Your enterprise’s business processes and IT infrastructure are two of the most important elements for success and profitability. It naturally follows that you’ll want to have a strategy for developing your enterprise architecture. TOGAF is one of the most popular EA frameworks in use around the world. So what are the benefits of TOGAF and how can you apply it more effectively to achieve your business goals?

What is TOGAF and how does it benefit enterprises?

TOGAF is an open source enterprise architecture (EA) methodology designed to drive business efficiency in organisations. Widely used around the world TOGAF is a highly reliable framework EA professionals can apply to enhance consistency in their methods as well as communication.

TOGAF includes an established methodology, the Architecture Development Method (ADM). This is designed to help your enterprise plan the best route from A to B by taking potential problems, unique elements of your organisation, and other factors into account.

TOGAF is developed and updated by The Open Group, a non-profit organisation concerned with leading EA standards and certification for enterprises. Currently, at Version 9.2, TOGAF is now seeing its certifications accelerating around the world as enterprises become increasingly aware of its benefits.

So what are some of TOGAF’s benefits for enterprises?

Drive efficiency

TOGAF can be used to improve efficiency by ensuring your EA and EA professionals work to leading EA standards. No EA is static, and TOGAF gives you a methodology for constant evolution.

Open source

TOGAF is an open-source standard, which means organisations applying this methodology are free from the baggage of proprietary methods and systems. As a result, your enterprise could enjoy higher ROI, better utilisation of resources, and more versatility.

Flexibility  for enterprises

TOGAF isn’t a cure-all or prescriptive solution, and this is an advantage as it means you can apply it in a flexible way to suit the context in your enterprise.

Business value

TOGAF can be used to establish a clear baseline for your enterprise’s EA and in turn, create stronger business value in your enterprise.

Clear insights business processes

TOGAF can give managers a better overview of the business landscape, improved understanding of how the EA constrains or empowers the business, and a clearer view of the implications of different action plans. Staff members also can get a clearer picture of the business architecture.

Strategy and investment planning

Enterprises could improve their strategy and investment planning processes by applying TOGAF.

Go-to templates

Businesses can use TOGAF templates to streamline architecture governance and practice.

Setting business outcomes

TOGAF could lead to agility and faster changes, lower complexity, stronger capabilities, and reduced management costs. Because you work to a clear set of ROIs, your enterprise could lower unnecessary expenses and raise efficiency.

Refining goals to be accurate

TOGAF can allow you to refine development goals so they’re more accurate. This is TOFAF methodology is designed to incorporate the needs of teams into streamlined business practice in order to promote efficiency.

Align your capabilities with goals  

TOGAF could allow you to better align your IT capabilities with your development goals because you have the standards and language for planning and implementation.

Strategies for using TOGAF more effectively in your enterprise

Ultimately, TOGAF can help you scale your processes to take your enterprise to the next level. But how could organisations use TOGAF more effectively to achieve this?

Start with your business strategy

Before implementing TOGAF, examine your business strategy and the direction your enterprise wants to move in. Once you’re clear on these, you can use them to define how you’ll use TOGAF to develop your EA. Your strategy and goals will inform the specific methods and techniques you’ll be drawing from TOGAF for your business. This is a reflection of the fact TOGAF isn’t a prescriptive system but a flexible one.

Create a clearer picture

Use TOGAF to obtain a clearer picture of your business architecture. By using the methodology, tools, common vocabulary, and recommended standards, you can better understand what’s going on in your EA. This could help you develop smarter plans, address any issues or weaknesses, and adjust and deploy your EA so it’s closely aligned with your business goals.

Set goals

Leverage TOGAF methodologies to create and refine development goals so they’re more accurate. This could help you and your team understand how to better perform the work and where more attention is required. You can then create a plan that factors in all the relevant elements. In turn, this creates a stronger basis for goal setting as well as hitting your targets.

Train staff

A shortage of deep TOGAF expertise in the market could mean your enterprise lacks the right human resources for implementing TOGAF. If so, ensure you’re training EA professionals with the right TOGAF certifications.

Apply TOGAF appropriately

TOGAF isn’t a prescriptive methodology. It could work best when you see it as an important link in the EA value chain and apply it in a flexible manner as appropriate for your enterprise. Avoid taking it too literally, and don’t use TOGAF as an excuse to neglect other key issues like setting KPIs for your EA staff. Apply the practices, processes, guidelines, and techniques in TOGAF in a flexible manner.

Lead from the front

Your EA strategy could be met with failure if you don’t provide the right leadership. Executive management should champion TOGAF initiatives and obtain buy-in from the rest of the organisation, especially your EA team.

Deal with legacy systems

It can be beneficial to first clean up any existing legacy IT issues like duplicate systems, data islands, and inflexible infrastructure. Once you address these legacy issues to the point where you can create a baseline, your enterprise will be in a better position to start on future scenario planning for business targets.

Take advantage of the benefits of a TOGAF course with ALC Training

TOGAF is a powerful methodology for everything from refining your EA to driving stronger business outcomes. Applied appropriately, it could allow your business managers to get a better view of the business landscape, support your strategy and investment planning, and allow you to refine development goals.

By understanding that it’s a flexible methodology, getting managers to champion it, and aligning it to your business strategy, you could reap the potential benefits of TOGAF in your organisation.

ALC Training is a leading Australian-based provider of accredited certifications to businesses and government. We can help your EA team get up to speed with Australia’s number one TOGAF training program. To find out more about our TOGAF 9.2 Level 1 and Level 2 programs, contact us now.