A Comprehensive Guide for TOGAF ADM Phase B: Business Architecture (Part 3)

Overview:

The Business Architecture Phase (Phase B) in TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method (ADM) is crucial for developing the business aspects of an enterprise’s architecture. This includes strategic business planning, business process reengineering, and establishing the baseline and target business architectures.

Objectives:

1. Establish a Baseline Business Architecture:
   • Conduct a bottom-up analysis of the current business environment.
   • Determine intrinsic values of architecture components.
   • Understand the residual value of including or excluding certain components.
2. Develop a Target Business Architecture:
   • Envision a future representation of the business architecture aligned with new requirements.
   • Utilize information gathered in the baseline analysis.
3. Analyze Gaps between Baseline and Target:
   • Identify gaps between the current state and the desired future state.
   • Resolve conflicts through trade-off analysis.
   • Validate models against principles, objectives, and constraints.
4. Select Relevant Viewpoints and Tools:
   • Choose appropriate reference models, viewpoints, and tools.
   • Identify the modeling process, service granularity, boundaries, and contracts.
   • Define catalogs of business building blocks, matrices, and diagrams.
5. Select Relevant Tools and Techniques:
   • Utilize modeling tools and techniques such as Activity Models, Use-Case Models, and Class Models (often represented in UML).
   • Some sectors may have specific techniques like Node Connectivity Diagram and Information Exchange Matrix.

Steps:

1. Selecting Reference Models, Viewpoints, and Tools:
   • Identify overall modeling processes, service granularity, boundaries, and contracts.
   • Define catalogs of relevant business building blocks, matrices, and diagrams.
   • Determine types of requirements to be collected.
2. Developing the Baseline Business Architecture Description:
   • Provide a current outlook on the existing business environment.
   • Use information from the first step to aid in development.
3. Developing the Target Business Architecture Description:
   • Create a future representation suitable for meeting new architecture requirements.
4. Performing Gap Analysis:
   • Identify gaps between baseline and target architectures.
   • Resolve conflicts using trade-off analysis.
   • Validate that models support principles, objectives, and constraints.
5. Defining Roadmap Components:
   • Aid in prioritizing activities in subsequent phases.
6. Resolving Impact:
   • Determine the impact of implementing the target business architecture on the current environment and ongoing enterprise operations.
7. Conducting Formal Reviews:
   • Ensure the target business architecture meets stakeholder requirements.
8. Finalizing the Business Architecture:
   • Select building blocks and appropriate standards.
   • Develop supporting work products.
9. Creating the Architecture Definition Document:
   • Document rationale for building block decisions.
   • Provide a description of various components of the business architecture.

Outputs:

1. Refinement of Architecture Vision Phase Deliverables:
   • Enhance the initial vision phase deliverables.
2. Draft Version of the Architecture Definition Document:
   • Includes baseline and target business architectures.
3. Draft Architecture Requirements Specification:
   • Outlines requirements for the architecture.
4. Business Architecture Components:
   • Components developed during the phase.

Architecture Phase Summary: Business Architecture

Here’s a summarized tabular format for TOGAF ADM Phase B:

Objective	Key Activities	Outputs
Establish a Baseline Business Architecture	– Bottom-up analysis of the current environment.	– Refinement of Architecture Vision phase deliverables
	– Determine intrinsic values of architecture components.	– Draft Architecture Definition Document
	– Identify residual value of including/excluding components.	– Draft Architecture Requirements Specification
		– Business Architecture components
Develop a Target Business Architecture	– Envision a future representation aligned with new requirements.
	– Utilize information from baseline analysis.
Analyze Gaps between Baseline and Target	– Identify gaps between current and desired future states.
	– Resolve conflicts through trade-off analysis.
	– Validate models against principles, objectives, constraints.
Select Relevant Viewpoints and Tools	– Choose reference models, viewpoints, and tools.
	– Define modeling processes, service granularity, boundaries.
	– Define catalogs of business building blocks, matrices, etc.
Select Relevant Tools and Techniques	– Utilize modeling tools like Activity Models, Use-Case Models,
	Class Models (often in UML).
	– Employ sector-specific techniques if applicable.
Steps
1. Selecting Reference Models, Viewpoints, and Tools	– Identify modeling processes, boundaries, contracts.
2. Developing the Baseline Business Architecture Description	– Provide a current outlook on the existing environment.
3. Developing the Target Business Architecture Description	– Create a future representation for new requirements.
4. Performing Gap Analysis	– Identify gaps, resolve conflicts, validate models.
5. Defining Roadmap Components	– Aid in prioritizing activities for subsequent phases.
6. Resolving Impact	– Determine impact of implementing target architecture.
7. Conducting Formal Reviews	– Ensure target architecture meets stakeholder requirements.
8. Finalizing the Business Architecture	– Select building blocks, standards, and supporting work products.
9. Creating the Architecture Definition Document	– Document rationale for building block decisions.

This table provides a concise overview of the key objectives, activities, and outputs for TOGAF ADM Phase B.

Conclusion:

The Business Architecture Phase sets the foundation for the enterprise architecture by focusing on the business aspects. It ensures alignment with strategic goals, identifies gaps, and lays the groundwork for subsequent phases. The outputs, including the Architecture Definition Document, provide a comprehensive understanding of the business architecture for stakeholders and guide further development.

The guide outlines TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method (ADM) Phase B, focusing on Business Architecture. This phase is pivotal for developing the business aspects of enterprise architecture, including strategic planning and process reengineering. The objectives encompass establishing a Baseline Business Architecture, developing a Target Business Architecture, analyzing gaps, and selecting relevant viewpoints and tools. The phase starts with selecting models and tools, progresses through baseline and target architecture development, and concludes with formal reviews and finalization.

Key steps involve gap analysis, defining roadmap components, and resolving impact. The article emphasizes the importance of adequately defining business processes and details the use of modeling tools like ArchiMate and UML. It also highlights industry-specific techniques. The inputs, steps, and outputs of the Business Architecture Phase are comprehensively discussed, offering a clear guide for practitioners. The emphasis on stakeholder communication and documentation, including the Architecture Definition Document, underscores the strategic value of this phase in shaping the overall enterprise architecture.