Blog Posts BPMN Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

What’s New With TOGAF 10?

Blog: Good eLearning

The Open Group Architecture Framework, or ‘TOGAF’, is a huge name in enterprise architecture, as well as business and digital transformation. As the world’s most popular enterprise architecture framework, it has been applied across an extensive range of sectors, industries, and locations to empower strategic change and optimization. As more and more organizations pursue digitization, the clarity and direction provided by TOGAF architectures continue to prove themselves invaluable.

TOGAF 10 is the latest iteration of the framework. With TOGAF 9.2 having been released in 2018 and 9.1 nine years earlier, many practitioners were eager for a substantial update. However, during this time, developments surrounding the framework, as well as EA in general, were discussed frequently in The Open Group Architectural Forum. As such, TOGAF 10 represents the culmination of several years worth of expertise, discussion, and first-hand experience from companies and practitioners at the cutting edge of EA.

Steve Nunn, President and CEO of The Open Group, said: “The next decade of technology and business pressures will require organizations to be more agile, resilient, and adaptable than ever, and that will make a clear approach to architecture more important than ever. I am proud of what The Open Group Architecture Forum has produced for this release, which makes the TOGAF framework significantly more usable by even more businesses while maintaining its core values of consistency, openness, and efficiency.”

Going into more detail on the framework, The Open Group clarified several key goals, including:

Easier navigation
More straightforward implementation
Simpler customization for individual organizations
Greater alignment with Agile

So, exactly what has changed about TOGAF 10? In this article, we answer the most common questions surrounding the next step forwards in EA.

Is the Core Framework Different?

At the heart of the framework lies the TOGAF ADM, or ‘Architectural Development Method’. This serves as the core of TOGAF, and this has not changed with the newer framework.

However, a significant aspect of TOGAF 10 is that it is divided into two distinct areas: TOGAF Fundamental Content and TOGAF Series Guides.

What is TOGAF Fundamental Content?

The TOGAF Fundamental Content forms the skeleton of the framework. It includes an introduction and provides advice on implementation while also going into detail on:

The Architectural Development Method
ADM techniques
Applying the ADM
Architecture content
EA capability and governance

This part of the framework will be quite familiar to those who have studied and utilized TOGAF 9.2.

What are the TOGAF Series Guides?

The guides are supplementary to the main framework and go into detail on more specific areas of architecture, including:

Business architecture
Security architecture
Information architecture
Enterprise architecture
Technology architecture
Digital architecture

Other guides provide information on topics like Agile, how to adapt the ADM, MSA and SOA architectures, and more.

Importantly, this format adds a new level of flexibility to TOGAF. Practitioners can refer to and use the Series Guides as necessary based on elements like organizational structure, goals, environments, and so on.

The Open Group has also specified that it will be creating and updating guides in the future, expanding the TOGAF body of knowledge while making the framework even more applicable and adaptable.

Is TOGAF 10 Easy to Use?

With the scope of enterprise architecture, the prospect of implementing TOGAF for the first time can seem daunting. This complexity can make it difficult to raise support for EA, especially from stakeholders and managers who may be unfamiliar with the concept.

One of the largest priorities of The Open Group during TOGAF 10’s development was making it easier to use and implement. This applies not just to practicing architects but also to organizations of varying sizes from different industries, locations, sectors, and so on.

This was accomplished through the new framework’s modular structure. This makes it easier to navigate the TOGAF Library and find guidance on applying and adapting the framework. Even the Series Guides have modular lists outlining exactly what they cover.

The Open Group has also streamlined the framework by removing a great deal of redundant content. Crucially, TOGAF’s How-To documentation has also been expanded, with a much greater focus on implementation.

Is TOGAF 10 Agile?

The last few years have seen a huge expansion in the use of Agile practices and ways of working. Given the importance of the relationship between enterprise architects and technological or IT managers, having knowledge of Agile can be crucial for EA. With Agile ways of working now being applied to project management, strategy, organizational structure, and other areas of business, this knowledge is becoming increasingly pertinent for TOGAF users and practitioner organizations.

For this reason, how to marry enterprise architecture with TOGAF became a key point of focus during the development of TOGAF 10. The Series Guides contain distinct and clear documentation on how to work in Agile environments and accurately discuss Agile flexibility with technical leads.

How Does TOGAF 10 Support Digital Transformation?

Enterprise architecture has always been a useful tool for digital transformation. Qualified and experienced candidates can create architectures that clearly demonstrate how an organization needs to evolve in order to meet strategic goals. This certainly applies to digital transformation programs, and both the TOGAF 9.2 framework and The Open Group Architecture Forum offer substantial material to help with this.

TOGAF 10 will undoubtedly be a major step forward for companies interested in enterprise digital transformation. It has a strong focus on digital elements, including Technological and Digital Architecture. The variety in its approach also supports gradual and hybrid transformations, an essential benefit considering many organizations must still accommodate legacy systems and other factors that can complicate digitization. TOGAF’s documentation has also been updated to address digital aspects of areas like Security Architecture.

Another key part of this is the framework’s focus on Agile. Agile ways of working have seen an explosion in popularity, especially in the digital and IT sectors. Not only can TOGAF 10 practitioners communicate confidently with managers in these spheres, but they can also accommodate Agile environments and even take advantage of them.

Those already empowering digital transformation with TOGAF 9.2 will not need to disrupt their efforts, as the core of TOGAF 10 has a number of similarities with the older framework. However, the latest best practices of TOGAF 10 will undoubtedly be useful for supporting digitization.

Getting Certified in TOGAF 10

The Open Group has not yet released any information on how to get certified in TOGAF 10. There is no sign that the current certification scheme is going to change, nor will existing TOGAF qualifications become invalid.

This, of course, begs the question, what is the best way to learn TOGAF?

Newcomers are advised to start by studying TOGAF 9.2. The TOGAF 10 material that currently exists may not be friendly to newcomers, and as the core framework is mostly the same, transitioning later on will not be a challenge. There is also a wide variety of free TOGAF resources to help practitioners understand the new framework.

Existing practitioners will not have to upend their EA practices now that TOGAF 10 has been released. In fact, they should find it simple to utilize the new framework by familiarizing themselves with the TOGAF Series Guides. There is currently no information from The Open Group regarding bridging certification.

Studying TOGAF with Good e-Learning

Good e-Learning is an award-winning TOGAF online training provider. Our in-house e-learning specialists work with enterprise architecture experts to deliver courses that give candidates everything they need to pass their exams and become qualified TOGAF practitioners.

Our courses offer a range of engaging online training assets, including instructor-led videos, gamified quizzes, and free downloadable TOGAF whitepapers. Our support team is here to guide candidates through course material, which can be returned to at any time and on any web-enabled device. Each candidate can also enjoy a free exam voucher as well as a free resit via Exam Pledge.

Want to find out more? Visit the Good e-Learning website for a free trial, or contact a member of our team today!