http://www.soamag.com The SOA Magazine is a monthly online publication provided by SOA Systems Inc. and Prentice Hall/PearsonPTR and is officially associated with the "Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl." SOA en-us Copyright 2006-2008, SOA Systems Inc. http://www.soamag.com/I19/0608-3.asp This article, the second in a two-part series, examines why strategic SOA investments so often suffer from poor technical implementation and diminished ROI. In the first article, we established common SOA engineering misconceptions that are often the root cause of poor SOA technical implementations. Within this second part, we will examine key SOA engineering focal points and success factors that are essential to successful SOA solution implementations. The goal here is to empower IT leadership, management, and enterprise architects with the knowledge necessary to apply high-level guidance to SOA engineering teams and to position the SOA investment for successful technical implementation and maximum ROI. SOA http://www.soamag.com/I19/0608-3.asp#When:16.06.08 http://www.soamag.com/I16/0308-2.asp Although the issue of governance is frequently addressed by various sources, the causes of bad technical implementations, and the foundations for SOA technical excellence, are often misunderstood. This is the first of a two articles that intend to offer some insights into evaluating and adjusting the technical direction of an SOA investment with an eye toward technical excellence and enduring ROI. Within this first part, we establish a basic understanding of SOA engineering goals and provide a frank overview of common misconceptions that can cause SOA technical implementations to become problematic. (First published in The SOA Magazine Issue XVI, March 2008.) SOA http://www.soamag.com/contributors/bio-tbarbusinski.asp#When:13.03.08