Most major organizations claim to have a service-oriented architecture (SOA) plan. Not to have one would be oldfashioned. However, successful implementation of end-to-end data and business processes integration requires not only a technology architecture but also a parallel business architecture. You simply can't have a modern business model without modern processes, software and infrastructure that are tightly integrated.
But in most enterprises, this integration between IT architecture and the business model remains poorly articulated. I call this the CEO/CIO dialogue gap. This gap exists to some extent because of the relative "newness" of IT as a discipline. Professions like finance and manufacturing have matured over hundreds of years, with principles, structures and a body of knowledge that are well understood by business leaders. However, IT has been part of the commercial landscape for only four decades.
