​The Architecture Vision: A Roadmap for Achieving Strategic Objectives

​The Architecture Vision phase is a critical step in the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM) that sets the foundation for the rest of the ADM phases. It involves developing a clear and concise architecture vision and roadmap that supports the organization's strategic objectives and business requirements.

​The Architecture Vision phase helps organizations to establish a shared understanding of the future state of their enterprise architecture and provides a roadmap for achieving it. In this article, we will explore the key inputs and outputs of the Architecture Vision phase, as well as the process for implementing it in an organization.

The TOGAF Architecture Vision phase of the ADM

The Architecture Vision phase describes the initial phase (Phase A) of the TOGAF ADM (Architecture Development Method) as shown in the figure below.

 Architecture Vision: Phase A

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This phase sets the foundation for the rest of the ADM and focuses on establishing a clear understanding of the organization's business objectives, drivers, and constraints. It also involves creating a high-level view of the enterprise architecture that supports these objectives.
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The main objectives of the Architecture Vision phase are:
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• To establish a shared understanding of the organization's current state, desired future state, and the path to achieve that state.
• To define the scope and boundaries of the architecture initiative, and to establish the key stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities.
• To create a high-level architecture vision and roadmap that aligns with the organization's strategic objectives and provides a blueprint for the rest of the ADM phases.

Inputs to the Architecture Vision Phase

The Architecture Vision phase of the TOGAF ADM requires several inputs to be successful. These inputs provide the context, requirements, and constraints necessary to develop a clear and effective architecture vision and roadmap. The main inputs required for the Architecture Vision can be split into Non-Architectural and Architectural as follows:

Non Architectural

• Request for Architecture Work
• Business objectives
• Business Drivers
• Business principles

 
Architectural

Organizational Model for Enterprise Architecture including:

• Scope of organizations impacted
• Maturity assessment, gaps, and resolution approach
• Roles and responsibilities for architecture team(s)
• Constraints on architecture work
• Re-use requirements
• Budget requirements
• Requests for change
• Governance and support strategy

Tailored Architecture Framework including:
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• Tailored architecture method
• Tailored architecture content (deliverables and artifacts)
• Architecture Principles including business principles, when pre-existing
• Configured and deployed tools

Populated Architecture Repository providing all of the existing architectural documentation including:
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• Framework description
• Architectural descriptions
• Baseline descriptions
• Architecture Building Blocks (ABBs)

A Guide to Creating the Architecture Vision

The creation and development of an architecture vision involves a a number of specific steps to be taken. the following section provides a step-by-step process for creating and developing the architecture vision. The level of detail addressed in the Architecture Vision phase will depend on the scope and goals of the Request for Architecture Work, or the objectives and scope associated with this iteration of architecture development.

The steps in the Architecture Vision phase are as follows:
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• Establish the Architecture Project: The first step in this phase is to recognize that enterprise architecture is a business capability that should be treated as a project, using the project management framework of the enterprise. The project should be planned and managed using accepted practices for the enterprise. The necessary procedures should be conducted to secure recognition of the project, the endorsement of corporate management, and the support and commitment of the necessary line management. This step also includes explaining how this project relates to other management frameworks in use within the enterprise.
• Identify Stakeholders, Concerns, and Business Requirements: In this step, the key stakeholders and their concerns/objectives should be identified, and the key business requirements to be addressed in the architecture engagement should be defined. This step is intended to accomplish three objectives: to identify candidate vision components and requirements to be tested as the Architecture Vision is developed, to identify candidate scope boundaries for the engagement to limit the extent of architectural investigation required, and to identify stakeholder concerns, issues, and cultural factors that will shape how the architecture is presented and communicated.
• Confirm and Elaborate Business Goals, Business Drivers, and Constraints: This step involves identifying the business goals and strategic drivers of the organization and ensuring that the existing definitions are current, and clarifying any areas of ambiguity. Define the constraints that must be dealt with, including enterprise-wide constraints and project-specific constraints.
• Evaluate Capabilities: It is valuable to understand the capabilities within the enterprise. This step involves assessing the capability of the enterprise to develop and consume the architecture. The architect should consider the capability of the enterprise to develop the Enterprise Architecture itself, as required in the specific initiative or project underway. This step seeks to understand the capabilities and desires of the enterprise at an appropriate level of abstraction.
• Assess Readiness for Business Transformation: This step involves evaluating and quantifying the organization's readiness to undergo a change. A Business Transformation Readiness Assessment can be used for this purpose. This assessment is based upon the determination and analysis/rating of a series of readiness factors.
• Define Scope: Define what is inside and what is outside the scope of the Baseline Architecture and Target Architecture efforts, understanding that the baseline and target need not be described at the same level of detail. Define the breadth of coverage of the enterprise, the level of detail required, the partitioning characteristics of the architecture, and the specific architecture domains to be covered (Business, Data, Application, etc.).
• Confirm and Elaborate Architecture Principles, including Business Principles: It's important to review the principles under which the architecture is to be developed, as they provide the foundation for the project. Architecture Principles are typically developed during the Preliminary Phase and explained in the TOGAF Standard – ADM Techniques. It's essential to ensure that the existing definitions are up-to-date and clear up any ambiguities. If necessary, work with the body responsible for Architecture Governance to define these principles for the first time and get endorsement from corporate management.
• Develop Architecture Vision: This phase involves understanding the required artifacts and scoping out the decision-making process that will guide subsequent phases. Stakeholders need to make policy and strategic decisions and capture them in the stakeholder map. The Architecture Vision should include an overall architecture showing how all the architecture domain deliverables will fit together, based on the chosen course of action. High-level views of the Baseline and Target Architectures should be created based on stakeholder concerns, business capability requirements, scope, constraints, and principles. Informal techniques, such as business scenarios, can help discover and document business requirements and articulate an Architecture Vision that responds to those requirements. The initial versions of the architecture should be stored in the Architecture Repository, organized according to the standards and guidelines established in the architecture framework.
• Define the Target Architecture Value Propositions and KPIs: This step involves developing a business case for the architectures and changes required, producing a value proposition for each stakeholder grouping, assessing and defining the procurement requirements, reviewing and agreeing on the value propositions with sponsors and stakeholders, defining performance metrics and measures to meet business needs, and assessing business risk. The outputs of this activity should be included in the Statement of Architecture Work to allow performance to be tracked accordingly. 
• Identify the Business Transformation Risks and Mitigation Activities​: Identify the risks associated with the Architecture Vision, assess the initial level of risk and potential frequency, and assign a mitigation strategy for each risk. There are two levels of risk that should be considered, namely the Initial Level of Risk and the Residual Level of Risk. Risk mitigation activities should be considered for inclusion within the Statement of Architecture Work.
• Develop Statement of Architecture Work; Secure Approval: 
  
  • Assess the work products required to be produced against the business performance requirements and ensure that specific performance-related work products are available, with performance metrics built into them.
    
  • Identify new work products that need to be changed and provide direction on which existing work products, including building blocks, need to be changed and ensure that all activities and dependencies are coordinated.
    
  • Determine which architecture domains should be developed, to what level of detail, and which architecture views should be built, based on the purpose, focus, scope, and constraints.
    
  • Assess the resource requirements and availability to perform the work within the required timescale, adhering to the organization's planning methods and work products.
    
  • Estimate the resources needed, develop a roadmap and schedule for the proposed development, and document all these in the Statement of Architecture Work.
    
  • Define the performance metrics to be met during this cycle of the ADM by the Enterprise Architecture team.
    
  • Develop the Enterprise Architecture Communications Plan and show where, how, and when the Enterprise Architects will communicate with the stakeholders.
    
  • Review and agree on the plans with the sponsors and secure formal approval of the Statement of Architecture Work under the appropriate governance procedures.
    
  • Finally, obtain the sponsor's sign-off to proceed.

Outputs of the Architecture Vision Phase

​The outputs of the Architecture Vision phase are critical in providing a solid foundation for the rest of the ADM phases. They offer a clear understanding of the organization's strategic objectives, business requirements, and constraints, as well as a high-level architecture vision and roadmap that supports these objectives.

Phase A outputs include the following:
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• Approved Statement of Architecture Work: This document includes a description and scope of the architecture project, an overview of the Architecture Vision, and an architecture project plan and schedule.
• Refined Statements of Business Principles, Business Goals, and Business Drivers: These statements are updated and refined based on the information gathered during Phase A.
• Architecture Principles: This output includes a set of principles that guide the development of the architecture.
• Capability Assessment: This document assesses the capabilities required to achieve the Architecture Vision.
• Tailored Architecture Framework: This output includes a tailored architecture method, tailored architecture content (deliverables and artifacts), and configured and deployed tools.
• Architecture Vision: This output includes a problem description, objective of the Statement of Architecture Work, summary views, a business scenario (optional), and refined key high-level stakeholder requirements.
• Draft Architecture Definition Document: This document may include Baseline and/or Target Architectures of any architecture domain.
• Communications Plan: This document outlines the communication plan for the architecture project.
• Additional Content: This includes any additional content that populates the Architecture Repository. These may include the following:
  • Stakeholder Catalog: The Stakeholder Catalog identifies the stakeholders for the architecture engagement, their influence over the engagement, and their key questions, issues, or concerns that must be addressed by the architecture framework. By understanding stakeholders and their requirements, an architect can focus efforts on areas that meet their needs.
  • Value Chain Diagram: The Value Chain Diagram provides a high-level orientation view of an enterprise and how it interacts with the outside world. This diagram focuses on presentational impact and helps quickly onboard and align stakeholders for a particular change initiative.
  • Solution Concept Diagram: The Solution Concept Diagram provides a high-level orientation of the solution that is envisaged to meet the objectives of the architecture engagement. This diagram represents a "pencil sketch" of the expected solution at the outset of the engagement. It highlights key objectives, requirements, and constraints for the engagement and helps quickly onboard and align stakeholders for a particular change initiative.
  • Business Model Diagram: The Business Model Diagram describes the rationale for how an enterprise creates, delivers, and captures value.
  • Business Capability Map: The Business Capability Map shows the business capabilities that an enterprise needs to meet its purposes.
  • Value Stream Map: The Value Stream Map represents an end-to-end collection of value-adding activities that create an overall result for a customer, stakeholder, or end user.

By producing these outputs, the Architecture Vision phase helps to establish a shared understanding of the organization's strategic objectives, business requirements, and constraints among stakeholders. This, in turn, enables the enterprise architecture.

Once an Architecture Vision is defined and documented in the Statement of Architecture Work, it is critical to use it to build a consensus. Without this consensus it is very unlikely that the final architecture will be accepted by the organization as a whole.​​​

Summary

The Architecture Vision phase is a critical step in the TOGAF ADM that can help organizations to develop a clear and effective enterprise architecture that supports their business objectives. By following the process outlined in this article and applying best practices, organizations can ensure a successful Architecture Vision phase that sets the foundation for a successful enterprise architecture development process.