The primary purpose of any software method is to create a standard model for carrying out work functions in a consistent and repeatable fashion. Through repeatability, success factors increase as does the ability to estimate, plan, educate and operate efficiently.

 Most large enterprises support multiple formal or informal methods for providing I.T. services to the business. Examples include: RUP, EUP, COBIT, Extreme Programming, Scrum, ITIL, etc. These methods view the world from a specific vantage point, (i.e. Scrum views the world from a project management perspective, while RUP tends to be much more ‘software development’ focused. The Harmony™ method is no different. It views the world from a service oriented perspective first and aligns other I.T. processes accordingly.

 
The Role of the Service Lifecycle

Many I.T. processes tend to be very discipline focused (project mgmt, programming, testing, etc.). In SOA, the primary concern is the integration of the disciplines. The service acts as a baton that is passed from one group to the next, each group applying their specialty to the work product. This approach is one step closer to the ‘assembly line’ model in manufacturing. The obvious difference is that in the ‘I.T. factory’ we aren’t rebuilding the exact same component (or service), we’re building (or implementing) each one unique to specifications.

 One of the easiest ways to understand a service oriented method is to:

1. Identify the stages a service goes through
2. Identify the roles, activities and work products used to advance a service from one state to the next.

 The product of this analysis introduces a third dimension which identifies the sets of roles (or teams) that will work together to advance the stage.

The Service Phases 

Services pass through several distinct phases of evolution:  

• Service Investigation
• Service Analysis
• Service Design
• Service Construction
• Service Integration & Test
• Service Release
• Service Operation
• Service Consumption
• Service Evolution

Service Stages

The service phases describe the work that is done to move a service from one stage to the next. Each stage can be thought of as a temporary state in the lifecycle. For a better understanding of the states see the Service Stages.