Aligning SOA to EA. What Next?

1. I’ve aligned SOA and EA, What Next?
Bhavish Kumar, Sanda Morar
Principals Architects
Bhavish.Kumar@Cognizant.com
Sanda.Morar@cognizant.com

2. Prologue
A 3-Act story has a beginning, middle and end in a fairly rigid structure.
Act 1: A clear main character (protagonist) identifies a clear quest or goal, identifies a
clear obstacle (antagonist), and sets a deadline.
Act 2: Protagonist faces obstacle(s), winning and also losing.
“It seems hopeless” -- quot;darkest before the dawn.quot;
“Finally the climax”: protagonist and antagonist confront each other face to face.
Act 3: Protagonist achieves goal, doesn't, or succeeds at great cost. Denouement: after the
action, a scene to establish the emotional meaning.
Confidential 2

3. Program
Cast
Act 1: Its raining!!
• Client Profile, Business Goals & Obstacles
• Challenges
• Scene
Act 2: Facing challenges
• Approach
Phase 1: Gather Information
Phase 2: Asses and Aligning SOA and EA
Phase 3: What Next?
Epilogue
Confidential 3

4. Cast
Protagonists: Client & Consultant
Antagonist: EA and SOA
Confidential 4

5. Program
Cast
Act 1: Its raining!!
• Client Profile, Business Goals & Obstacles
• Challenges
• Scene
Act 2: Facing challenges
• Approach
Phase 1: Gather Information
Phase 2: Asses and Aligning SOA and EA
Phase 3: What Next?
Epilogue
Confidential 5

6. Act 1: Client Profile & Goals
• UK’s fastest growing mobile phone retailer.
Profile • Operations across UK and Northern Ireland
• Network of more than 440 Stores
• Extend the business
• Create new agile retail channels to connect
directly with a large base of customers
Business Goals • Introduce Services Convergence
• Introduce new product lines under the
and Drivers umbrella of Services Convergence
• Have the capability to create on the flight
value generating retail promotions
• Lower support costs
Confidential 6

7. Act 1 : Challenges
Financial
• High Maintenance Costs
• Lack of Clarity in Investment Planning and Strategy
• Alignment of IT to Business Initiative “unheard
Business and non existent”
• Lack of standardisation across the Enterprise
• Point to Point Integration Architecture
• Lack of formalized enterprise architecture, i.e.:
IT Strategy
• Business Principles – non existent
• Limited as-is architecture artifacts
• SOA selection made without necessary due
diligence:
• Short Term Tactical moves: SOA supports
applications in silos rather than adoption of
SOA as a planned transformation
Programme
• Poor Planning approaches mostly done on:
Management “who screams more! Or first come first serve!”
Confidential 7

8. Act 1: The Scene
IT
Business
Strategy
Goal & Drivers
High Opex Applications Technical
SOA ?
Costs Architecture Architecture
Ability to support new business initiatives ?
Programme Office
Projects

9. Program
Cast
Act 1: Its raining!!
• Client Profile, Business Goals & Obstacles
• Challenges
• Scene
Act 2: Facing challenges
• Approach
Phase 1: Gather Information
Phase 2: Asses and Aligning SOA and EA
Phase 3: What Next?
Epilogue
Confidential 9

10. Act 2: Facing Challenges: The Approach
Phases
Phases
Iterations
Iterations
Confidential 10

11. Approach Phase 1: Gather Information
1. Understanding Client ‘s Current enterprise landscape
2. Addressing Client’s “Immediate Concerns” / “Tactical needs”:
Description 1. High Maintenance (Opex) Costs
2. Integration Architecture Pain Points
3. Address Client’s “long term Concerns”: new sale channels
1. Lack of formalized methodology to allow an organised and
Challenges repeatable way of understanding the client’s landscape
1. Adopt an EA Framework ( in this case TOGAF)
Steps 2.
3.
Customise, Model, and Extend EA Framework in line with Strategy
Develop the EA content
1. Aligned Business and IT Strategy
2. Baseline and Target Client’s landscape described as artefacts
grouped in Architecture Domains
3. Repeatable and organised way to understand the client’s landscape
Outcomes ( i.e. EA Framework)
4. Mapping of the High Costs into the client’s landscape
5. Requirements including Requirements for Integration Architecture
6. Identified Stakeholders, concerns, pain points, constraints'
Confidential 11

12. Approach Phase 1: Gather Information Outputs
Confidential 12

13. Approach Phase 2: Asses & Align
1. Understanding and Assessing where SOA fits in the baseline and
Description target landscape and why ( one of the challenges was SOA
selection made without necessary due diligence)
1. Business case for SOA
Challenges 2. Determinate SOA Adoption Scope
Steps 1. Use the artefacts collected in Phase 1 to create and validate the
Business case for SOA
1. Clear articulation of SOA Strategy to resolve tactical and strategic
needs
2. Establishment of SOA Governance in line with EA Governance and
Outcomes Organisation
Confidential 13

14. Approach Phase 1,2: Gather Information & Asses/Align Outputs

15. Act 2 – Conceptual Alignment (EA & SOA)
Confidential 15

16. Approach Phase 3: What Next ?
Description • SOA Adoption and Planning
• Landscape contains (Legacy) with known or unknown data models
Challenges and introduction of COTS applications to support new initiatives
• Fragmented Information , Different Information Formats
1. Create an Enterprise Wise Semantic Model
Steps 2. Classification of business relevant cross functional solution areas
into Domain Topics
1. Classification of business capabilities into cluster semantic domain
topics; Definition of Semantics for each cluster
2. Identifying core and peripheral interfaces / services into a portfolio to
Outcomes support required business functionality
3. This enables the extension of the operating model
4. Use the outcomes as inputs into programme and project
management
Confidential 16

17. Approach Phase 1,2,3: Gather Information & Asses & What Next ? Outputs
Confidential 17

18. Program
Cast
Act 1: Its raining!!
• Client Profile, Business Goals & Obstacles
• Challenges
• Scene
Act 2: Facing challenges
• Approach
Phase 1: Gather Information
Phase 2: Asses and Aligning SOA and EA
Phase 3: What Next?
Epilogue
Confidential 18

19. Epilogue : Benefits
• Better managed Maintenance Costs
Financial • Clear Investment Planning and Strategy
• Clarity in alignment of IT to Business Initiatives
Business • Achieve Goals (Extend the business )
• Standardisation across the Enterprise
• Strategic Information Architecture
• Standardized Integration Architecture
IT Strategy • Formalized enterprise architecture, i.e.:
• Business and IT Principles published
• As-is architecture artifacts documented
• SOA adoption in line with agreed roadmap of
introducing business services in a phased
manner
Programme • Planning integrated with other enterprise wide
processes
Management • Delivery in line with business goals
Confidential 19