--- Stefan Tilkov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I was in a panel discussion at a conference this week, and was > surprised to notice there's still no consensus about whether or not a > process engine (or rather, support for automated BPM) is a "must" for > SOA.
>From an analysis perspective -- they're different things. Processes are one entry point into understanding organizational design. But a process design team can design one that wraps around the walls of a room, and not be able to find one service in it. >From an implementation perspective -- With all the talk of agility & visibility, there doesn't tend to be a lot of it when using the same-old programming practices, even if your services are well-defined. A change in the business can impact granularity, linkage, ordering, etc, all of which requires open-heart surgery. So, the basic problem is that dependencies between services are "hard" to manage, track & modify, and people are looking for any kind of approach that will solve this -- otherwise SOA is just another run at the same problems we saw in component software. Process orchestration seems to be the only one that has broad agreement as a viable approach. Other ways do exist but tend to be vendor-specific. For some, processes are all that matter. I know at least two large SIs I've spoken with that view SOA primarily as "reusable business processes". Some modeling methods view services purely as falling out of processes and activities. If that's the view you have, then BPM is essential. If, on the other hand, services come in different shapes and sizes and cater to a consumer-oriented contract, there are other viewpoints to consider, like classes of consumers, data subject areas, autonomy of implementation, interface stability over time, or collaboration patterns. My view is that BPM is useful, and SOA is largely what's driving BPM's growth now, as it makes the integration challenges become more affordable. But in this growth we risk deluding ourselves that most work can be captured, tracked, and managed in an automated process. The reality is that a lot of customer-valued work can't be modeled in detail (particularly if it is collaborative), and that BPM suites don't actually make processes *better* - that requires management insight and courage. Cheers Stu __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
