Doing SOA the right way

Service-oriented architecture (SOA), if implemented properly, can successfully transform a business. But many companies are making the mistake of restrictively viewing SOA purely with a technical process focus and hence it just becomes a new way to do "old-style" integration.

If they persist with this mindset, SOA initiatives will not achieve the benefits they are seeking and will likely disappoint.

Although SOA does have its origins in the technology layer of a business, it should now be seen in a radically different light. These days it is part of the architecture of a business, where it serves as an agent of change within the enterprise process architecture framework.

A common mistake I frequently see is that a company purchases an integration platform, usually from a leading vendor, but then fails to implement this in the business as part of a broader architecture.

There is no internal centre of excellence established for its roll-out and it is not implemented as part of an enterprise-wide process framework. This approach is too narrow and fragmented, with business process management (BPM), enterprise architecture (EA) and SOA often being seen as independent business strategies. This view is outdated and won't work for the business.

There is nothing wrong with SOA - it is merely being implemented inappropriately and hidden under an "ICT blanket".

Michael Barnard is senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

There must be a symbiotic relationship between the SOA, BPM and EA disciplines seen together as one business execution platform. Business processes and SOA must also be part of a holistic strategic enterprise architecture solution.

SOA is to often being viewed as an approach that belongs in the developer's domain. It has to effectively be re-housed as part of the broader domain of the business and viewed in relation to other aspects of the company. For example, if SOA is not integrally bound to the company's business processes it will disappoint, as management's expectations of change will neither be measurable, nor likely to be met.

A lack of proper governance planning is another stumbling block that can cause SOA projects to derail. Once the solution is tested and found to address the core issues, insufficient thought is given to the governance that should be embedded within the newly defined processes at design time. It cannot be introduced after that without extending project timelines significantly, and as a result is often sidelined with disastrous effects.

SOA must be associated with and in fact driven by business change initiatives if it is to succeed. Companies must adopt a top-down approach and first decide on the priority process changes within their architecture, then look at the technology. The other way round just won't work and companies attempting SOA in such a manner become disillusioned with SOA and quick to condemn it, not giving it the opportunity it deserves. There is nothing wrong with SOA - it is merely being implemented inappropriately and hidden under an "ICT blanket".

It is vital for businesses to realise that a SOA approach and implementation is not a quick fix or a quick win. It can take 18 months to two years to embed, sometimes painfully so, but once the company has gone through this phase, it is set for a more agile future. SOA does require a committed time and mindset investment from management if it is to deliver on its promises.

One observation in successful SOA implementations is that they empower an organisation's people. Previously, SOA was more about the technology and the processes. The right SOA approach is one that views people empowerment as central. By empowering staff with the appropriate technology, it ensures overall success for the business.

Commentators have called SOA the 'killer application' of business process management. We have seen this trend develop internationally and this wave is now breaking on South African shores. The financial services sector, and in particular the banks, are now realising the value of this approach. At the second annual Banking Technologies Strategies conference in January, in Amsterdam, global banks presented their technologies to the industry, and exhibited strong SOA architectures. South African banks, both the top tier and the niche players, are leaning heavily towards this strategy and we are seeing SOA implementations in the local sector intensify.

However, many of these are driven by ICT in isolation from process owners and enterprise architects as a technical solution. Holistic SOA is about enabling business processes with granular services, not only about integrating applications. Only by underpinning business process management with the power of SOA in an integrated "SBPM" model can visible and measurable business improvement be achieved.

As more and more applications become SOA-enabled, the focus of attention will shift from integrating applications to finding better ways of using unique processes to differentiate the business and establish competitive advantage. SOA will enable the processes with the technology to power them.

* Michael Barnard is senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.