Efficient software development and agile business execution of SOA cannot be realized unless you adhere to reliable IT governance that involves architecture management, and development and deployment processes. The governance helps you reach common ground on key decisions quickly, while also defining from beginning to completion the business functions and outcome goals of SOA implementation.

For services to be reused across the company there must be a single, centralized software development methodology. If not, different areas of the business may build the same service in different ways or use linkages that are incompatible. There must be a centralized warehouse, or repository, so that developers will know where to look for services. You should thoroughly document the services so that developers can easily identify them, their associated links, and the rules for using them.

Because SOA links directly to business operations, it is important to adhere to good SOA governance—more so than in traditional software development. Under SOA, software components represent specific business activities that can be fixed and matched into business processes and workflows. Good SOA governance means thinking through all the implications of such interactivity and creating a process for managing the components. Governance in SOA is necessary because you’re codifying business processes. It is both a business and IT transformation.

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