A method for selecting SOA pilot projects including a pilot metrics framework

Many organizations are introducing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) as part of their business transformation projects to take advantage of the proposed benefits associated with using SOA. However, in many cases organizations don´t necessarily know on which projects introducing SOA would be of value and show real benefits to the organization. In this paper we outline a method and pilot metrics framework (PMF) to help organization´s select from a set of candidate projects those which would be most suitable for piloting SOA. The PMF is used as part of a method based on identifying a set of benefit and risk criteria, investigating each of the candidate projects, mapping them to the criteria and then selecting the most suitable project(s). The paper outlines a case study where the PMF was applied in a large government organization to help them select pilot projects and develop an overall strategy for introducing SOA into their organization.