This dimension deals with the overall approach to the delivery of IT solutions.  Most organizations today would be classified as application-oriented, that is, focused on the delivery of user facing systems.  What goes on behind the scenes is largely ignored by the business.  The organization must change their approach to IT solutions, focusing on business processes, business services, and business events.  Rather than addressing the largest pain points at the time, the organization must evolve a mature rationalization process by which solutions are decommissioned, changes made without disruption, and new solutions in line with the changes in the business strategy.

Level 0: Ad Hoc

At this level, services are neither a stated nor required deliverable of projects.  While some projects may be producing services, this decision is made as a project architecture decision, without any guidance from any governing body, such as an Enterprise Architecture area.  There is no roadmap of services.  IT / Business discussions occur in terms of applications, not processes or services, if at all.

Level 1: Common Goals

At this level, the organization makes a commitment to the adoption of SOA, defining the parameters of the initial approach.  This includes identification of the stakeholders, determination on whether a Center of Excellence/Competency Center will be utilized, whether external support will be brought in, definition of pilot projects (if any), etc.  In short, the top-level governance must be established so that all parties involved have clear understanding of the decision making process.  While full governance comes into play at Level 3, it is important that initial leadership is established from the very beginning.

Level 2: Foundation

At this level, the initial services identified have been delivered, and the service development effort is undergoing a limited amount of expansion.  Other projects can now create and consume services, but it is likely that an experienced, centralized team develops those services.  It is unlikely that service development projects exist are initiated on their own, however, they may be spun out of existing projects

Level 3: Method and Governance

At this level, the architectural planning process has begun to develop a master service blueprint.  Service development projects are created to fill gaps within the blueprint rather than being primarily driven by consumer-side project efforts.   Service development has been broadened to a larger group of developers, with the initial experts playing more of a mentoring role rather than acting as the centralized clearinghouse for service development.

Level 4: Service-Oriented Enterprise

At this level, service development is innate to the organization.  A Master Service Blueprint has been created that guides all service development activities, and the organization has a mature change management approach to ensure that the impact of modifying existing services is managed appropriately.  The organization has put in place an application rationalization effort and is removing applications (and services) that do not add value to the organization. 

Level 5: Optimized

At this level, the entire approach to building technology solutions has fundamentally changed.  The business side has significant involvement through advancement in tools and technologies.