You’re in for a pound when implementing SOA due to the fact that, the more penetration the architecture gets, the more value it has within the enterprise. Thus, you need to understand from the starting line that SOA is a notion that we build to, not build.

There is no SOA project, but there is an SOA strategy within an enterprise. When we hear “Our SOA project failed,” that’s not the fault of the architecture; it’s how the architect defined the scope. You have to focus on the bigger picture or your SOA won’t have the required value.

However, since an SOA project is the sum of its parts, you must consider the component parts as well, including notions such as identity management, semantic management, orchestration, etc., and how each part makes up the larger solution. An SOA is only as good as the weakest component, and neglecting a component will kill an SOA before it gets off the ground.