Introduction

A capability catalog is a structured list of business capabilities that represent the abilities of an organization to achieve specific purposes. This guide provides a detailed overview of what a capability catalog is, its importance, how to create and maintain it within the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM), and its applications in business planning and change management.

What is a Capability Catalog?

A capability catalog is a structured list of business capabilities. Business capabilities represent the abilities of an organization to achieve specific purposes . This catalog can be used to identify an organization’s capabilities and to understand the level of governance applied to the functions of an organization . It helps in identifying new capabilities required to support business change or in determining the scope of change initiatives, applications, or technology components .

Importance of a Capability Catalog in TOGAF ADM

The TOGAF Standard states that a business capability catalog provides a listing of the abilities that a business may possess to achieve specific purposes . It is a key part of business capability planning, capturing and documenting the business capabilities that enable the value streams executed by the business today, as well as future value streams . The catalog should be comprehensive but manageable; if it has over 100 items, it is likely too detailed .

Creating a Capability Catalog in TOGAF ADM

  1. Identify Business Capabilities: Start by identifying the core capabilities that enable your business to achieve its goals. These capabilities should be independent of the current organizational structure, business processes, IT systems, applications, and product or service portfolio .
  2. Document Capabilities: Document each capability in a structured format. Include details such as the capability name, description, related value streams, and any governing policies or standards.
  3. Relate to Enterprise Metamodel: The TOGAF Standard — Architecture Content provides a detailed description of the catalogs that should be considered for development within a Business Architecture, describing them in detail and relating them to entities, attributes, and relationships in the TOGAF Enterprise Metamodel .
  4. Ensure Comprehensiveness: Make sure the catalog is comprehensive but manageable. Avoid over-detailing; a catalog with over 100 items may be too complex .

TOGAF ADM Phases and Recommended Catalogs

The TOGAF Standard utilizes catalogs as a key component in architecture development. The TOGAF Content Framework identifies a categorization framework to be used to structure architecture descriptions, work products, and models . Catalogs are structured lists of entities used to organize and represent this information, which can then be presented in the form of matrices and diagrams . TOGAF suggests using the Enterprise Metamodel to structure architectural information so that it can be processed and presented to meet stakeholder needs .

The TOGAF Standard — Architecture Content details a set of recommended artifacts to be produced for each ADM phase, many of which are catalogs . Examples include:

  • Preliminary Phase: Principles Catalog
  • Phase A: Architecture Vision: Stakeholder Catalog
  • Phase B: Business Architecture: Business Capabilities Catalog
  • Phase C: Data Architecture: Data Entity/Data Component Catalog
  • Phase C: Application Architecture: Application Portfolio Catalog
  • Phase D: Technology Architecture: Technology Standards Catalog and Technology Portfolio Catalog
  • Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions: Implementation Factor Catalog
  • Requirements Management: Requirements Catalog

The TOGAF Standard does not mandate the selection of artifacts or modeling notation . For example, the Technology Portfolio Catalog can be based on and extended from an existing catalog of technology products .

Maintaining the Capability Catalog

Maintaining the catalog requires ongoing effort. Here are some best practices:

  1. Assign Responsibility: A small group of people should be responsible for creating and maintaining the catalog .
  2. Change Management: Use a change management process to review proposed changes to the catalog. This ensures that the catalog remains relevant and up-to-date .
  3. Regular Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of the catalog to identify any new capabilities that need to be added or existing ones that need to be updated.

Applications of a Capability Catalog in TOGAF ADM

  1. Business Planning: The catalog can be used to identify new capabilities required to support business change or to determine the scope of change initiatives .
  2. Governance: It helps in understanding the level of governance applied to the functions of an organization .
  3. Technology and Application Scope: The catalog can be used to determine the scope of applications or technology components .

Conclusion

A capability catalog is a critical tool for organizations to understand and manage their abilities to achieve specific purposes within the TOGAF ADM framework. By creating and maintaining a comprehensive but manageable catalog, organizations can better plan for business changes and ensure effective governance. The TOGAF ADM is a flexible and iterative approach, and the specific catalogs used in an architecture development project will vary depending on the needs of the organization. However, the use of catalogs is a key part of the TOGAF approach and can help to ensure that architecture development is consistent, comprehensive, and traceable.

 

References

  • 1. TOGAF Business Capabilities Guide V2
  • 2. TOGAF Series Guide: Business Capability Planning
  • 3. The TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 – Capability-Based Planning
  • 4. TOGAF Business Capability Model: Definitive Guide
  • 5. TOGAF Value Streams Guide
  • 6. Mapping TOGAF Functions to Capabilities
  • 7. The TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 – Phase B: Business Architecture
  • 8. The TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 – Definitions
  • 9. TOGAF® Series Guide Business Capabilities
  • 10. The TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 – Core Concepts
  1. Visual Paradigm – TOGAF ADM Tools
    • URL: Visual Paradigm – TOGAF ADM Tools
    • Description: Offers a comprehensive TOGAF toolkit with step-by-step guidance, cutting-edge modeling tools, and real-life examples to support the ADM process.
  2. Visual Paradigm – TOGAF Guide-Through Process
    • URL: Visual Paradigm – TOGAF Guide-Through Process
    • Description: Explains how the automated TOGAF ADM Guide-Through Process in Visual Paradigm helps kick-start projects and develop architecture deliverables incrementally and collaboratively.
  3. TOGAF ADM Software: Act and Generate ADM Deliverables
    • URL: Visual Paradigm – TOGAF ADM Software
    • Description: Provides a tutorial on using Visual Paradigm’s process navigator to guide users through the execution and completion of TOGAF ADM.
  4. Unlock the Power of TOGAF® with Visual Paradigm’s ADM Guide-Through Process
  5. TOGAF ADM: A Quick Tutorial
  6. Step-by-Step Enterprise Architecture Tutorial with TOGAF

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