What is TOGAF? Why Should Organizations Use It?
The Open Group Architecture Framework
TOGAF, or ‘The Open Group Architectural Framework,’ is an award-winning enterprise architectural framework developed in 1995 by The Open Group. This leads to a clear set of rules on organizational development designed to help large enterprises achieve development goals quickly and cost-effectively.
TOGAF itself allows guidance on how an organization can create, interpret, analyze, and make use of various elements within a single strategy. Using clearly defined terminology, this allows simple communication between departments and a sizeable reduction in the likelihood of careless errors.
The first reason is simply a thing of scale. Enterprise Architects need to maintain an explicit knowledge of what their organizations are progressing towards. At the same time, they must have in mind the needs and capabilities of various departments about the overall enterprise. This is a lot to organize, even for a mature professional!
TOGAF allows a solution by helping businesses to establish clear ROIs, reliable communication, and enough perspective to tie everything together under one plan. It is moving forward without a well-established planning framework risks severe delays and wasted resources. Worse yet, it will likely produce a result that fails to satisfy expectations or specifications. In the corporate world, a single mistake can cost millions!
The second reason is that even after almost 25 years, TOGAF is but at the top of its game. The first version was based on the ‘Technical Architecture Framework’ produced by the Department of Defense. This framework was then delivered over to The Open Group, which has continued to refine it ever since.
How Does TOGAF Work?
Exactly how TOGAF works can be split down into three critical areas for EA framework development. The first is the clear and well-established terminology used throughout the development process. Ask a builder and a marketing executive to provide their definitions of ‘architecture,’ and their answers will be completely changed. Without a clear idea not just of what its professionals are saying but also how they are saying it, an organization will surely suffer confusion and delays.
Establishing the meaning behind basic terms early on enables effective communication across the board. This, in turn, will ensure accuracy of vision in setting goals, along with the methodologies designed to achieve them. TOGAF gives this terminology, allowing certified professionals to collaborate with security, even across disparate industries.
The second is a set of clearly established processes to follow. This is supported by TOGAF’s ‘ADM’ or ‘Architecture Development Method.’ The ADM is a cycle for enterprise architecture development, which outlines some key steps for professionals to follow. It guides users via a transparent and adaptable methodology, allowing them to apply and develop their knowledge in practice.
Finally, TOGAF provides all the necessary assets needed to carry out architectural development. This aids in creating future ADM cycles, which, in turn, will cut down on time required for additional events down the line.
How Can a TOGAF Certification Help in Business?
We have already studied how TOGAF provides the tools and clarity required for active enterprise architecture development. For those different with the fundamental concepts of enterprise architecture, however, it may look like we have abandoned to get down to administration tacks.
TOGAF for Businesses
1. Greater Efficiency:
TOGAF’s framework serves to develop clear paths for creating an enterprise architecture. It also gives all the tools necessary to establish a working EA framework. While paying for this set of guidance is entirely optional, the alternative often results in hard wastage in terms of both time and resources.
2. Common Language:
The terminology established by TOGAF guides communication both within and between large scale organizations. This can be a huge benefit when it comes to assuring that an architectural development process runs efficiently.
3. Creating Processes for Future Development:
The ADM sets a staged approach to enterprise architecture that is but running enough to adapt to individual organizations. While crafting such a strategy might seem difficult at first, the experience will make future architectural development much more pleasant. In other words, it aids organizations in creating systems that can be used again and again.
TOGAF for Enterprise Architects
1. High Demand:
Top tier organizations put a great deal of confidence in any certification, which sets a global standard. However, they must make sure that they take Level 1 and 2 TOGAF exams via a certified test center.
2. Experience:
TOGAF combines technical and managerial features of IT. More importantly, they can learn the perspective needed to design and adapt information systems architecture within a broader EA framework.
3. Networking:
Since TOGAF is so extensively used, professionals the world over are comfortable with its terminology and framework. This can create unique networking opportunities for architects who are on the lookout for new opportunities.
4. No Qualifications Necessary:
It helps to begin a TOGAF course with at least a basic knowledge of enterprise architecture. However, there are no prerequisites needed to become TOGAF certified. Even a university student could learn TOGAF to set themselves up for the origin of their career.
5. Future Proof:
Even though each TOGAF version includes new features, the core framework continues the same. Because of this, you can extend to use TOGAF even as updates are released. Rather than relearn everything from scratch, you can add to your knowledge as you go.
TOGAF certification is undoubtedly the best and the most common public endorsement for enterprise architects. But as with enterprise architecture, you always require to put it into a broader professional context.
