Sometimes, Enterprise Architecture efforts fail.  This is no surprise to folks in the EA business.  This failure occurred slowly, back in 2007 and 2008.  But it did occur.  It took me a while to realize it. 

I had developed a method useful for Application Portfolio Management as well as for Service Oriented Architecture called “Solution Domains”.  The method is good.  It’s a framework and taxonomy for high level descriptions of software so that generalized services can be created AND so that the portfolio of applications can be rationalized.

The method is good.  But I failed to position it’s use in the appropriate enterprise program in the appropriate way.  I failed.  Not the method.  Where we used the method, it worked brilliantly. 

I’ve learned from my mistakes, but being unwilling to let a good thing go to waste, I’m sharing the Solution Domain taxonomy with the world.  It’s not patentable (I tried).  It is useful, however, because it is a part of a business method that supports Application Portfolio Management in a completely technology agnostic manner as well as Middle-Out SOA.

I’ve put the entire taxonomy on my Enterprise Business Motivation Model site at: http://motivationmodel.com/wp/application-portfolio-management-and-solution-domains/ 

I may return here, at some point, and provide further details on how it can be effectively used.  For now, back to work!