Enterprise architecture management (EAM) and service-oriented architecture (SOA) mark two disciplines that belong to the IT plat du jour. Many organizations across the world are trying to implement SOA patterns and EA practices to reap the fruits promised by both disciplines. A typical implementation path for successful SOA adoption leads inevitably from the world of technology (using services as just another mechanism for implementing functional requirements) into the realm of architecture patterns that support strategic business-IT alignment (see and the "SOA Roadmap Template" sidebar). Yet when participating in large services portfolio implementations in complex, modern organizations, we have seen the gap that opens between EAM practices, such as enterprise release management, and the dynamic process of enterprise services portfolio development. One can experience the gap even in the case of a relatively agile approach to EA, based on iterative releases of enterprise architecture. Arguably, the disciplines in question have different origins that make them the "yin" and "yang" forces in the enterprise.
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