Core of TOGAF: ADM

What is ADM (Architecture Development Method)?

The TOGAF ADM is the result of continuous contributions from a large number of architecture practitioners. It describes a method for developing an enterprise architecture, and forms the core of TOGAF. It integrates elements of TOGAF of all available architectural assets, to meet the business and IT needs of an organization. ---TOGAF Version 9 handbook (http://www.opengroup.org/togaf/).

ADM Process:

An EA process should be an iterative process. That means, we should analyze the architecture quite often to make it suitable for our vision.

ADM is iterative; the process of ADM can be separated into four parts.

1. Architecture Context: establishing the architecture approach, principles, scope, and vision.

2. Architecture Definition: Business, Information Systems, and Technology Architecture phases.

3. Transition Planning: creation of formal change roadmap.

4. Architecture Governance: governance of change activity.

Figure 19-1 pp216 TOGAF Version 9 handbook

In each part, there is a list on the priority of work.

Figure 19-2 pp218 TOGAF Version 9 handbook

What is the meaning of Baseline and Target in the figure above?

They are two different styles in architecture definition, Baseline First and Target First.

Although the handbook of TOGAF version 9 give us long definition of these two new concepts, it is quite easy to understand them in a different way:

Baseline First means we should focus on analyze current conditions of enterprise. When the target is not easily built up, we can adopt this process first.

Target First means we should focus on determine the vision we want to realize.

The figure 19-3 is the activity by iteration for Baseline First style, the one for Target First style is quite similar. When adopting EA, we can analyze which style should be used in each part of the iteration. Adopting these both styles can make the plan more agile.

Some of the iteration cycles can be executed once, whereas others have a natural minimum number of cycles. For some iteration cycles, each iteration follows the same process; where there is more than one iteration within a cycle, the process differs slightly for each of the iterations.

When considering the usage of iteration cycles, it is also necessary to consider where to place appropriate checkpoints within the process. Check status frequently means low misunderstanding and efficiency. When we are adopting EA, we should also think about trying stick to the direction when keep high efficiency.

Tips: Why it is so difficult in finding successful EA case?

Even we know something about EA; we still do not know how to build up it. We want to find some case in the real world. But there is few EA case on the Internet. Why?

I think three facts contribute to this result.

1. EA cannot show value directly. It can just tell the companies to do things right. When the specific value is shown, the contribution of EA is hard to measure.

2. EA contains the analysis of current architecture, future architecture and roadmap, which are treated as core secrets in companies. From outside, we cannot see EA’s contribution clearly. The author of An Introduction to Enterprise Architecture Scott A. Bernard appealed in his book that enterprises should release some case in adopting EA to help the development of EA.

3. There are still arguments on EA’s concept. Even inside Open Group, there is no uniform answer of what exactly EA is. Different people have different idea. In addition, there are tens of different EA frameworks. None of them is perfect.

So, we cannot find some practical case to analyze and follow.