ROI, step by step

Since SOA, and Web services for that matter, is still a new approach to businesses, there are few reference cases, and therefore, the ROI case still a lot of fuzzy math.   This new piece in TechTarget discusses what we do know about Web services/ROI so far, and what to expect at which stage of the process.

• Immediate ROI: A fairly quick return on the costs of integration, especially for large organizations with complex distributed environments, and a need for better integration will see benefits from simpler.  Easy to measure -- calculate the money spent on consulting fees for tying two applications together.
  
• ROI a little bit later in the process: A savings in development time and planning because of the reusability of services across the enterprise.  A little more difficult to measure, but the savings will be evident in that much more can be done without having to hire new developers, or bring in extra consultants.
  
• Long-term ROI:  Greater agility for the business, since processes can be quickly broken down and rebuilt as business needs change.  However, this is difficult if not impossible to measure.