BEA Arch2Arch Summit: Governance key to SOA success

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As organisations move away from dabbling with service oriented architecture (SOA) to bigger projects they need to re-evaluate the way those activities are governed, according to a senior figure at BEA Systems.

And, in this new world of SOA-driven governance, the role of the humble architect will be elevated into a position that is much more strategic.

SOA's increasing favour brings with it new levels of complexity involving the crossing of many boundaries, whether they be geographic, systems-based or departmental, Malhar Kamdar, vice president of BEA's consulting division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the company's global SOA practice lead, told delegates at the company's Arch2Arch Summit in Nice this morning.

"The architect's role is dramatically changing from one with limited decision-making power to one that is very central," he said.

"We recognise that many corporations already have IT architecture governance in place. It is about building on and extending those existing assets and processes to build SOA governance. A governance model is needed but there is no one model that fits everyone. In essence, they need to create a decision-making framework detailing who should be making those decisions, how they are made and how they are monitored."

Kamdar continued: "But it's one thing to agree on a framework and another to ensure compliance. What kind of tools, communication structures need to be put in place? These types of questions are key [to successful governance]."

While it is important for organisations to grasp the nettle of SOA governance, it's equally critical that they keep up the good work, according to Kamdar.

"Another key element, and one that is often overlooked, is the area of vitality governance, which is all about keeping the momentum of an SOA programme," he said.

"You need to ensure that everything you are doing is under a big umbrella and that there is a clear two to three year vision of what you want to achieve even though you are doing it step by step."

A roadmap, reference architecture and metrics are just three of the key ingredients to governing the vitality of SOA activities, according to Kamdar.

This mix needs to be complemented by organisational-level governance in the form of, where appropriate, the creation of new roles and training programmes.

But, just as SOA matures and changes within an organisation, the way in which it is governed must also adapt, Kamdar concluded.

"All of these are not static. It's not a case of doing it once, ticking the box and moving on. All of these boxes are iterative and evolve," he said.

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