Schelp and Aier’s primary contribution is the description of how a service-oriented architecture (SOA) enables corporate agility, but can only be sustained through explicit governance of the enterprise architecture. Agility is defined as the ability to respond to unexpected changes. Sustainability is defined as meeting the “needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future” [1]. SOA can contribute to higher corporate agility, but to sustain that agility “complexity issues and alignment to business changes ... require solutions beyond [those of] the (technical) design paradigm.”

Sustainability requires adherence to a set of strategies. Of particular significance are the strategies of consistency, efficiency, and participation. The system and its environment require enforced consistency as a specific design goal. Furthermore, if the organizational architecture and core business processes are not well aligned, inefficiencies will result. Efficiency means using minimal resources and time to implement system changes, without increasing complexity. To enjoy efficiency, new organizational structures, business rules, and management instruments must be implemented as a result of enforcing consistency. Enforcement is best achieved voluntarily, which requires adherence to the strategy of participation. Acceptance and engagement of all people affected by the change are required.

Significant issues that must be managed are the integration of tools when employing a multi-vendor “best of breed” strategy and holding service variants to a minimum. The way in which these aspects are approached can result in unnecessary complexity being introduced or the sustainability of SOA’s agility being undermined.