Birds of a feather? More on the awkward SOA-BPM dance

Miko Matsumura weighed in on the recent discussion around the relationship between SOA and business process management (BPM), noting that perhaps a good analogy would be a mating dance seen in the wild, versus a dance involving nervous high-school sophomores:

"Like the mating dance of the Sand Hill Crane, this dance looks a bit gawky but serves a very real purpose. To the untrained eye, the movements seem awkward. However, this dance has a very ancient logic. Unlike the crane’s mating dance though, the topic isn't about reproduction. It’s about money. In the words of Cyndi Lauper, 'Money Changes Everything.'"

BPM may provide the least path of resistance to SOA funding

Now that cuts to the chase. And now that we've introduced Cyndi Lauper into the SOA debate, is it fair to say that SOA developers just want to have fun?

Miko makes a compelling point that if your issue is getting funding to get SOA projects started, look no further than BPM. "Increasingly, BPM is used as the funding vehicle for SOA projects," he says. "This makes sense because SOA by itself is pretty much by itself pretty invisible to the business. It’s like doing a bathroom remodel to justify new plumbing. Now having new plumbing may in the future allow you to do a kitchen remodel. But the plumbing by itself doesn't really provide the business with much justification for the cost up front."

Companies are more than willing to open their wallets for BPM-type projects such as supply chain logistics, order to cash, RFID, call centers, and many other ventures. This is a golden opportunity to introduce SOA to optimize these processes.