Re: [service-orientated-architecture] Re: SOA Infrastructure

[Keith Harrison-Broninski]

Hi Eric This list may be about technology, but it's not just about technology, is it.  A mature approach to SOA must be business-focused, as I expect most people on this list would agree. And software can do more than help people interact with computers - it can help them interact with each other. What JP and Gervas were saying is that the architectural principles emerging for SOA (based on establishment of multi-party service contracts for collaborative behaviour) also seem to be useful in management.  I would go further and say that in a decentralized, globalized, Internet-enabled economy it will soon be hard to survive without applying such principles to the organization of your enterprise. When I first went into print with a methodology for the application of such management principles, and their support with software tools, the ideas were greeted mainly with lack of comprehension - they "just didn't make sense" to a lot of people.  Like SOA, perhaps, a few years back?  Now, 12 months later, I am being approached on a regular basis to give private strategic briefings to some of the largest companies in the world. It may be early days, but the ideas are taking root, and those seeking to apply them may well decide not to shout about it, since they are a major source of competitive advantage.  As McKinsey wrote recently: the shift from transactional to tacit interactions requires companies to think differently about how to improve performance - and about their technology investments. Moreover, the rise of tacit occupations opens up the possibility that companies can again create capabilities and advantages that rivals can't easily duplicate. If you want to understand what it is all about, a good starting point is this presentation. -- All the best Keith http://keith.harrison-broninski.info Eric Newcomer wrote: This whole debate just doesn't make sense to me. If the goal of SOA is to align business and technology, technology by definition plays a role, doesn't it? Sure, maybe sometimes the human role is forgotten in the debates over which technology is best for SOA, but we are talking about software here, and the purpose of software is to let people tell computers what to do. But perhaps I am alone in assuming that technology is by definition related to people and what they want to accomplish. Eric --- Keith Harrison-Broninski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Exactly the "productive new management methodology" Gervas describes is described in detail in my book Human Interactions <http://www.mkpress.com/hi> ("the breakthrough that changes the rules of business" - Peter Fingar, "the overarching framework for 21st century business technology" - bptrends.com, etc - more reviews and other info available online <http://www.human-interaction-management.info>). This is the reason for my personal interest in SOA, btw - my R&D focus is human collaborative work <http://www.humanedj.com/the_work_processor.pdf>, but I have always thought this field would inevitably converge with SOA via a common management approach - and quite possibly a common toolset. My recent blog series on BPM futures <http://www.ebizq.net/blogs/it_directions> explains some aspects of what such a toolset may look like. Sorry for the billboarding! I am not selling products here, though, just showing where to find ideas and free software tools :-) -- All the best Keith http://keith.harrison-broninski.info SPONSORED LINKS Computer software Computer aided design software Computer job Soa Service-oriented architecture YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "service-orientated-architecture" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.