Evaluating the Benefits of Service Oriented Architecture: SEER in support of SOA Implementation Decisions
Galorath’s Dr. Denton Tarbet has been studying the estimation and analysis of service oriented architectures for some time. He provided this post regarding SOA. For further information, please email us.
SOA is often considered to be a means to provide IT services at lower cost. However, consideration should be given to what is meant by “cost” in the migration to an SOA for any organization.
For proper consideration of cost tradeoffs we consider the value to the customer, i.e. does the migration to SOA really provide a benefit to the stakeholders for the system? To consider that, first consider that SOA is not a process but it is an architecture. Relying on common understandings of architecture related to buildings, it is not sufficient to say the architecture is the blueprints, the drawings, the physical structure. What made many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings so great was that he considered the architecture to include the total of the building within its specific environment. As an example, Wright’s Fallingwater: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Fallingwater.html
With that concept in mind, an SOA approach must consider its environment, i.e. the customers and how the resulting services will be used.
Within SOA the concept of service should be based on customer value. So the “service” in SOA isn’t really about technology, objects, interfaces, granularity, messaging, reuse, product stacks, standards, platforms, openness or almost anything else. It’s about mapping business processes to a software implementation that facilitates stakeholder outcomes and value. To effect that end, we rely on a solid estimation from SEER-SEM and SEER for IT to develop the effort, schedule and risk to provide the basis for tradeoffs to provide the best Return on Investment (ROI). See additional:
Common Misconceptions About Service-Oriented Architecture – Crosstalk, Nov 2007
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/ws/2003/09/30/soa.html
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
Knowledge Bases: Corporate History Captured For All
Thanks to Galorath’s Sam Sanchez for this note on Knowledge Bases. Knowledge bases allow users to use the SEER models for cost estimation, cost analysis, schedule prediction, reliability and other information with industry standard and custom calibrated information:
I routinely work with customers on the advanced integration of our models to a company’s cost estimation process. A key issue that often comes up is the importance of using what we refer to as Knowledge Bases (Kbases). I roughly describe these as templates which contain a set of parameter inputs validated useful under certain conditions. In our hardware model, we have Kbases for Application, Platform, Acquisitions, Standards and Class. Kbases have become a critical model feature due to information collected within an organization capturing their internal and external knowledge. Kbases balance this out by allowing the user to quickly create a sort of “default” position which is valid under a given circumstance.
Aside from the ease of use, this model feature is critical in ensuring consistent and reasonable inputs. Good Kbases act as a grounding mechanism to allow a reasonable start to an estimate. From there, the estimator can further tune his or her position. Starting an estimate from a blank slate is possible, but will always produce varied results depending on the understanding of the estimator. A team using a validated set of Kbases tends to produce more consistent (and defendable) results. And more junior personnel gain the benefit of the knowledge of more senior personnel.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
“The Wisdom of Crowds” In Estimating
WRONG: “No one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.” -H. L. Mencken
I am in process going through the book “The Wisdom of Crowds.” The book’s point is that large groups of people are smarter than the elite, most brilliant few, at solving problems, making good decisions, stimulating innovation, and predicting the future.
This counter-intuitive point has significant ramifications in estimation, planning and control.
Of course the “crowd” needs to be people who understand the domain and issues of whatever needs to be estimated, such as the size or parameters in a SEER estimate, and they must be motivated to achieve the right answer, not the politically correct, self serving, or wished-for answer, but the truth.
Answering questions such as: Why is the line in which you’re standing always the longest? Why are there traffic jams? What’s the best way to win money on a game show?
I find this interesting on many levels as well as pointing out why our estimate by comparison function works so well when a team provides the answers.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
DoD $150B Reinvestment of Efficiencies Savings
Secretary of Defense Gates announced design efficiencies that should reduce overhead costs, improve business practices and trim some defense programs.
“This Department simply cannot risk continuing down the same path – where our investment priorities, bureaucratic habits, and lax attitudes towards costs are increasingly divorced from the real threats of today, the growing perils of tomorrow, and the nation’s grim financial outlook.”
Tough decisions for tough times make cost estimating and analysis a key component. Gates stated his goal to have every defense dollar invested in the smartest manner. The efficiencies continue a process to reshape and re-balance the defense budget that has already saved the nation $300 billion.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
Project Prediction Infographic
