Service Oriented Architecture For Dummies®

Chapter 18. SOA Quick Start: Entry Points for Starting the SOA Journey

In This Chapter

• Charting your business structure

• Setting some SOA sights

• Getting folks ready for the move

• Partnerships make the SOA world go 'round

• Making sure you don't go it alone

If you've made your way through the self-assessment test back in Chapter 16 and are secure in the knowledge that you're a lovable person and that your organization is ready for SOA, it's time to plan your journey. We have two strong caveats about what you shouldn't do:

• Don't try to boil the ocean. Don't attempt to do everything at once.

• If you are business management, don't turn SOA over to the IT organization and wash your hands of it. If you are IT management, partner with business management. For SOA to be effective, it must be done from the top down. In other words, if you really want your SOA plan to succeed, business management and IT must work together.

So, how should you approach SOA? You need a SOA plan that combines a business perspective, a technology road map, and an organizational initiative. Instead of giving you a deep, philosophical discussion on these (and other) matters, however, we decided to give you some practical guidelines for getting started with SOA.

Map Your Organization's Business Structure

One of the biggest differences between planning for SOA and planning for any other technology initiative is that SOA planning forces you to think differently about your company, your industry, your ability to innovate, and the value ...