Lesson 172 - TOGAF in 10 Minutes

Summary

In this episode of 'Software Architecture Monday,' Mark Richards offers a concise overview of TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework. He emphasizes the Architecture Development Method (ADM) as TOGAF's core, which is adaptable to initiatives of varying scales. Richards outlines the framework's phases, from preliminary setup to architecture change management, highlighting how each phase addresses transformation, governance, and planning to realize an architecture vision. The video provides a clear introduction to TOGAF's structured approach to enterprise architecture.

Takeaways

• 📚 Mark Richards introduces TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) as a framework for enterprise architecture, contrasting it with the Zachman Framework discussed in a previous lesson.
• 🔍 TOGAF is described as an initiative-based process focused on facilitating change based on a new architecture vision, rather than a descriptive framework like Zachman.
• 🚀 The core of TOGAF is the Architecture Development Method (ADM), which acts as the 'engine' of the framework, driving the process of creating business solutions.
• 🛠️ The ADM consists of a set of phases, each dealing with transformation or governance aspects necessary for change based on a new architecture vision.
• 🔧 The preliminary phase of TOGAF involves preparation, initiation, and customization of the TOGAF process to fit the scale of the initiative, whether small or large.
• 🌟 Phase A of the ADM focuses on creating an architecture vision, defining the scope of changes, identifying stakeholders, and gaining their buy-in.
• 🏢 Phase B addresses the business architecture, considering workflow changes, organizational changes, and strategies to support the architecture vision.
• 💾 Phase C is about the information systems architecture, detailing the logical and physical data models necessary for the architecture vision, such as database transformations.
• 💻 Phase D covers the technology architecture, specifying hardware, software, platforms, and infrastructure needed to support the architecture vision.
• 🗺️ Phase E is about opportunities and solutions, creating a roadmap that outlines iterations and corresponding projects to achieve the architecture vision.
• ⏱️ Phase F involves migration planning, where the roadmap is refined with considerations for dependencies, priorities, staffing, cost, effort, and risk.
• 🛡️ Phase G is implementation governance, focusing on acceptance criteria, tracking issues, and leveraging fitness functions to ensure alignment with the architecture.
• 🔄 Phase H, the architecture change management, is about governance and measurement during implementation to ensure alignment with the vision and risk management.
• 📈 TOGAF also includes the Architecture Content Framework for creating and reusing artifacts and building blocks, and the Enterprise Continuum with reference models for feedback and accuracy.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is an introduction to TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework, including its core components and the Architecture Development Method (ADM).

What is TOGAF and why is it important?

TOGAF is a framework for enterprise architecture that provides a methodology and a set of supporting tools for developing an organization's architecture. It's important because it helps organizations align their business goals with their IT infrastructure and systems.

What is the ADM in the context of TOGAF?

The ADM, or Architecture Development Method, is the core engine of TOGAF. It's a process that produces business solutions by creating and reusing artifacts and building blocks, which are part of an architecture content framework.

How does TOGAF handle the relationship between business drivers and goals?

TOGAF handles the relationship between business drivers and goals through the Architecture Development Method, which starts with business needs and initiatives, and translates them into architecture visions and business solutions.

What are the phases of the TOGAF Architecture Development Method?

The phases of the TOGAF Architecture Development Method include Preliminary, Phase A (Architecture Vision), Phase B (Business Architecture), Phase C (Information Systems Architecture), Phase D (Technology Architecture), Phase E (Opportunities and Solutions), Phase F (Migration Planning), Phase G (Implementation Governance), and Phase H (Architecture Change Management).

Why does the presenter like TOGAF's ability to be customized?

The presenter likes TOGAF's customization ability because it allows the framework to be tailored to initiatives of varying sizes, from small projects to large enterprise-wide initiatives, making it flexible and adaptable.

What is the purpose of Phase A in the TOGAF ADM?

Phase A, the Architecture Vision phase, is where the scope of the necessary changes is defined, key stakeholders are identified, and an architecture vision is created to gain their buy-in and agreement.

How does TOGAF separate business, data, and technology?

TOGAF separates business, data, and technology through distinct phases: Phase B for business architecture, Phase C for information systems architecture (data), and Phase D for technology architecture.

What is the role of Phase E in the TOGAF ADM?

Phase E, Opportunities and Solutions, is where a roadmap is created, showing iterations and corresponding projects to achieve the architecture vision, and each iteration represents an opportunity to deliver business value.

How does TOGAF ensure alignment between implementation and architecture?

TOGAF ensures alignment through Phase G, Implementation Governance, where acceptance criteria are defined, outstanding issues are tracked, and fitness functions are leveraged to maintain alignment with the architecture vision.

What is the purpose of the Architecture Change Management phase in TOGAF?

The Architecture Change Management phase, Phase H, is focused on governance and measurement during implementation to ensure alignment with the architecture vision and to manage and mitigate risks throughout each iteration.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to TOGAF

In this segment, Mark Richards introduces TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework, as a follow-up to his previous lesson on the Zachman Framework. He emphasizes TOGAF's focus on the architecture development method (ADM), which acts as the 'engine' of TOGAF. The ADM is positioned between business drivers and goals and the resulting business capabilities, facilitating the creation of business solutions. Richards also mentions the architecture content framework, which includes reusable assets and building blocks, and other components of TOGAF like the Architecture Capability Framework for project management and the Enterprise Continuum with reference models. The lesson aims to provide an overview of TOGAF and a deeper look into the ADM, which is central to TOGAF's utility.

05:02

🛠️ The Architecture Development Method (ADM) of TOGAF

This part of the script delves into the phases of the Architecture Development Method (ADM), the core process of TOGAF. Richards explains that the ADM is customizable and can be adapted to initiatives of varying sizes. The preliminary phase sets the stage by preparing for the architecture work, deciding on involvement, and customizing the TOGAF process. Phase A establishes the architecture vision, defining the scope of changes, identifying stakeholders, and gaining their agreement. The script then outlines the subsequent phases B, C, and D, which respectively focus on business architecture, data architecture, and technology architecture. These phases detail the necessary changes in workflows, data models, and technological infrastructure to support the architecture vision. Richards also discusses the later phases E through H, which are concerned with governance, planning, implementation, and change management, ensuring the alignment of the architecture with the business vision and managing risks throughout the process.

10:02

🔚 Wrapping Up the TOGAF Lesson

In the final paragraph, the script indicates the end of the TOGAF lesson, suggesting that more content is coming in the subsequent lessons on 'Software Architecture Monday'. This brief segment serves as a transition, hinting at the continuation of the series and encouraging viewers to stay tuned for the next installment.

Keywords

💡TOGAF

TOGAF stands for The Open Group Architecture Framework and is a framework for enterprise architecture. It provides an approach for designing an information system architecture and is used by businesses to improve efficiency. In the video, TOGAF is the central theme, with the presenter discussing its phases and how it serves as a methodology for creating architecture within an organization.

💡Zachman Framework

The Zachman Framework is a conceptual tool for understanding the roles and responsibilities within an enterprise in relation to data management. It is mentioned in the script as a comparison to TOGAF, highlighting that TOGAF is more process-oriented towards achieving architectural visions, whereas Zachman focuses on the documentation of enterprise information.

💡Architecture Development Method (ADM)

The ADM is the central methodology within TOGAF, described as the 'engine' of the framework. It is a process that organizations use to analyze their needs and create a roadmap for achieving their architectural vision. The script emphasizes ADM as the core mechanism that drives the creation of business solutions by iterating through different phases.

💡Business Drivers and Goals

These refer to the strategic objectives and motivations behind an organization's business initiatives. In the context of the video, business drivers and goals are what trigger the ADM process within TOGAF, leading to the identification of new business capabilities and the subsequent development of an architecture to support these capabilities.

💡Business Capabilities

Business capabilities are the abilities that an organization needs to achieve its strategic objectives and goals. The video script discusses how the ADM process in TOGAF feeds into enhancing these capabilities, with business solutions being designed to meet the needs identified by the business drivers and goals.

💡Phases of ADM

The script outlines several phases of the Architecture Development Method within TOGAF, such as Phase A (Architecture Vision), Phase B (Business Architecture), Phase C (Information Systems Architecture), and so on. Each phase represents a step in the process of developing an enterprise architecture, from defining the vision to implementing and governing the changes.

💡Enterprise Continuum

The Enterprise Continuum is a part of TOGAF that provides a set of reference models to help organizations manage their architectural assets. It is mentioned in the script as a component that creates a feedback loop to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the architecture being developed.

💡Architecture Content Framework

This framework within TOGAF is used to organize and categorize the various artifacts and building blocks that are created during the ADM process. The script refers to it in the context of reusing assets and creating a structured approach to developing an architecture.

💡Architecture Vision

The Architecture Vision is a key output of Phase A in the ADM process. It defines the scope of the necessary changes and creates a clear direction for the architecture. The video script mentions that this vision is crucial for gaining stakeholder buy-in and agreement on the architectural direction.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest or concern in the outcome of the architectural project. The script discusses the importance of identifying key stakeholders early in the ADM process to ensure their involvement and support for the architecture vision.

💡Implementation Governance

Implementation Governance, covered in Phase G of the ADM, involves defining acceptance criteria and tracking issues to ensure that the implementation aligns with the architecture vision. The script highlights this phase as crucial for managing the transition from the planned architecture to the actual implementation.

Highlights

Introduction to TOGAF, the Open Group Architecture Framework.

TOGAF is an initiative-based process for facilitating change based on a new architecture vision.

The Architecture Development Method (ADM) is the core engine of TOGAF.

Business drivers and goals lead to new business capabilities in TOGAF.

The Preliminary Phase of TOGAF involves preparation, initiation, and customization of the TOGAF process.

Phase A of TOGAF focuses on defining the scope of changes and creating an architecture vision.

Phase B covers the business architecture, including workflow and organizational changes.

Phase C is about the information systems architecture, detailing data models that support the vision.

Phase D addresses the technology architecture, specifying hardware, software, and infrastructure changes.

Phase E involves creating a roadmap to achieve the architecture vision through iterations and projects.

Phase F is about migration planning, including project qualification, dependencies, and risk assessment.

Phase G focuses on implementation governance, tracking outstanding issues and ensuring alignment with the architecture.

Phase H is about architecture change management, ensuring adherence to the vision and managing risks.

TOGAF can be customized to fit small initiatives or large-scale enterprise-wide transformations.

The ADM allows for the separation of business, data, and technology considerations within architecture development.

TOGAF includes additional components like the Architecture Capability Framework and the Enterprise Continuum.

The video provides a 10-minute overview of TOGAF for those interested in enterprise architecture.

Transcripts

hello everyone and welcome to software

architecture Monday my name is Mark

Richards in lesson 156 a little while

ago I talked about the zachman framework

for Enterprise

architecture well in this lesson I want

to do the same thing only talk about

toggaf the open group architecture

framework in 10 minutes you can get a

listing of all the lessons I do at

software architecture Monday on my

website at developer to architect.com

lessons and here you can find a listing

of all of the lessons plus some helpful

links and also a description of each of

those lessons but today's lesson happens

to be about togaf the open group

architecture

framework now let me show you the

overview of togaf and then kind of focus

in on the real engine of togaf what I

usually get excited about so we have

business drivers and goals and those

ultimately lead to new business

capabilities well sitting right between

this

Chasm happens to be What's called the

ADM the architecture development method

think of this as like the engine of

toggaf so it's running idle right now

but we have a business need a new

initiative this starts up that

architecture velopment method and this

process basically which I'm going to

show you in a little bit produces

Business Solutions which then feed back

into those business

capabilities now during this process uh

we create and reuse uh artifacts

reusable assets building blocks that we

can form and what's called an

architecture content

framework then we have two other

components within toggaf and that's the

archit T exure capability framework

which manages a lot of the project

management aspects of a particular

initiative and then the Enterprise

Continuum and all the reference models

uh which continually create a feedback

loop and so that we can ensure that what

we did was actually accurate and

correct but what I really want to focus

on is what most people know toggaf for

and that's the ADM

the architecture development method now

this like I said is the engine of togaf

let me go through um each of these

because remember zachman uh was really a

description a documentation of the

Enterprise togaf is quite a different

animal than the zachman Enterprise

framework you see togaf is really an

initiative based

process rather than a way of Des

describing the Enterprise and it

consists of a set of phases now each of

these phases describe either

transformation or governance Associated

and necessary to facilitate change based

on a new architecture

Vision so let's take a brief tour of all

of these phases and how toath actually

works so the preliminary phase is the

very initial part of toggaf uh this is

where we do all the preparation we

decide on who needs to be involved the

overall initiation and most importantly

we

customize the togaf process we decide

which phases we don't need uh which

phases to include uh which phases to

modify uh for example uh during the

preliminary phase I usually always add

something extra and that's that y model

from the zachman framework on lesson

156 this this is one of the things I

really love about toggaf because this

process can be customized to a small

initiative or it could be customized to

a rather large initiative like getting

hold of all of our data across the

Enterprise or maybe an app modernization

to

microservices um so it can be modified

which I really really like about

toggaf well everything starts with phase

a the architecture Vision uh this is the

initiative scope uh this really defines

the scope of the changes that are

necessary it identifies all the key

stakeholders that are involved with this

particular

initiative it creates that architecture

vision of where we're going and also

gets Buy in from all the stakeholders an

agreement about the

architecture now once this happens we

start the next three phases and these

don't have to necessarily go in sequence

they can go at the same time as well and

this is phases b c and

d thing I like about toggaf is it

separates the business from data from

technology and I really like that piece

because a lot of other things have to

change just be rather than just the

architecture um for example um phase B

is the business architecture um this

describes any possible workflow changes

organizational change strategies

necessary to support our architecture

Vision sometimes we transform an

architecture maybe undergo an

application modernization effort uh a

major transformation or

re-platforming sometimes it's only

technology but other times it does

change business workflows it changes the

team topologies the structure of our of

our our teams uh that's where all this

business architecture change would be

identified the next phase is Phase C the

information systems this is all about

the data The Logical and physical data

models that need to change in order to

support our architecture a really good

example um could be the move from a

legacy system during app modernization

over to

microservices which would require us to

break apart a monolithic database into

separate databases one for each Service

uh that would all be described in Phase

C all about the data then we have phase

D the technology architecture um this is

where we specify all the things like the

hardware the software additional

platforms infrastructure

that needs to change in order to support

our architecture

Vision now once all three of these

phases kind of are defined we end up

getting into the phases that are more

involved with governance and planning

and the first of those is Phase e

opportunities and solutions I must admit

not crazy about the name because it's

hard to describe um but really this is

where we create a road map really

showing the iterations and the

corresponding

projects to satisfy and get to that

architecture Vision um each iteration is

an opportunity uh to basically describe

some sort of business value but also

generate various projects that would

then get handed down to development

teams on various

applications phase f is really our Migra

ation planning this is where we take the

road map and these those initiatives and

also those projects and we qualify those

projects we undergo dependencies

priorities uh Staffing cost effort and

overall risk of particular projects and

really refine how we're really going to

get there now phase G is implementation

governance um this phase really

describes all the acceptance criteria

for knowing we're done and also um

tracks any of the outstanding issues

this is usually the phase where we

identify a lot of unique constraints

maybe it's Unique challenges associated

with this initiative but also uh we

leverage here in implementation

governance various Fitness functions to

ensure that alignment between the

implementation and the corresponding

architecture

the last phase is Phase H the

architecture change management um this

is really that govern governance and

measurement during

implementation to make sure that we're

in line with the architecture vision and

we identify and manage and mitigate risk

all along the way in each

iteration and that is the core togaf

engine What's called the a DM the

architecture development

method well there's a lot to togf and

there's certification classes available

lots of documentation um but this was

just a short 10-minute video uh really

to give you another perspective of a

different kind of methodology uh that uh

and framework that we can use to create

architecture well this has been lesson

172 toaf and 10 minutes uh stay tuned in

two more Mondays uh for the next lesson

in software architecture Monday