Articles

We Might Clear the Fog Around SOA, but its Future is Still Cloudy

Author(s):

Sumeet Vij

Assistant Vice President/ Chief Engineer, Alion Science and Technology

Despite the widespread hype and reams of articles in technical and business journals alike, one question that still causes consternation amongst customers and practitioners alike is, “What is Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)”? If compiled, the answers to this question would fill copious volumes, but a consensus on an answer would be elusive. The reason the answer to this question doesn’t fit into the mold of a precise technical definition is due to the fact that SOA is mostly a business concept, hence it has to be defined in a business context.

OMG Seeking Decision Model Notation Standard

Author(s):

Barbara von Halle

Managing Partner & Founder, Knowledge Partners International LLP

A lot has happened in the last year regarding The Decision Model. In November 2009, our book described the formalism and usage of The Decision Model (von Halle and Goldberg, 2009, Taylor & Francis LLC, The Decision Model: A Business Logic Framework Linking business and Technology). Since then, adoption of The Decision Model has escalated faster than anticipated. It also caught the attention of the Object Management Group which is the subject of this month’s column.

Measuring System Quality

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

How should the quality of a system be measured? More particularly, how should quality be ascertained when the system is complex and incorporates important components not readily evaluated by quantitative means?

A New Order of Things with the Business Architecture

Author(s):

Ralph Whittle

Enterprise Business Architect, Independent Consultant

The Business Architecture (BA) is a bold and challenging initiative, that when undertaken by visionary and innovative leaders of the enterprise brings about a “new order of things.”

Out-SOA-cing – The Challenge of Outsourcing SOA

Author(s):

John Moe

Principal Consultant, J Moe Associates

With the current hard times continuing to challenge IT budgets, I fear that all the good effort that is going into SOA currently could be squandered by ill-conceived or rushed outsourcing of the wrong services and wrong responsibilities at the wrong time to the few remaining IT service companies.

It is worth pointing out that the analyst community have consistently promoted SOA and outsourcing as being good bedfellows. There are two main models here:

The Decision Model Column – “MIT Industry Symposium on Information Quality, The Decision Model, and an IQ Framework”

Author(s):

Larry Goldberg

Managing Partner, Knowledge Partners International LLP

(This article assumes knowledge of The Decision Model.

OD or BPM: Pick Only One?

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Organizational life is not a natural act. We humans are well suited for the mostly faceto- face interaction of the medium-sized tribe; everything beyond that is a push. It is not surprising that we often find that our organizations do not function as neatly as we might hope. Faced with this challenge, business leaders today have a perplexing choice: Should they work on the work (BPM) or work on the worker (OD)?

Organizational development – one side of this artificial divide – has long pushed for a focus on people.

Is Your Enterprise Out of Control?

Author(s):

Ralph Whittle

Enterprise Business Architect, Independent Consultant

Before answering this question, consider for a moment: What does “out of control” mean? Someone responding with a broad, long winded answer might refer to Kevin Kelly’s most excellent and timeless book titled Out of Control (1). In a simpler context, please consider the building of a high rise office building or the addition of a large family room, sunroom, patio and pool to an existing house without the benefit of a “blueprint” developed by an architect? Does “out of control” come to mind?

The Hybrid SDLC

Author(s):

Larry Goldberg

Managing Partner, Knowledge Partners International LLP

The purpose of this article is to provide project managers and business analysts an example of a hybrid system development life cycle (i.e., combination of agile and waterfall). Much discussion has transpired on the virtues of agile and waterfall approaches. Successes and failures can be claimed on both sides. Depending on the conditions of the project, advantages of one approach can be cited over the other. So enters the Hybrid SDLC that considers both approaches for all or portions of the project.

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BPM: Toolbox for a Bionic Enterprise

Author(s):

BPMInstitute.org

Business Relationship Manager - Product Lifecycle Management, Chevron Corporation

Towards a Bionic World

Whatever at individual or social level, our biologic functions are more and more supported, if not replaced, by technology. Sometimes to mitigate physical or sensory deficiencies through mobility aids or improvement of auditive, visual capacities. In other occasions, electronics offer opportunities that our biological configuration cannot assume, at least for the time being all this evolution is transferring human processes from the biologic or physical world to another electronic or virtual one.

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