Requirements Modelling and Specification for Service Oriented Architecture

1.4. Business Drivers for SOA

I have already mentioned the high IT project failure rate as a compelling reason for doing something differently but there are other key drivers.

The main driver, in my opinion, is the need for greater business agility: the need to innovate new business processes; the need to conform to rapid changes in regulation; the need to exploit new economies of scale and reuse as opportunities arise. Exploiting and integrating the legacy in a flexible way (EAI) can clearly contribute to business agility.

In addition to this there is a need for greater business focus, a focus on the real customers for competitive edge and, finally, the need for greater consistency arising from sharing common services.

The move to B2B over XML from traditional EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) has also been a driver in some sectors but it is now less urgent since low entry-cost EDI products became available.

Some drivers cross the business - technology categories. Rapidly evolving or poorly understood requirements has been a problem for many years, as has the phenomenon of requirements creep. We have already considered the need for a common language. Involving the business in service definition and delivery. The key thing is to make sure that it isn't the lunatics that are running the asylum. High IT system maintenance costs tie up budgets that could be better used for supporting new business initiates; so that, if SOA can reduce these costs through reuse or - more likely - greater ...