What is new in TOGAF 9

Recently I completed my TOGAF 9 certification and was asked if I could present what is new in TOGAF 9. Following is a brief summary:

Evolution of TOGAF

TOGAF journey started in 1993 when customers started demanding architecture standards. In 94 DOD donated the TAFIM as a base and in 96 TOGAF specifications was first published. TOGA F7 technical edition was published in 2002 and TOGAF 8 in 2003. TOGAF 9 enterprise edition was first released in 2009.
TOFAG 9 is the next evolution and not a “revolution” of the specification. There are no changes to the top level processes. There are stronger links to the business strategic planning and deployment decisions. It is easier to use due to its more formal meta model with more guidelines techniques and templates.
More specifically new subject areas in TOFAG 9 are:

• Architecture Partitioning
• Content Framework and meta model
• Capability Based planning
• Business transformation readiness
• Architecture repository
• Stakeholder management
• Security architecture
• SOA

Architecture Partitioning

Who and What
Partitioning is used to divide work and can cover multiple levels of architecture. For example corporate EA capability team consisting of lead enterprise architect and chief architect can work on strategic  architecture level. Portfolio team consisting of domain architects or stream leads within the domain can work on segment level architecture and project level teams within the domains and streams can work on capability level architecture.

How
Above can be achieved in two approaches within the ADM.

Multiple ADM cycles

Each level can be done by its own ADM cycle where the strategic ADM cycle in phase F triggers one or more ADM cycle’s for segment architecture’s and likewise, segment architecture phase F triggers one of more ADM cycles of capability architecture’s.

Multiple ADM Cycles

One ADM cycle

All levels can be done using one ADM cycle. Strategic architecture can be done in phase A Architecture Vision. Segment architecture can be completed in Phases B-D (Business, Information, and Technology) and capability architecture in phase E (Opportunities and Solutions)

One ADM Cycle

 

TOGAF 9 Content Framework and Meta Model

 

Content Meta Model

 

Capability Based planning

Capability Based planning is a business planning technique that focuses on business outcomes. It consists of the planning, engineering and delivery of strategic business capability to an enterprise rather than a specific unit.
Capability based planning sits horizontally across vertical functional business units. Enterprise Architecture is a very good fit for capability planning as it also sits horizontally across the business units.

Business Transformation Readiness Assessment

Evaluated and quantifies organisations readiness to undergo change. Most organisations will have their own unique set of factors and criteria, but most are similar.
Example set of factors:

• Vision
• Desire
• Willingness
• Resolve
• Need

 

Architecture Repository

Architecture repository is an architecture part of the wider enterprise repository that manages different types of architectural assets that exist at the different level of abstraction.
Types of architectural assets and their relationships to the broader enterprise repository are depicted below:

Architecture Repository

 

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management provides some useful guidelines on navigating the individual organisation politics and power brokers and how to best manage them.
Stakeholder can be grouped in the power grid and classified by the level of interest e.g. which stakeholders need to be kept satisfied, kept informed, who are the key players and which stakeholders require minimal effort to manage.

Security Architecture

Security Architecture has its own discrete security methodology and is treated as a separate architecture domain within the enterprise architecture while needing to be fully integrated in it.
Security architecture:

• composes its own discrete views and viewpoints
• addresses non-normative flows through systems and among applications
• introduces its own normative flows through systems and among applications
• introduces unique, single-purpose components in the design
• calls for its own unique set of skills and competencies of the enterprise and IT architects

SOA

SOA and EA are closely related as they address number of similar concerns for the business stakeholders. Both initiatives need to ensure that stakeholder community needs are met and that business and IT are linked in order to justify cost of IT reengineering against the business value.    
Service Oriented Architecture tailors number of activities in the TOGAF ADM in order to meet SOA objectives. For example as part of the Preliminary and Architecture Vision phases it can:

• adopt the principles of service orientation  
• determine the organisational readiness for SOA
• adopt the open group SOA Governance model
• partition by utilising a specialist centre of excellence to support SOA

For more in depth information on any of these subject areas see the TOGAF Open Group Standard specification http://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf9-doc/arch/

References

Architecting the Enterprise TOGAF® 9 for Practitioners (Level 1 & 2) Course Material
TOGAF