TOGAF Overview and Components

The Open Group Architecture Framework: a detailed method and tools for creating enterprise architecture.

A structured method for creating and managing an enterprise architecture within an organization.

The overall structure of an organization's IT systems and business processes

TOGAF provides a "how-to" guide while other frameworks only list deliverables; TOGAF can be combined with others to deliver their deliverables, too.

TOGAF 8.1 defines four types of architectures: Technology, Application, Data, and Business Architecture.

TOGAF 7 only addressed Technology Architecture, while TOGAF 8.1 broadened scope including Application, Data, and Business Architecture.

A structured approach to developing enterprise architectures, including a process and supporting components.

A framework concept for defining the various aspects of an enterprise.

A framework concept providing resources for developing the architectures

The ADM process is iterative, repeating through the whole development process, between phases and within phases.

The choice to adapt and adopt ADM depends on the enterprise's needs, integration into other frameworks, and other environmental considerations.

Key business needs and limitations that the architecture must address.

Official permission to begin the architecture development.

The current state of the business's structure and how it functions.

The desired future state of the business architecture.

Comparing the current and desired business architectures.

Target architectures for either or both domain of information technology.

The phase within TOGAF where you look at the business architecture.

The phase within TOGAF where information system architecture is designed.

Organizing and prioritizing implementation projects for a change from the current environment to the target, plus creating a detailed implementation plan.

Formulating recommendations for implementation projects, overseeing implementation, and ensuring the system follows the defined architecture.

Continuously monitoring technology and business changes to decide if a new architecture evolution cycle is needed.

A dynamic process of identifying, storing, and using enterprise architecture requirements and changes.

Critical aspects defining the move from the current environment to a new one. These specify the overall work packages involved.

The plan to move the business from a starting environment to a new, targeted one.

A repository of reusable and organization-specific architectural building blocks, progressing from generic to specific.

General groupings of functionality to meet business needs, described at a high level.

Specific, real-world products or custom developments implementing architecture building blocks.

The process of developing architectures and solutions from very general to specific, with increasing detail, from left to right, in a continuous iterative manner.

The spectrum of enterprise architectures, ranging from highly generic to highly specific.

Includes work in progress, previous work done in the organization, and reference models/patterns.

TOGAF ADM (Architecture Development Method) guides the navigation of the Enterprise Continuum, starting with broader generic architectures and refining solutions with increasing detail.

A complete computing environment with building blocks and standards; TOGAF Technical Reference Model and Standards Information Base.

Complete in a specific area (e.g., network, security), but not for the whole system.

An implementation of a Common System Architecture, using specific products and services.

Pre-built, off-the-shelf architectures for specific industries, often with pre-built data models and business processes.

An implementation of an Industry Architecture.