Everyone seems to be riding or ready to ride on the SOA bandwagon. Corporations are seeing this as the answer to all their problems and IT enablers are not far behind in touting this as the ever elusive silver bullet that will rid the business community of all evils in and around IT.
But, a SOA journey, if not planned correctly with ample thought to having all provisions in place as it is a long journey can turn out to be nothing more than a proverbial wild goose chase. The end goal of having an agile IT supporting an ever changing business along with quick turnaround times across the board can become a holy grail - something with enormous power and awe to try and strive for it but proving as elusive as a mirage.
One of the age-old adages says that "it is not the destination but the journey that makes it worth while". And, I feel, that this fits most suitably to the paradigm of a SOA journey. If things turn out right, the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is going to be an immediate award with the promise of more to come as time progresses. However, the journey is not going to be as simple as the one you would take to your favourite holiday spot. It is going to be an arduous and demanding journey which few have undertaken and even fewer have seen it through. It requires complete focus and a die-hard obsession and passion to make things happen in the face of adversities where each element will try and pull things apart at the seams.
One of the basic premises before embarking on any journey is to ensure that all the right elements are on your side and not against you. Would you embark on a journey to say, your favourite destination, without ensuring that all elements (natural and man-created) are in your favour so that they do not end up spoiling your meticulously planned holiday. A SOA journey is no different except for the fact that it's going to take slightly longer with many interim stops. On a SOA journey too, you need to ensure that not only are the elements with you but are willing to stay with you all through the journey and that you carry enough ration and provisions with you so that you do not run out of steam mid-way.
Of the various elements that you need to ensure are on your side on a SOA journey is the "Business". The term business here encompasses everyone in the organization right from the central leadership team to the folks in your immediate project. It is extremely important that the SOA initiative not only have the blessings of the business but also be in a state to command belief and respect from it as well. SOA, if not visualized and implemented correctly, could become an unforgiving monster not sparing anything in its warpath and gobbling away resources on the double.
It is really a chicken-and-egg debate when it comes to SOA. The central leadership team will look at projects implemented using the SOA methodology to deliver benefits before they roll out the red carpet for SOA at large all across. The project teams will actually want their leadership teams to provide additional budget and funds for executing the projects on the lines of SOA especially when an organization is just embarking on this journey and cannot harness the existing assets as efficiently as an organization with high level of maturity on SOA would do.
The "business" have to believe in the concept and vision of SOA - how to make IT more agile in responding to changing business needs. On a SOA journey, it is the "business" generally calling the shots and that is why it is imperative that they believe in SOA. SOA places "business" at the centre of all it does and encompasses. It is no longer about IT offering solutions touting them as things that can be used by "business". On the contrary, it is about understanding the business at a level where IT has not been before. It is about placing the "business" at the centre of everything - every new IT initiative, every new IT investment.
IT can (and should) no longer be seen in separation from business. It is high time the two aligned together - becoming complementary allies rather than formidable foes. IT needs to understand that its existence is solely dependant on "business". If there is no business, what use would IT be; who's problems would IT solve? It is time that IT extended that hand to business - the handshake of trust and belief.
The dream of SOA cannot be realized without the blessings of business. Business has to endorse the initiatives IT takes on the SOA warpath. And this won't happen unless business is assured that IT has aligned and committed itself to the realization of business goals and objectives. And this is conveyed by IT initiating a SOA journey.
The SOA journey and the commitment that IT shows to it is a proof business requires that IT is not short-selling them but is genuinely interested in working together as a team to achieve the common goals and add value to their shared bottom-lines.
(I will be back with more thoughts, but readers please feel free to leave your respective comments.)
But, a SOA journey, if not planned correctly with ample thought to having all provisions in place as it is a long journey can turn out to be nothing more than a proverbial wild goose chase. The end goal of having an agile IT supporting an ever changing business along with quick turnaround times across the board can become a holy grail - something with enormous power and awe to try and strive for it but proving as elusive as a mirage.
One of the age-old adages says that "it is not the destination but the journey that makes it worth while". And, I feel, that this fits most suitably to the paradigm of a SOA journey. If things turn out right, the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is going to be an immediate award with the promise of more to come as time progresses. However, the journey is not going to be as simple as the one you would take to your favourite holiday spot. It is going to be an arduous and demanding journey which few have undertaken and even fewer have seen it through. It requires complete focus and a die-hard obsession and passion to make things happen in the face of adversities where each element will try and pull things apart at the seams.
One of the basic premises before embarking on any journey is to ensure that all the right elements are on your side and not against you. Would you embark on a journey to say, your favourite destination, without ensuring that all elements (natural and man-created) are in your favour so that they do not end up spoiling your meticulously planned holiday. A SOA journey is no different except for the fact that it's going to take slightly longer with many interim stops. On a SOA journey too, you need to ensure that not only are the elements with you but are willing to stay with you all through the journey and that you carry enough ration and provisions with you so that you do not run out of steam mid-way.
Of the various elements that you need to ensure are on your side on a SOA journey is the "Business". The term business here encompasses everyone in the organization right from the central leadership team to the folks in your immediate project. It is extremely important that the SOA initiative not only have the blessings of the business but also be in a state to command belief and respect from it as well. SOA, if not visualized and implemented correctly, could become an unforgiving monster not sparing anything in its warpath and gobbling away resources on the double.
It is really a chicken-and-egg debate when it comes to SOA. The central leadership team will look at projects implemented using the SOA methodology to deliver benefits before they roll out the red carpet for SOA at large all across. The project teams will actually want their leadership teams to provide additional budget and funds for executing the projects on the lines of SOA especially when an organization is just embarking on this journey and cannot harness the existing assets as efficiently as an organization with high level of maturity on SOA would do.
The "business" have to believe in the concept and vision of SOA - how to make IT more agile in responding to changing business needs. On a SOA journey, it is the "business" generally calling the shots and that is why it is imperative that they believe in SOA. SOA places "business" at the centre of all it does and encompasses. It is no longer about IT offering solutions touting them as things that can be used by "business". On the contrary, it is about understanding the business at a level where IT has not been before. It is about placing the "business" at the centre of everything - every new IT initiative, every new IT investment.
IT can (and should) no longer be seen in separation from business. It is high time the two aligned together - becoming complementary allies rather than formidable foes. IT needs to understand that its existence is solely dependant on "business". If there is no business, what use would IT be; who's problems would IT solve? It is time that IT extended that hand to business - the handshake of trust and belief.
The dream of SOA cannot be realized without the blessings of business. Business has to endorse the initiatives IT takes on the SOA warpath. And this won't happen unless business is assured that IT has aligned and committed itself to the realization of business goals and objectives. And this is conveyed by IT initiating a SOA journey.
The SOA journey and the commitment that IT shows to it is a proof business requires that IT is not short-selling them but is genuinely interested in working together as a team to achieve the common goals and add value to their shared bottom-lines.
(I will be back with more thoughts, but readers please feel free to leave your respective comments.)
