Chapter one – Introduction
The inspiration for writing
Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture came from the author’s work experience in organizations with regulatory functions in the financial and healthcare industries, commercial service providers and several hospitals. Using a self-created
Enterprise Architecture Implementation Wheel, the author developed an approach to implementing Enterprise Architecture that can be used by both novice and experienced architects.
Chapter two – Architecture Origin
A timeline is used to provide insight into the key events that led to the emergence, evolution, and maturation of architecture. Also, a brief explanation of the structure of the two best-known architecture frameworks, and an introduction to the architecture process are provided. The chapter concludes with the similarities and differences between the frameworks.
Chapter three – Architecture Definition
We learn that there are several definitions and that each interpretation of the field has a different point of view. The various definitions are all correct in themselves, even though they differ slightly from each other. Giving an unambiguous definition of architecture turns out to be not so easy.
Chapter four – Architecture Domains
The existence and difference between architecture layers and domains is discussed. The importance of information concepts is emphasized as the main factor for the introduction of an additional architecture domain; Information Architecture.
Chapter five – Architecture Roles
Examines the growth of the profession and the relationship of that growth to the emergence of the motley collection of architecture roles and functions. The function of the Enterprise Architect is described in more detail, and the similarities between this function and that of the Business Architect are noted. Other architecture roles and functions are briefly reviewed to give an idea of the variety that has emerged over the years.
Chapter six – Architecture Visualization
Focuses on visualizing the architecture. To be able to do so, a
modeling language must be used. The origins of the modeling language is discussed and the architectural elements used in the book are identified and explained. The same goes for the architecture products (deliverables) such as catalogs, matrices, diagrams, and maps. Furthermore, the importance of using a good architecture tool is emphasized and why there is a need for an architecture repository.
Chapter seven – Architecture Positioning
This chapter looks at how architecture can be positioned in an organization. The four different ways to do so are each briefly explained, and the implications of each positioning are noted. Examples of architecture work appropriate to each positioning are also given.
Chapter eight – Architecture Implementation
Describes the actual implementation of a basic Enterprise Architecture. Guided by the
Enterprise Architecture Implementation Wheel and using clearly defined architecture products (deliverables), each domain of the Enterprise Architecture is mapped out. Each of the stages defined in the
Enterprise Architecture Implementation Wheel is covered in detail, and discussed step by step.
Chapter nine – Next Steps
The steps that can be taken after the basic Enterprise Architecture has been implemented are detailed. The book looks beyond the horizon of the initial implementation. It provides guidance for further expansion and growth in the maturity of the Enterprise Architecture. For each stage of the
Enterprise Architecture Implementation Wheel, growth opportunities are identified, as well as architecture products that can play a role in further maturing the Enterprise Architecture.
Chapter ten – Architecture Application
Uses a fictitious organization facing a challenge to show how an implemented basic Enterprise Architecture can be used to address a strategic issue. The application of the various Enterprise Architecture products illustrates and emphasizes the structure that a baseline implementation can provide in moving from strategy to execution.
Chapter eleven – Closing Remarks
The purpose of the book is to provide insight into how a basic Enterprise Architecture can be established within an existing organization. Implementing an Enterprise Architecture is a journey in itself. And it can be an unforgettable journey. Like all things in life, it starts at the beginning:
Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture.
Chapter one – Introduction
The TOGAF Standard is known as the world’s leading architecture framework and has been used by tens of thousands of architects for decades. All the ins and outs that practitioners could possibly face are described and explained in the framework.
The reason for writing a book about the TOGAF Standard is my belief that the TOGAF Standard is a very applicable framework that, in my opinion, has not yet been properly applied by the profession. This is because not everyone knows or understands exactly how to apply the framework.
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Chapter two – Preliminary Notes
To fully understand and appreciate the TOGAF Standard, some background information is necessary. It is essential to know the origins of the world’s leading architecture framework as this helps to form a complete picture of the evolution that the TOGAF Standard has gone through and the moments in time that determined the growth of the framework.
The emergence of architecture frameworks has been the catalyst for the creation and evolution of the TOGAF Standard as we know it today. This chapter discusses the development of the TOGAF Standard and its subsequent evolution in detail.
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Chapter three – The TOGAF Standard
The TOGAF Standard 10th Edition is the first edition to have the word Standard added to the title. Since The Open Group is an organization dedicated to creating and making available vendor-neutral standards, it is understandable that they chose this addition.
Over the years, the framework has had several subtitles. Some additions have served the framework better than others, but this latest addition has managed to send a clear message: this is a standard, for Enterprise Architecture.
The TOGAF Standard consists of about six documents that form the basis of the framework. This set of documents is supplemented by additional guidance in the form of Series Guides. The complete set of documents, together with the TOGAF Reference Library, is part of the TOGAF Library.
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Chapter four – Architecture Definition
Definitions are of the utmost importance in creating clarity about what is being talked about or what is being dealt with. A definition provides an unambiguous description of the subject, leaving no room for interpretation. However, when this freedom of interpretation is provided, it can lead to different perceptions of the subject, with all the consequences that entails.
Looking at the field of Enterprise Architecture, it is important to have an unambiguous definition. In this chapter, the many definitions of Enterprise Architecture are presented. It is also pointed out that some essential parts are missing.
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Chapter five – Enterprise Metamodel
Every entity used in architecture work and described in the (Extended) Content Framework is rooted in the Enterprise Metamodel. This makes the Enterprise Metamodel a fundamental part of the TOGAF Standard.
Since no two organizations are alike, the Enterprise Metamodel serves as a Foundation Enterprise Metamodel. This means that it must be tailored to the needs of the organization. The metamodel described in the TOGAF Framework is best viewed and used as a starting point.
The Content Framework provides a categorization mechanism that can be used to structure a representation of the Enterprise Metamodel, consisting of five interrelated sections. It is not to be confused with an architecture diagram that shows domains or layers of the architecture.
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Chapter six – Content Framework
The Content Framework is best thought of as a categorization framework. The primary purpose of the Content Framework is to structure the work products and models that make up the architecture and to describe the architecture products used in an organization. It promotes consistency and coherence in the deliverables produced by following the phases of the Architecture Development Method. The Content Framework – in its extended form – also provides a comprehensive checklist of architecture deliverables that can be produced and reduces the risk of gaps in the final architecture deliverables. In other words, the Content Framework helps an organization use standard architecture concepts, terms, and deliverables.
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Chapter seven – Architecture Repository
This chapter explores the concept of the Architecture Repository. The TOGAF Standard describes the repository as an intangible concept in which all aspects of the architecture are collected and stored. The chapter delves into the various aspects of the Architecture Repository and explains each one in detail. The relationship and connection between components is discussed at length, as is a method for making the repository tangible through appropriate architectural tools. One of the three continua described in this chapter can be used to access stored assets at any time. Key components that are stored in the repository, such as principles, building blocks, viewpoints and views, and the three continua are explained in more detail. How they can be created and used in the context of an architecture problem or challenge is covered in this chapter.
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Chapter eight – Architecture Governance
Architecture governance is more than just a business management tool – it’s the backbone that ensures everything runs smoothly. It is best thought of as the leadership compass, guiding the organization with a deep understanding of its structure, clear direction, and the ability to fine-tune processes, all with the aim of driving the organization’s strategic goals forward.
At its core, architecture governance boils down to one key mission: to streamline an organization’s architectural needs into a coherent set of policies, processes, procedures, and standards. The Architecture Governance Framework makes sure the organization’s vision and standards line up with real-world business demands.
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Chapter nine – Architecture Capability
This chapter deals with the concept of the Architecture Capability. It refers to an organization’s ability to develop, maintain, and govern its Enterprise Architecture effectively. The Architecture Capability is crucial for achieving successful business transformation and maintaining architectural governance.
The TOGAF Standard sees the Architecture Capability as a structured approach to establishing and operating an Enterprise Architecture function within an organization. It includes key components such as architecture governance, organizational structures, processes, roles, responsibilities, and skills necessary to support the architecture practice. The capability helps organizations ensure that architectural efforts are standardized, repeatable, and aligned with corporate strategy.
A well-developed Architecture Capability enables an organization to respond effectively to change, manage complexity, and improve decision-making by providing a structured approach to Enterprise Architecture management. It ensures that architecture-related initiatives are properly governed, resourced, and aligned with business priorities.
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Chapter ten – Architecture Roles, Skills, and Competencies
Establishing the Architecture Capability is one of the first steps to be performed in the Preliminary Phase, along with the formation of an architecture team. Both activities are highly dependent on the ability to define the correct roles, skills, and competencies required to successfully establish the Architecture Capability and associated architecture team. A skills framework can be used to identify these roles and skills.
This chapter focuses on the architecture roles, skills, and competencies provided by the TOGAF Standard. The framework includes an overview of the roles used in an architecture practice and the skills associated with them. With the release of the Architecture Roles and Skills Series Guide, the framework now provides a more comprehensive overview of the skills associated with each role, highlighting the depth of knowledge required to successfully perform the role.
In practice, however, there still seems to be some ambiguity about job descriptions, roles and assignments. In some situations, this leads to misunderstandings about the roles and responsibilities of architects.
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Chapter eleven – Architecture Domains
This chapter builds on the architecture roles mentioned in the previous chapter. Among other things, it identifies the Segment Architect. This role is responsible for (one of) the Business, Data, Application, and Technology domains, depending on the perspective from which the organization is viewed.
Upon reviewing the Architecture Capability described in Chapter 9, it is evident that certain architecture roles are required within an organization depending on the capability’s positioning. The TOGAF Standard distinguishes three core architecture roles that relate to the Architecture Capability.
There is a role for the Chief / Enterprise Architect when the Architecture Capability is used to support strategy. The Segment Architect role is focused on supporting portfolios – and in some cases (large) projects – and the Solution Architect role is primarily focused on providing support when the Architecture Capability is used to support solutions. Regardless of the architecture role practiced, an architect will have to deal with one or more architecture domains. This chapter explains them.
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Chapter twelve – Architecture Development Method
The Architecture Development Method is a key component of the TOGAF Standard. It is the heart of the framework as it provides a comprehensive and iterative approach for developing and managing Enterprise Architectures. It is considered a method that enables Enterprise Architects to develop and implement Enterprise Architecture.
The Architecture Development Method delivers its iterative approach by providing a step-by-step guide for creating and maintaining architecture artifacts and ensuring alignment with business goals. But don’t be fooled by what seems to be a waterfall-approach at first sight.
The Architecture Development Method describes all the actions one can take, not what must be taken. It also does not prescribe the order of theses steps. The TOGAF Standard explicitly states that the Architecture Development Method is to be tailored so that it (the steps and its content) fits an organization’s needs.
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Chapter thirteen – Applying the ADM
The Architecture Development Method describes a structured approach to achieving a sound Enterprise Architecture in a variety of situations and scenarios. The step-by-step approach – not to be confused with a waterfall approach – allows architects to address each sub-area of an architecture challenge in a very focused manner.
The Architecture Development Method can be used in combination with a variety of architectural styles, and the iterative nature of the method makes it possible to respond effectively to different situations. This makes the Architecture Development Method ideal for supporting architecture development. Together with the various applications of the method, the Architecture Development Method provides a solid approach for addressing any architectural issue.
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Chapter fourteen – ADM Techniques
A number of topics that were once an integral part of the TOGAF Framework have been split off and given their own place in the chapter on Architecture Development Method techniques. This includes the broader topics of Architecture Principles, Stakeholder Management and Risk Management. But topics such as Architecture Patterns, Gap Analysis, Interoperability Requirements, Business Transformation Readiness Assessments, and Architecture Alternatives and Trade-Offs have also found their way into this chapter.
The reason for this is that they describe a specific application. One that is invoked, so to speak, at several points in the implementation of the TOGAF Standard. The unbundling of these topics in turn contributes to the modularity that The Open Group has achieved with the publication of the Standard.
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Chapter fifteen – Architecture Maturity Models
An Enterprise Architecture maturity model serves as a framework to assess how well an organization’s architecture aligns with its business objectives. By outlining an ideal Enterprise Architecture implementation – typically conforming to a specific architecture framework – an maturity model framework provides a benchmark to evaluate the effectiveness of architectural processes. This assessment not only highlights the current maturity level but also offers a structured pathway for enhancement, guiding organizations toward improved alignment between their IT infrastructure and business goals.
In the Architecture Maturity Models Series Guide, the TOGAF Standard refers to two applicable methods for measuring architecture maturity. These are the Architecture Capability Maturity Model (ACMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). Organizations can also develop their own organization-specific model to fit their unique circumstances.
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Chapter sixteen – Alignment with Other Frameworks
The TOGAF Standard is the most commonly used framework for developing Enterprise Architectures. Needless to say that organizations also use other types of frameworks and methods to steer the governance of planning and execution, information systems and operation, and management and measurement. In some cases, an organization might even use industry-specific frameworks. It is therefore important to align these existing frameworks and methods with the TOGAF Standard to ensure a solid governance and related outcomes.
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Chapter seventeen – Tailoring the TOGAF Standard
The TOGAF Standard is a framework with a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. The framework itself states in one of the first chapters that it should be adapted to the needs and requirements of the organization in which it is used. Several factors can play a role in determining the extent to which the framework needs to be adapted. These may include industry regulations, best practices, and compliance requirements, project scope and complexity, alignment with the organization’s current maturity level, and specific modeling languages, tools, and techniques.
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Chapter eighteen – Agile Architecture
Agile architecture is not an oxymoron. It is a conscious approach to designing and developing architecture in a way that embraces change, fosters collaboration, and delivers value incrementally. In the context of the TOGAF Standard, agile architecture represents a harmonious blend of structured methodology and adaptive practices.
The TOGAF Standard provides a robust framework that can be tailored to support agile principles. By incorporating iterative cycles, continuous stakeholder engagement, and incremental delivery, the Architecture Development Method can be adapted to facilitate agility within Enterprise Architecture initiatives. This adaptation ensures that architecture development is responsive to evolving business needs while maintaining alignment with strategic goals.
This chapter examines how the TOGAF Standard accommodates agile architecture. It explores the integration of agile practices within the Architecture Development Method phases, and discusses the concept of just enough architecture. Through this exploration, it is demonstrated that the TOGAF Standard is not only compatible with agile methodologies, but also enhances their effectiveness by providing a structured approach to managing complexity and change.
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Chapter nineteen – Digital Transformation
The TOGAF Standard structures digital transformation through its Architecture Development Method, which provides a phased approach to defining, planning, implementing, and governing organization-wide change.
The transformation begins with a strategic vision (Phase A) that aligns business goals with digital capabilities, followed by determining the Business Architecture (Phase B) that optimizes processes for digital readiness. The Information Systems and Technology Architecture (Phases C and D) ensure that data, applications, and infrastructure are designed to support the new digital ecosystem.
A key aspect of digital transformation under the TOGAF Standard is its emphasis on governance and iterative improvement. The framework ensures that transformation initiatives are continuously evaluated through opportunities and solutions (Phase E), migration planning (Phase F), and implementation governance (Phase G).
Additionally, the TOGAF Standard supports ongoing innovation and adaptability through architecture change management (Phase H), allowing organizations to refine their digital strategies as new technologies and business needs emerge.
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Chapter twenty – Putting the TOGAF Standard into Practice
The TOGAF Standard describes in great detail the complete approach to an architecture implementation. All related aspects, such as adapting the Enterprise Metamodel and Content Framework, setting up the Architecture Repository, establishing Architecture Governance, and applying various techniques, are also richly described in the framework.
Applying all of this information in day-to-day practice still presents a challenge or two. To demonstrate that this need not be a showstopper, this chapter describes a case scenario in which all aspects of an architecture implementation are examined and executed using the Architecture Development Method. The case follows Jim, an Enterprise Architect for an organization called Academic Diagnostic Medicine.
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Chapter twenty-one – The TOGAF Standard on a Page
The TOGAF Standard comprises several key components (or concepts), which are detailed in previous chapters of this book. These include the Governance Framework, Architecture Repository, Architecture Development Method, Enterprise Metamodel, and Content Framework. These components are closely linked and form the foundation of the TOGAF Standard together. These components enable the structured development of architecture while maintaining mutual dependencies. Visualizing these components reveals how structured and well-thought-out the framework is.
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Chapter twenty-two – Closing Remarks
The TOGAF Standard is still highly relevant today. It covers all the necessary aspects for creating a sound Enterprise Architecture. The framework is supplemented with various methods and techniques that provide the right tools for an effective approach. Yet, many practitioners do not apply it as intended. This is because they do not fully know how to apply it. This is partly due to the amount of information in the framework and how that information is explained. Sometimes, it may seem vague or even slightly academic. This causes many architects to abandon the framework, leaving room for myths to emerge.
Many of the myths that surround the framework stem from a lack of understanding of how the framework’s theory is applied. This leads to further misunderstandings in practice. This chapter debunks the myths and looks back on the writing process.
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