If your company is considering SOA, there are many issues and challenges that need to be addressed in order to improve the chances for a successful implementation. One issue that is often overlooked early on is an assessment of the company's existing skill sets and the application development culture.

Skill Set Assessment

If distributed computing, abstraction, loose coupling, and service-orientation are foreign concepts in an organization, it will be challenged to implement SOA. These companies should seek out help from consulting firms who have a proven track record delivering SOA, but should not let the consultants run the show. There should be a strong technical leader who understands SOA and can set the strategic vision. The consulting firms should complement this person and help the company realize the vision. The consultants' goals are to maximize revenue. The IT leader's goal is to deliver SOA without breaking the bank! If a company does not have a strong technical leader with great business and people skills, it should hire someone. This person will cost top dollar but the initiative will likely fail without the right person in charge.