure it’s there upon delivery.

Follow a repeatable process (later in this presentation).

Build your SOA with the emerging Web in mind (WOA).

Define incremental successes, and make sure to get there.

Follow everything in this presentation.

Architecture is not About the Technology

It’s about what you’re building, then how you build it.

It’s about understanding first, then building.

SOA Challenges Source: Wipro

SOA Meta Model Data Abstraction Data Data Data Services Legacy Legacy Services Process/Orchestration/Composites Monitoring/Event Management Governance Rep Security Internet-Based Services New Services

5 Things to Avoid

Using the wrong people.

Selecting the technology too early.

Not considering “service design.”

Not factoring in the business.

Not thinking long term, and strategic.

Using the Wrong People

Perhaps this is something you should not outsource.

This is architecture, not development.

This is strategic, not tactical.

Existing talent may not be up to speed.

You may love your current team, but perhaps they are not up for the job.

Make the cuts now, not later.

Don’t let consultants or vendors drive the project.

Selecting the Technology too Early

Don’t “manage by magazine.”

Don’t overuse “comfort vendors.”

Avoid VDA (vendor driven architecture)

Business -> Requirements -> Analysis -> Technology. Now repeat!

Make sure to do a POC, and other testing.

Never be afraid to toss out technology.

Not Considering “Service Design”

Services are not applications.

Services are not APIs.

Services are services, and should be designed properly.

Consider granularity.

Consider repeatable design.

Consider testing.

Not Factoring in the Business

Always do ROI analysis before you begin work on your SOA.

Understand core business processes, and what needs to improve.

Understand core business drivers, and be able to sell them within the organization.

Make sure business analysts have input at various stages.

Not Thinking Long Term, and Strategic

SOA has a positive impact after years, not months.

SOA is not a development project, it’s a journey.

SOA requires a systemic change in how you do architecture, it’s not just an instance of an architecture.

SOA requires long term corporate commitment to be successful.

Understand your business objectives and define success. ROI Define ROI Create Business Case Business Case

Define your problem domain System Descriptions System Complexity Analysis SOA POC POC Results Domain Descriptions Vendors

Understand all application semantics in your domain. SOA Metadata Meta data analysis Data abstraction layer definition Data Abstraction Layer Data services definition Data Services Legacy Metadata External Metadata (B2B)

Understand all services in your domain. Candidate Services Service analysis Metadata and services analysis Services And Information Performance analysis Services And Performance Legacy Services External Services (B2B) SOA Metadata

Understand all processes in your domain. Candidate Processes Process analysis. Define metadata, services, and processes Processes, Services, And Information Process integration analysis. Process Integration Diagrams Candidate Services External Processes (B2B) SOA Metadata

Define new services. Candidate Processes Service definition. Service design. Processes, Services, And Information Service implementation. Process Integration Diagrams SOA Metadata Candidate Services Service Definition Service Design Service Implementation

Define new processes. Candidate Processes Process definition. Process design. Processes, Services, And Information Process implementation. Process Integration Diagrams Metadata Candidate Services Process Definition Process Design Process Implementation

Select your technology set. Technology Requirements Define requirements. Technology analysis. Technology solution Vendors Define candidate technology. Technology selection. Technology validation.

“ SOA is Good…”