Service-Oriented Architecture Governance for the Services Driven Enterprise

Chapter 5. SOA Governance Model Design Process

This chapter presents a replicable Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) governance model design and management framework that will facilitate the assessment, design, implementation, and ongoing management of your SOA governance model over time. We will walk you through key decisions you must make with respect to governance processes, organizational models, and policy enforcement approaches based on the dynamics of your particular organization. In the last section of this chapter, we will offer guidelines and best practices for "rightsizing" your SOA governance model for the most effective and yet least intrusive approach. This SOA governance model design framework can apply to any form of governance in fact, from corporate governance to Information Technology (IT) governance, from enterprise architecture (EA) governance to SOA governance. It is scalable, reproducible, and effective.

The biggest confusion about SOA governance and governance in general is the intermixing of governance concerns, governance processes, enforcement mechanisms, and policies. For example, when is a governance board required? What purpose does a governance board serve? While we believe that the organizational and structural aspects of governance are critical, one must not begin with the governance organizational view. This tends to result in governance boards looking for something to do. We subscribe to a view that continuously asks what has to be governed, ...