MSFT/BPM/SOA Session 5

This session was titled: "The Human-Facing SOA: Realizing the Value of Web Services with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007" presented by Hugh Taylor (Senior Marketing Manager, MSFT)

So, reading the title of this session, I assumed it was a technical presentation focused on SharePoint web services.... however, that was not the case. Rather, it was a business-focused presentation that centered completely on the "users" of any given SOA. While not being exactly what I expected, it was a very good session and well worth the time to sit through it.

As with the other sessions, it's a little easier for me to simply comment on poignant comments from the speaker than to attempt a proper summary, so here goes:

• People are often the missing ingredient for SOA business value
• If you are trying to measure the ROI of your SOA project, you'll likely be disappointed. Some common reasons are:
  • slower than anticipated uptake
  • training takes more time than planned
  • various Governance and security hang-ups
• One of the factors in all of this is a lack of a familiar interface
• We, as technologists and system designers MUST learn to focus on the user, rather than the technology. Hugh Macleod has a comic that aptly puts what I want to say here:
  
  
  
• We seem to get so wrapped around the axle with respect to how the system interacts with itself or the technology deployed within the system that we fail to realize that without a user, our system is useless.
• He stressed the importance of accurate communication at all levels of the SDLC. Often business drivers and technologists are "talking past" each other.
• He noted that as software developers and coders we often underestimate the power of habit, organizational norms, etc. Just because it's "better" doesn't mean that it's "better".

At this point he started talking specifically about the MSFT platform and the talk became less interesting to me :)

All in all, one of the best, most thought-provoking sessions I attended.