Many organizations don't know how to successfully expand their SOA efforts from an integration solution towards an enterprise solution. That means service reuse is rarely achieved.
In this InfoQ article, Tom Schepers and Benedikt Kratz argue that governance is a necessary requirement for successful business value delivery of SOA projects.
They discuss:
* The lifecycle processes of SOA governance
* How SOA governance can become more mature
* The role of the architect in SOA governance
Some practical guidelines for architects (list is from Mike Kavis):
* Chief architect: connects SOA architects and is responsible for answering the CxOs. Involved in deciding the SOA vision, but should also point out the direction of SOA governance
* Enterprise architect: align business and IT requirements in SOA. Talks with the business to obtain requirements. Strongly involved in managing the service portfolio
* Solution architect: has hands-on technical experience. Can be SOA advocates, because of technological advantages of service orientated technology
* Domain architect: has contextual knowledge of the business domain they are involved in. Advocates principles and relate them to the business situation. Good candidate for setting standards and deciding when exceptions to the standards can be made
These guidelines should help architects maximize the SOA potential at the current maturity level and advance the SOA maturity level in their enterprise.
According to Schepers and Kratz:
"Architects are good initiators of SOA projects and they can take responsibility for the first maturing of SOA and its governance within an organization.
However, for SOA solutions and governance to mature, business needs to take control. The architect shares responsibilities n the governance board with business and IT representatives. Perhaps the most important responsibility for the architect is the alignment of business and IT and this requires special communication and coordination skills.
When business and architects have a good understanding and agreements, codified by governance, SOA can go the extra mile and realize all the business benefits promised to the enterprise."
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