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stakeholder interests across multiple domains or constituencies involved.
Both are related, and both are necessary in an SOA governance model.
However, governance is essential where critical decisions require stake-
holder involvement, and where those decisions have strategic or serious
impact on business, IT or process performance. Do not confuse manage-
ment processes with governance processes.
Governance is also focused on more critical aspects of the business,
where management is focused on all aspects of the business, some of which
may be the focus of governance oversight. One of the real challenges in SOA
governance is determining what must be governed, and how, versus what
must be managed as parts of normal IT or business management. In this
book, we will separate out the domain of management from the domain of
governance. When in doubt, ask if something is being governed versus man-
aged. Good management processes can reduce the need for governance, but
good governance requires good management.
GOVERNANCE IS ABOUT RESULTS AND APPROPRIATE
USEOFRESOURCES
Without governance, there will be no results. Governance is focused on en-
suring appropriate use of resources in an organization to drive the organiza-
tional actions that will bring about the desired results. Resources in a for-
profit organization include funding, personnel, organizations, capital assets,
and even intellectual property.
Often, a discussion of governance finishes with a statement roughly
equivalent to the following: ‘‘Funding is the ultimate governance mecha-
nism.’’ What most practitioners would agree with is that funding is a primary
governance enforcement and incentive mechanism, and judicious use of fund-
ing models can facilitate the realization of an effective and transparent gover-
nance model for your organization. Governance ensures that organizational
resources are allocated to important initiatives, and that they are consumed
and leveraged wisely. Therefore, governance must focus on critical aspects of
the business where allocation of resources, and oversight of the use of those
resources, is possible. SOA governance should follow the same approach.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE
But how did IT governance become so popular? IT governance is not that
different from corporate governance. IT governance is the process of ensur-
ing all IT stakeholders’ best interests are being met in the planning, funding,
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