There's nothing to disagree with, or for that fact, really agree with. It's devoid of any really useful or concrete information that will help those with SOA efforts to be successful. A better Zen book would have been created by summarizing this forum's banter over the past couple of years and would have yielded more effective advice.
The article approaches SOA from what I would classify as the ESOA Design class (as per my taxonomy article at http://soa.sys-con.com/node/820406). In my opinion, this single-minded approach to SOA is one of the leading causes of failure and missed expectations. JP ----------------------------------------------- JP Morgenthal cell : 703-554-5301 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] twitter: www.twitter.com/jpmorgenthal blog: www.jpmorgenthal.com/morgenthal On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Gervas Douglas <[email protected]>wrote: > JP, > > Many of the members of this Group are new to SOA or at least find it > useful to have the basics summarised. Do you actually disagree with > the article? > > Gervas > > --- In > [email protected]<service-orientated-architecture%40yahoogroups.com>, > JP Morgenthal > > <jpmorgent...@...> wrote: > > > > Sounds like a compilation of Gartner papers on SOA. Where's the beef? > > ----------------------------------------------- > > JP Morgenthal > > cell : 703-554-5301 > > email: jpmorgent...@... > > email: j...@... > > twitter: www.twitter.com/jpmorgenthal > > blog: www.jpmorgenthal.com/morgenthal > > > > > > On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 11:46 AM, Gervas Douglas > > <gervas.doug...@...>wrote: > > > > > > <<"Adopting a services-oriented architecture should be undertaken > as a > > > gradual process, working toward your vision of a new IT enterprise > which is > > > more responsive to business drivers," says Tom Termini, author of > The Zen of > > > SOA. > > > > > > Complex concepts have emerged over the past few years regarding the > > > potential productivity an organization can achieve with their > website, but > > > few take the mystery out of it. In his new book, Tom Termini has > describes > > > how top management can look and move forward with clear goals, > appropriate > > > resources and confidence with SOA. > > > > > > Organizations face quite different challenges in laying out a > > > Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) blueprint. Internal > integration needs > > > may be more straightforward, but business models may focus less on > internal > > > integration than external partners or customers. Traditional > approaches like > > > EAI, however, are notoriously inflexible and expensive, according to > > > Termini. > > > > > > In The Zen of SOA, Tom Termini shares his experience helping > organizations > > > leverage agile development practices and Web services to reduce > the cost of > > > older approaches to address their integration and new development > needs. The > > > simple addition of Web services interfaces, however, typically > remains as > > > inflexible as approaches previously available. Termini asserts > that only > > > through the application of SOA can C-level executives build and > leverage > > > loosely coupled Web services that are flexible enough to respond > to ongoing > > > change in the larger environment. > > > > > > Termini sees the adoption of SOA as a continuum. > > > > > > > > > The following principles are among the many Termini recommends to > > > successfully deploy an effective SOA: > > > > > > 1. Learn from others - study what worked for other organizations > that may > > > have had parallel processes, or similar objectives to yours. For > example, at > > > the Federal Trade Commission, we learned that commodity hardware and > > > software promote the transition toward a fully-realized SOA. From the > > > detritus of a failed EAI effort, the fruits of a SOA success can > be found > > > with the creative application of an "agile" approach. > > > > > > 2. Maintain a "baby-steps" approach toward a fully-realized SOA - > > > expectations are more realistic, costs are spread over a longer > period, risk > > > is deferred, and you have the opportunity to foster organizational > adoption. > > > Cultural resistance is often the primary reason for failure in > enterprise IT > > > endeavors. If your adoption posture is incremental, you will > lessen the > > > impact on your organization, customers, and partners so they can > assimilate > > > change gradually. > > > > > > 3. SOA is more about the business customer than about IT innovation. > > > Service-Oriented Architecture, when rolled out successfully, can > empower the > > > people driving the business processes in your organization, free > up limited > > > IT resources, and improve flexibility to meet change. While on > task at the > > > U.S. Department of Justice, we learned a portal is integral to > Web-enabling > > > the enterprise. Why? It provides the single, simple point-of-entry > to the > > > SOA-enabled systems for the less-technical business user. We found the > > > portal was excellent at answering the question, where do I go to > find what > > > we already have? It also simplifies the human interface, since all Web > > > applications share the look-and-feel or some derivative of the > portal's > > > cascading style sheet. Finally, the portal simplifies > single-sign-on access > > > - and ease of access means greater acceptance by the user community. > > > > > > 4. ESB does not equal SOA. Providing an enterprise services bus > (ESB) to > > > your organization does not mean you have a SOA. Gaining a full > grasp of this > > > concept is key to embracing the Zen of SOA. Think commodity > software as well > > > as hardware: one of the keys to SOA success. While we've found the > messaging > > > layer to be critical, often time success can be achieved by > simplifying a > > > few key business processes and SOA-enabling with a web service. > Example: > > > customer record lookup, because so many systems touch on that process. > > > > > > 5. Manage the SOA as part of the whole enterprise. Think of the SOA > > > approach as a layer to simplify complexity - as above, consider > the customer > > > lookup process. What vital information needs to be presented to a > consuming > > > service? This layer does not stand apart from the organization's > larger > > > enterprise; rather, it supports the business architecture. The > underlying > > > services orchestrate and communicate business processes - these > components > > > are part of the technical architecture. Internal developers, external > > > consumers and others will require access to reuse SOA services. > > > > > > 6. Measure progress and communicate results. The successful > implementation > > > of any SOA must be driven from the top down. This means gaining > early wins > > > that engage senior management. Define three or four metrics and > regularly > > > communicate results. > > > > > > 7. Promote SOA as the Future. Implementation of a SOA blueprint > may never > > > fully end, because business processes change or new ones are > required. Your > > > target architecture inevitably will evolve to accommodate changes > in the > > > external environment and corresponding adjustments to organizational > > > goals.>> > > > > > > You can read this at: > > > > > > http://soa.sys-con.com/node/801354 > > > > > > Gervas > > > > > > > >
