Comprehensive Guide to Applying Architecture Principles in TOGAF ADM

Introduction

Architecture Principles are fundamental to the successful development and implementation of Enterprise Architecture using the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM). They provide a set of general rules and guidelines that inform and support the way an organization fulfills its mission through the use and deployment of IT resources. This guide explains how to apply architecture principles across different phases of the TOGAF ADM process, providing examples to illustrate the concepts and flow.

Understanding Architecture Principles

What Are Architecture Principles?

Architecture Principles are general rules and guidelines intended to be enduring and seldom amended. They inform and support the way an organization sets about fulfilling its mission by providing a foundation for decision-making and ensuring that the architecture aligns with the organization’s goals and strategies.

Characteristics of Architecture Principles

• Enduring: Principles are intended to be enduring and seldom amended.
• Consensus: They reflect a level of consensus among the various elements of the enterprise.
• Guidance: They form the basis for making future IT decisions.
• Alignment: They are aligned with the business objectives and key architecture drivers.

Components of Architecture Principles

Each Architecture Principle should include:

• Name: A clear and memorable representation of the rule.
• Statement: A succinct and unambiguous communication of the fundamental rule.
• Rationale: The business benefits of adhering to the principle.
• Implications: The requirements, resources, costs, and activities/tasks for carrying out the principle.

Applying Architecture Principles in TOGAF ADM Phases

Phase A: Architecture Vision

Objective

Develop a high-level aspirational vision of the capabilities and business value to be delivered through the proposed Enterprise Architecture.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Primacy of Principles: Ensure that all organizations within the enterprise abide by the principles to provide a consistent and measurable level of quality information to decision-makers.
• Principle of Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise: Make decisions from an enterprise-wide perspective to achieve maximum return on investment and align with enterprise-wide drivers and priorities.

Example

Principle: Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise

• Statement: Information management decisions are made to provide maximum benefit to the enterprise as a whole.
• Rationale: Decisions made from an enterprise-wide perspective have greater long-term value than decisions made from any particular organizational perspective.
• Implications: Achieving maximum enterprise-wide benefit will require changes in the way we plan and manage information. Some organizations may have to concede their own preferences for the greater benefit of the entire enterprise.

Phase B: Business Architecture

Objective

Develop the Business Architecture to support the Architecture Vision.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Information Management is Everybody’s Business: Ensure that all organizations in the enterprise participate in information management decisions needed to accomplish business objectives.
• Principle of Business Continuity: Ensure that enterprise operations are maintained despite system interruptions.

Example

Principle: Business Continuity

• Statement: Enterprise operations are maintained despite system interruptions.
• Rationale: As system operations become more pervasive, we become more dependent on them; therefore, we must consider the reliability of such systems throughout their design and use.
• Implications: Dependency on shared system applications mandates that the risks of business interruption must be established in advance and managed.

Phase C: Information Systems Architectures

Objective

Develop the Data and Application Architectures to support the Business Architecture.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Common Use Applications: Prefer the development of applications used across the enterprise over similar or duplicative applications provided to a particular organization.
• Principle of Service Orientation: Base the architecture on a design of services that mirror real-world business activities.

Example

Principle: Common Use Applications

• Statement: Development of applications used across the enterprise is preferred over the development of similar or duplicative applications which are only provided to a particular organization.
• Rationale: Duplicative capability is expensive and proliferates conflicting data.
• Implications: Organizations which depend on a capability which does not serve the entire enterprise must change over to the replacement enterprise-wide capability.

Phase D: Technology Architecture

Objective

Develop the Technology Architecture to support the deployment of the Data and Application Architectures.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Technology Independence: Ensure that applications are independent of specific technology choices and can operate on a variety of technology platforms.
• Principle of Ease-of-Use: Ensure that applications are easy to use, with the underlying technology being transparent to users.

Example

Principle: Technology Independence

• Statement: Applications are independent of specific technology choices and therefore can operate on a variety of technology platforms.
• Rationale: Independence of applications from the underlying technology allows applications to be developed, upgraded, and operated in the most cost-effective and timely way.
• Implications: This principle will require standards which support portability. Middleware should be used to decouple applications from specific software solutions.

Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions

Objective

Identify delivery vehicles (projects, programs, or portfolios) that effectively deliver the Target Architecture.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Requirements-Based Change: Ensure that changes to applications and technology are made only in response to business needs.
• Principle of Responsive Change Management: Ensure that changes to the enterprise information environment are implemented in a timely manner.

Example

Principle: Requirements-Based Change

• Statement: Only in response to business needs are changes to applications and technology made.
• Rationale: This principle will foster an atmosphere where the information environment changes in response to the needs of the business.
• Implications: Changes in implementation will follow full examination of the proposed changes using the Enterprise Architecture.

Phase F: Migration Planning

Objective

Finalize the Architecture Roadmap and the supporting Implementation and Migration Plan.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Control Technical Diversity: Control technological diversity to minimize the cost of maintaining expertise in and connectivity between multiple processing environments.
• Principle of Interoperability: Ensure that software and hardware conform to defined standards that promote interoperability for data, applications, and technology.

Example

Principle: Control Technical Diversity

• Statement: Technological diversity is controlled to minimize the non-trivial cost of maintaining expertise in and connectivity between multiple processing environments.
• Rationale: There is a real, non-trivial cost of infrastructure required to support alternative technologies for processing environments.
• Implications: Policies, standards, and procedures that govern the acquisition of technology must be tied directly to this principle.

Phase G: Implementation Governance

Objective

Provide architectural oversight of the implementation.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Compliance with Law: Ensure that enterprise information management processes comply with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations.
• Principle of IT Responsibility: Ensure that the IT organization is responsible for owning and implementing IT processes and infrastructure that enable solutions to meet user-defined requirements.

Example

Principle: Compliance with Law

• Statement: Enterprise information management processes comply with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations.
• Rationale: Enterprise policy is to abide by laws, policies, and regulations.
• Implications: The enterprise must be mindful to comply with laws, regulations, and external policies regarding the collection, retention, and management of data.

Phase H: Architecture Change Management

Objective

Establish procedures for managing change to the new architecture.

Application of Principles

• Principle of Protection of Intellectual Property: Ensure that the enterprise’s Intellectual Property (IP) is protected and reflected in the IT architecture, implementation, and governance processes.
• Principle of Data Security: Ensure that data is protected from unauthorized use and disclosure.

Example

Principle: Protection of Intellectual Property

• Statement: The enterprise’s Intellectual Property (IP) must be protected. This protection must be reflected in the IT architecture, implementation, and governance processes.
• Rationale: A major part of an enterprise’s IP is hosted in the IT domain.
• Implications: While protection of IP assets is everybody’s business, much of the actual protection is implemented in the IT domain.

Example Flow of Applying Architecture Principles

Scenario: Developing a New Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

Phase A: Architecture Vision

• Principle Applied: Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise
• Action: Ensure that the ERP system is designed to provide maximum benefit to the enterprise as a whole, considering enterprise-wide drivers and priorities.

Phase B: Business Architecture

• Principle Applied: Business Continuity
• Action: Design the ERP system to maintain enterprise operations despite system interruptions, with reliable and redundant components.

Phase C: Information Systems Architectures

• Principle Applied: Common Use Applications
• Action: Develop the ERP system as a common application to be used across the enterprise, avoiding duplicative capabilities.

Phase D: Technology Architecture

• Principle Applied: Technology Independence
• Action: Ensure that the ERP system is independent of specific technology choices and can operate on a variety of technology platforms.

Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions

• Principle Applied: Requirements-Based Change
• Action: Ensure that changes to the ERP system are made only in response to business needs, with full examination using the Enterprise Architecture.

Phase F: Migration Planning

• Principle Applied: Control Technical Diversity
• Action: Control technological diversity in the ERP system to minimize the cost of maintaining expertise and connectivity between multiple processing environments.

Phase G: Implementation Governance

• Principle Applied: Compliance with Law
• Action: Ensure that the ERP system complies with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations regarding data collection, retention, and management.

Phase H: Architecture Change Management

• Principle Applied: Protection of Intellectual Property
• Action: Ensure that the ERP system protects the enterprise’s Intellectual Property (IP) and reflects this protection in the IT architecture, implementation, and governance processes.

Conclusion

Applying Architecture Principles throughout the TOGAF ADM phases ensures that the Enterprise Architecture aligns with the organization’s goals and strategies. By following the principles and examples provided in this guide, organizations can achieve consistency, alignment, and effective decision-making in the development and deployment of IT resources. The flow of applying architecture principles in the development of a new ERP system illustrates how these principles can be practically applied across different phases of the TOGAF ADM process.

 

Reference List for TOGAF ADM Articles

Cybermedian Articles

1. TOGAF ADM Automated Workflow Management
   • This article discusses how to manage the development of TOGAF ADM deliverables using a task management tool. It highlights the use of pre-defined forms with instructions and samples to kick-start the process for incremental and collaborative development11.
2. TOGAF ADM: Qu’est-ce que c’est et pourquoi est-ce si important?
   • This French article explains the significance of TOGAF ADM in developing and managing the lifecycle of an enterprise architecture. It describes the methodology as a detailed, step-by-step process for creating or modifying an enterprise architecture12.
3. Introduction to TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM)
   • This article provides an overview of the TOGAF ADM, explaining its purpose and the steps involved in developing an enterprise architecture that meets business and IT needs. It also discusses the tailoring of TOGAF to meet organizational requirements13.
4. TOGAF ADM Phase B (Part 1 of 2) — Architecture Definition (Business Domain)
   • This article focuses on Phase B of the TOGAF ADM, which involves defining the architecture for the business domain. It includes a video guide on developing an Architecture Definition Document that describes the baseline and target enterprise architecture, along with gap analysis14.
5. TOGAF ADM Preliminary Phase (Part 3 of 4) — Architecture Principles
   • This article discusses the Preliminary Phase of TOGAF ADM, focusing on developing architecture principles that guide the organization in fulfilling its mission. It includes a video guide on creating an Architecture Principles document15.
6. Introduction to TOGAF (Part 1 of 4) Preliminary Phase
   • This article introduces the Preliminary Phase of TOGAF ADM, which involves preparation and initiation activities for creating an Architecture Capability. It discusses key activities such as defining the framework for architecture development and combining TOGAF with other frameworks16.
7. TOGAF ADM Phase A (Part 3 of 4) — Capability Assessment
   • This article focuses on the capability assessment in Phase A of TOGAF ADM. It includes a video guide on assessing an organization’s business and IT capabilities before embarking on a detailed Architecture Definition17.
8. TOGAF ADM: What is it and why is it so important?
   • This article explains the importance of TOGAF ADM in developing a consistent enterprise architecture that reflects stakeholder needs and adopts best practices. It discusses the tailoring of TOGAF to meet the needs of the upcoming ADM iteration and the integration with other management frameworks18.
9. TOGAF ADM Fase A (Parte 4 de 4) — Declaración de trabajo de arquitectura
   • This Spanish article focuses on Phase A of TOGAF ADM, which involves developing a Statement of Architecture Work. It includes a video guide on defining the scope and focus for completing an architecture project19.

ArchiMetric Articles

1. Using BPMN to Supplement TOGAF ADM EA Development Together with ArchiMate
   • This article explores how Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) can be integrated with TOGAF ADM and ArchiMate to enhance the understanding and communication of business processes within the enterprise architecture framework20.
2. TOGAF® Tool for Enterprise Architecture
   • This article introduces the TOGAF ADM as a method for developing and managing the lifecycle of an enterprise architecture. It discusses the use of Visual Paradigm to guide users through the ADM process and produce deliverables easily21.
3. What is TOGAF?
   • This article provides an overview of TOGAF and its Architecture Development Method (ADM). It discusses the various phases of ADM, the guidelines and techniques supporting it, and the classification of deliverables, artifacts, and building blocks in the Architecture Repository22.
4. Mastering Enterprise Architecture with Visual Paradigm’s TOGAF Tool
   • This article highlights the features and benefits of Visual Paradigm’s TOGAF Tool in streamlining and enhancing the ADM process. It discusses how the tool helps in learning TOGAF visually, navigating the ADM, and developing deliverables for each phase of the development process23.
5. TOGAF from Concepts to Deliverables
   • This article provides a step-by-step guide on using Visual Paradigm’s TOGAF Tool to navigate through the ADM process and develop deliverables for each phase. It emphasizes the intuitive features and customizable options that streamline the ADM process24.
6. FREE TOGAF Training Video
   • This article offers free training videos on TOGAF ADM, covering various phases from the Preliminary Phase to Phase E. It provides insights into the major steps involved in each phase and the goals of the ADM process25.
7. FREE TOGAF Training Videos
   • This article provides an introduction to TOGAF ADM through free training videos, focusing on the Preliminary Phase and Phase A. It discusses the preparation and initiation activities involved in meeting the business directive for a new enterprise architecture26.
8. 如何结合 TOGAF 和 ArchiMate?
   • This Chinese article discusses the benefits of combining TOGAF and ArchiMate for creating optimized enterprise architecture practices. It highlights how TOGAF’s comprehensive methodology and ArchiMate’s clear visualization can enhance communication and promote architectural changes27.