The Open Group's TOGAF standard is a tried-and-true Enterprise Architecture methodology and framework utilized by the world's most successful companies to boost productivity.
It is the most widely used and trusted Enterprise Architecture standard, guaranteeing that Enterprise Architecture professionals use consistent standards, methodologies, and communication.
Know more about what is TOGAF and why it’s so important?
What is TOGAF Architecture Principle?
The norms and guidelines that an organization follows are referred to as principles. These guidelines assist organizations in keeping things functioning smoothly, and principles can exist at several levels across an organization.
The rules and guidelines that govern an enterprise's architecture are known as architecture principles. They are a subset of information technology principles. Enterprises administer their information management systems and other IT tools using their architecture principles.
The TOGAF principles have a few characteristics that you will notice.
There are four parts to a TOGAF architecture principle. A TOGAF principle always has a:
- Name – Clear, precise, and easy to remember
- Statement – A statement is usually one sentence long and tells you just what the premise is.
- Rationale – Justification for the principle's importance and how it will help the company
- Implications - A list of what is required to carry out this principle successfully, as well as how it may affect the firm.
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The Need for Architecture Principles
Businesses thrive on change to generate income and stay relevant by delivering new products and services. New systems are produced when a business grows, mergers need system integration or consolidation, new technologies are embraced for a competitive advantage, and more systems require integration to communicate information. To address, handle, and manage these technical and computational challenges, an organization must have a well-defined and managed enterprise architectural process.
There could be disconnects across systems and discrepancies in solutions. Miscommunications between product teams and engineering teams and duplication of engineering efforts can erode an organization's architecture.
The essential assumptions and standards of conduct for the IT organization to establish and maintain IT capacity are defined by architecture principles. Without architecture principles, the IT organization has no compass to steer it from where it is now to where it wants to be in the future and no benchmarks by which to judge its success. There is no decision-making framework because each effort is left to weigh options that the company will live with for years based on its parochial measurements of success.
Each program will be left to its own devices to select what projects will be funded, which assets will be leveraged, which vendors will be engaged, and how applications will be built, maintained, and retired without a shared set of underlying values held by business and IT leaders.
Characteristics of Architecture Principles
The underlying general principles and guidelines for the usage and deployment of all IT resources and assets within the company are defined by Architecture Principles. They indicate a level of agreement among the many aspects of the organization and serve as the foundation for future IT choices.
Components of Architecture Principles
Each principle must be articulated explicitly. In related literature, there are several proposals for the format in which principles must be expressed.
1. Name
The name should capture the spirit of the regulation while also being simple to recall. We do not need to include specific technology platforms in the name or description of a principle.
2. Description
We should convey the essential rule directly in the description. The majority of company-to-company descriptions of information management principles are similar.
3. Rationale
Using business jargon illustrates the business benefits achieved by sticking to the principle. It's important to underline the parallels between information and technology principles and business principles. Compared to a balanced interpretation, the explanation must also describe its relationship to other principles and goals. It should be used to explain circumstances in which one rule overrides another during the decision-making process.
4. Implications
This emphasizes the need for enterprises and their IT departments to adhere to the principle in terms of resources, expenses, and activities or tasks. The adoption of a principle must be thoroughly examined in terms of its commercial implications and ramifications.
Developing Architecture Principles
In collaboration with the enterprise CIO, Architecture Board, and other important business stakeholders, the Lead Architect develops architecture principles.
Appropriate policies and procedures must be implemented to facilitate the execution of the principles. Overall, IT principles and enterprise-level principles, if they exist, will inform architecture principles. They will be chosen to ensure the alignment of IT plans with business strategies and aspirations. The following factors commonly impact the development of architectural principles:
- Enterprise mission and plans: The enterprise's mission, plans, and organizational infrastructure
- Enterprise strategic initiatives: The company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and dangers, as well as its enterprise-wide efforts
- Current systems and technology: A collection of information resources used by an organization, such as system documentation, equipment inventories, network diagrams, policies, and procedures
- Computer industry trends: Projections concerning the use, availability, and cost of information communication and technology, based on trustworthy sources, as well as current best practices
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Applying Architecture Principles
The underlying truths about how the organization will use and deploy IT resources and assets are captured using architecture principles. The concepts are implemented to create a framework within which the company can make informed IT decisions.
The principles of architecture are applied as a guide for defining suitable evaluation criteria. These regulations significantly impact the selection of goods or product designs in the later phases of managing IT architectural compliance.
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The Benefits of Architecture Principles
The application of IT Architecture principles can result in many advantages. Below is a list of a few of them.
1. Put your vision into action
An architecture can be a useful tool for assessing the current state of IT and developing a vision for where the company wants to go in terms of technology in the future. By reaching an agreement on this, the organization will be able to align people's efforts, expand the usage of pilot project experiences, and ensure that procurements align with the vision.
2. Identify areas to save money
An architecture aids in the analysis of an organization's current IT and the identification of areas where modifications could result in cost savings.
For example, the architecture may reveal that many database systems could be combined into a single solution, saving money on software and service.
It may discover that decreasing complexity and standardizing a small number of desktop computers can cut support expenses.
3. Allow for faster IT system changes
There is a growing demand for systems that can adapt fast to changing corporate needs, statutory requirements, and other factors.
A clear view of the affected system's link to programs and other areas of technology can help with change planning.
For example, you must understand how a system change would affect all users. Having this specified in the architecture reduces the risk of neglecting the impact on smaller users.
When planning modifications, models of IT systems can help ensure that topics like the influence of network loads are adequately evaluated. Complex problems can be laid out in a clear and accessible manner with the help of architecture, making planning easier.
4. Assist in ensuring that IT plans are driven by business programs
In some firms, an IT shop may run largely on its own, with business processes acting as consumers of the system. Cases like this have resulted in some terrible scenarios. Good architecture can help you lay out your company operations as the main drivers and refocus your ideas along the lines of business.
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Conclusion
Professionals familiar with the TOGAF technique have more reputation in the industry, are more effective at their jobs, and have more career options. This strategy aids practitioners in avoiding proprietary methods, maximizing resource efficiency and effectiveness, and achieving a higher return on investment.
TOGAF business architecture is in great demand and will continue to be so in the future. KnowledgeHut’s TOGAF certification training online, perfect for people who want to learn more about this subject.
