Build a SOA with the business unit!
Here's what I mean. I keep seeing IT groups defining and building a SOA without engaging the business unit. Who, by the way, is their customer. An example is an IT group building a SOA common services infrastructure (management, registry, policy, etc) as a set of services for the business unit to run their applications. But, they are building it without the business unit. Which leads me to:
Build a SOA without the business unit and watch them *not* come!
Seems so obvious, but it really isn't. IT groups have grandiose plans as to what infrastructure services they will provide and build without even really knowing what the business unit needs. Why build 101 management features into the management service if the initial business unit application only needs 3.
Don't get caught in this trap. Get the business unit involved from the start and build the services based on their requirements. And most importantly:
Build the SOA incrementally!
