TOGAF is an enterprise architecture framework that includes methods, frameworks, definitions, templates, and explanations for enterprise architects. The content helps architects to assess, analyze, evaluate, transform, and govern large and heterogeneous architectures of not only a project or a platform, but of whole organizations.

TOGAF stands for…

TOGAF stands for “The Open Group Architecture Framework” and the term is usually used to refer to the “TOGAF Standard”. The Standard is a large knowledge book that includes all the key content of TOGAF. It was initially released in 1995 and since then, it receives updates every few years. The latest version of it is TOGAF 9.2, which was released in 2018.

The Open Group…

The publisher of the TOGAF Standard is “The Open Group”, which includes more than 600 members from all over the world and from different industries, including many major corporations like IBM, Oracle, Huawei, and Intel. Besides the TOGAF Standard, The Open Group organizes regular conferences and webinars, organizes working groups that work on whitepapers and publications, as well as on the development of additional knowledge books and corresponding certifications, and provides an active TOGAF blog. Lately, the area of additional knowledge books and certifications has expanded quite a lot, as The Open Group now offers new certifications in the areas of business architecture, digital transformation, data, technology, and risk. Important certifications that are also owned by The Open Group include ArchiMate, Digital Practitioner, IT4IT, and Open FAIR. Lately, The Open Group has released a badge system that helps certified people to proof and show their earned certifications on their CVs or social media.

What is TOGAF…

The content of the TOGAF Standard can be summarized in the following categories:

1. Architecture Development Method (ADM): A phased approach to assess all TOGAF layers (architecture layers) of an enterprise including their current and their target state, to develop a roadmap toward the goal, support the transformation, and guide the governance and future development of it. Outside the ADM, TOGAF uses the following architecture layers: Business, Data, Application, and Technology. In the ADM, however, Data and Application are summarized in one phase. Therefore, the TOGAF layers for the ADM are Business Architecture, Information Systems Architecture, and Technology Architecture.

2. Architecture Content Framework and Metamodel: A definition of different types of content that can be enterprise architecture outputs (especially during the different phases of the ADM). The major three output types are a deliverable, an artifact, and a building block.

3. Enterprise Continuum: A way to structure architecture documentation of a company from generic and reusable to specific and adapted.

4. Reference Models: Provision of a basic reference for a “technical reference model” and an “information infrastructure model”.

5. Architecture Capability Framework: A description of what an organization needs to establish, operate, and govern an enterprise architecture successfully.

6. TOGAF Glossary and Term Definitions: A collection of roughly 100 definitions of enterprise architecture terms. Due to the popularity of TOGAF, the TOGAF Glossary definitions are often the basis of definitions in all kinds of corporations – even if they do not strictly follow the other TOGAF concepts.

A more detailed presentation of the TOGAF content can be found here.

The relevance of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks such as TOGAF

On this blog, multiple posts discuss the usage of enterprise architecture frameworks in today´s digital environment and the relevance of TOGAF today. If you are interested, take a look at them.