Defining service ownership for a service oriented architecture

A computer implemented method of defining service ownership for a Service Oriented Architecture (‘SOA’), the method carried out in response to an event requiring a change in service ownership, the method comprising:

• defining, by the computer in dependence upon data describing business functions within a business, a service domain, including identifying a structure and scope for the service domain, wherein the structure and scope of the service domain identifies the business and information technology infrastructure used to operate services within the service domain and identifies the set of services included in the service domain;
• reviewing, by a service domain ownership review board, the defined service domain for approval, including:
• determining whether the structure and scope of the defined service domain shares any structure or scope of a currently existing service domain;
• and
• responsive to determining that the defined structure and scope of the defined service domain shares any structure or scope of the currently existing service domain, determining whether to consolidate the currently existing service domain and the defined service domain or restructure the currently existing service domain;
• upon approval of the defined service domain, identifying by the computer potential impact upon currently existing service domains caused by implementation of the defined service domain, including:
• determining by the computer whether implementation of the defined service domain will cause an impact on currently existing service domains;
• and
• responsive to determining that implementation of the defined service domain will cause an impact on currently existing service domains:
• determining by the computer whether the impact on currently existing service domains is capable of being resolved;
• responsive to determining that the impact on currently existing service domains is not capable of being resolved, presenting by the computer the impact to a service domain ownership appeals board for appeal;
• and
• receiving by the computer a decision from the service domain ownership appeals board;
• identifying by the computer a potential owner of the defined service domain in dependence upon a service type of the defined service domain and funding requirements of the service domain;
• presenting by the computer, to relevant stakeholders in the business, the potential owner of the defined service domain for approval;
• determining by the relevant stakeholders whether the potential owner meets ownership criteria;
• responsive to determining that the potential owner does not meet ownership criteria, identifying by the computer one or more alternative potential owners;
• and
• upon approval of the potential owner of the defined service domain, assigning by the computer the potential owner of the defined service domain responsibility for managing the defined service domain.