SOA development and service identification: A case study on method use, context and success factors

Although SOA development and service identification are widely discussed among academics and practitioners alike, little is known about how they are performed in practice. Thus, this paper investigates how SOA development and service identification work in real-life projects. An explorative single case study analysis is chosen as research methodology. It analyzes the ADAGE project, in which researchers implemented a service-oriented architecture in an Australian company. Furthermore, a situation-specific research process is developed. Elements of grounded theory and interpretative techniques are used to analyze interviews and documentations and to generalize the findings. Subsequently, 16 observations that describe SOA development and service identification in the ADAGE case are identified. Through generalization, these observations are transformed into hypotheses. In order to guide this generalization, both principles of interpretative field studies as well as abstraction mechanisms of conceptual modeling are utilized. The analysis of data and the generalization are accompanied by permanent comparison to discussions in related literature. A set of model fragments illustrating relationships of certain concepts and abstract categories are a major result of this case study. Aditionally, a number of opportunities for further research are outlined.