Frank Klink Vice President, Global Financial Institutions and Trade Systems Wachovia Corporation SessionTitle: Occam’s Razor Needs a New Blade: On the Social Limits to Enterprise SOA

Enterprise SOA in Theory Enterprise application suite refactored into an ensemble of modular functional units accessible by many applications over the network. Shared services are supported by a governance structure that ensures alignment between long term benefits and short-term business pressures. The result: the benefits of software reuse: Faster time to market Lower cost of production and maintenance Lower risk

Enterprise application suite refactored into an ensemble of modular functional units accessible by many applications over the network.

Shared services are supported by a governance structure that ensures alignment between long term benefits and short-term business pressures.

The result: the benefits of software reuse:

Faster time to market

Lower cost of production and maintenance

Lower risk

Enterprise SOA in Practice Enterprise architecture team adopts SOA. Business app managers seek to align with EA EA and business app managers both emphasize technology implementation Business lines continue to press for and fund business functionality with aggressive dates SOA projects are initiated Resulting services map one-to-one to their business line apps Funding, management, project mgt remains organized around the app Application teams expected to “work together” on shared service development But deadlines remain app-focused

Enterprise architecture team adopts SOA.

Business app managers seek to align with EA

EA and business app managers both emphasize technology implementation

Business lines continue to press for and fund business functionality with aggressive dates

SOA projects are initiated

Resulting services map one-to-one to their business line apps

Funding, management, project mgt remains organized around the app

Application teams expected to “work together” on shared service development

But deadlines remain app-focused

What Went Wrong? Conventional answer: Inadequate governance Insufficient explanation – similar problems with less ambitious reuse paradigms – OOP and CBD My answer: Software models human practices taking the form of business processes Business processes are complex ensembles of rules, exception to rules, and exceptions to exceptions. This complexity is inescapable because it reflects human contingency – that is, the human ability to create and modify current state across a multiplicity of attributes.

Conventional answer: Inadequate governance

Insufficient explanation – similar problems with less ambitious reuse paradigms – OOP and CBD

My answer:

Software models human practices taking the form of business processes

Business processes are complex ensembles of rules, exception to rules, and exceptions to exceptions.

This complexity is inescapable because it reflects human contingency – that is, the human ability to create and modify current state across a multiplicity of attributes.

SOA’s Raison d’etre: Software Reuse Benefits of reuse Faster time to market Lower cost of production and maintenance Lower risk Noncontroversial benefits So why do these benefits go unrealized?

Benefits of reuse

Faster time to market

Lower cost of production and maintenance

Lower risk

Noncontroversial benefits

So why do these benefits go unrealized?

Some Unstated Presumptions Business problems are similar enough across domains to warrant reuse. This implies sufficient simplicity relative to delivery dates to warrant an abstraction effort. Remember, decomposition is iterative and time-consuming

Business problems are similar enough across domains to warrant reuse.

This implies sufficient simplicity relative to delivery dates to warrant an abstraction effort.

Remember, decomposition is iterative and time-consuming

Social Science Metaphor SS builds parsimonious, axiomatic models of human behavior – e.g., microeconomics Parsimony vs. explanatory power

SS builds parsimonious, axiomatic models of human behavior – e.g., microeconomics

Parsimony vs. explanatory power

Software As a Model of Human Behavior Software is not just instructions executed on a chip set Software is a representation of human practices instantiated as business processes This means software is inherently complex Not by the accident of bad governance But rather due to a basic domain problem: complex human practices.

Software is not just instructions executed on a chip set

Software is a representation of human practices instantiated as business processes

This means software is inherently complex

Not by the accident of bad governance

But rather due to a basic domain problem: complex human practices.

Policymakers Use Social Science and a Guide Software architects need to do the same Aiming for tractable problems and use SOA as a guide

Software architects need to do the same

Aiming for tractable problems and use SOA as a guide

Thank You! Frank Klink Vice President, Global Financial Institutions and Trade Systems Wachovia Corporation Contact Information: +1 215-518-2324 [email_address]

Frank Klink

Vice President, Global Financial Institutions and Trade Systems

Wachovia Corporation

Contact Information:

+1 215-518-2324

[email_address]