Practical AgileSOA - Making the transformation stick

Of course it would be great if the small victories were permanent ones. However, unless there is an obvious benefit to changed behavior, people tend to revert to their old ways.

The business needs to understand how SOA is going to move some of their Key Performance Indicators. That progress needs to be baselined and tracked vigorously. This of course does not mean reams of BS data. On the contrary, a few metrics are selected based on their true meaning to the business. It is pointless to measure throughput rates and latency if those numbers cannot be translated into business value.

The change SOA brings about needs to be made very visible, even if that change is incremental and under the covers. When business and IT alike learn that they can be more efficient, more flexible, less expensive and more aligned by embracing the mindset of Agile and SOA, it is more likely that the changes brought about by these philosophies become permanent.

So, after all this, it is time for you to get started with AgileSOA.
Or if you have already been trying to get it off the ground, revise your current SOA approach and take it more one step at a time.

Next steps for the reader:

1. Find your candidate services
2. Go make them, simple, clean and quickly.
3. Chronicle what you learn
4. Share your experiences
5. Repeat

Good night, good luck and good learning!