On December 1st we see the first revised TOGAF 9 specification since its release in 2009. This brings TOGAF to version 9.1 with 450 changes that addressed 400 comments from EA practitioners. This release promises downward compatibility to the TOGAF 9 specification and certifications.
While there are many changes, there are no material differences in the direction or features in this version but rather a refinement of the existing framework.
I do think this was a great idea for the Open Group. With any standards body work where it is driven by many people and companies (in this case hundreds of member companies) there are sure to be a few inconsistencies or mistakes along the way. Just like with anything, such as book (revisions) or software (service packs) the Open Group is recognizing they need to be more agile in the delivery and not wait for a big drop in TOGAF 10.
While have not re-read the TOGAF 9.1 specification end-to-end (and there is no need if you have done this with TOGAF 9), being a member of the TOGAF Architecture Forum I have seen the direct result of the improvements and advances being made to make the standard more applicable to Enterprise Architects and their daily architecture efforts along with the added consistency of a standard that is completely driven by it’s member companies.
What’s New, Modified and Removed
Material that has been removed:
Definitions of terms where usage by TOGAF is not distinctive from the common dictionary definition have been removed
The Building Blocks example has been removed
The Document Categorization Model has been removed
The Evaluation Criteria and Guidelines have been removed from Part V, Chapter 42
Material that has been substantially revised:
The Phase E and F descriptions have been reworked to match the level of detail in other phases
The concepts of levels/iterations/partitions have been clarified and made consistent. This includes a reorganization of material in Part III, Chapter 19 and Chapter 20, and Part V, Chapter 40
The "Objectives" sections of the phases have been reworked to focus on actual objectives rather than techniques or a list of steps
The SOA chapter (Part III, Chapter 22) has been updated to describe the latest SOA Work Group output
Additional introductory text on architectural styles has been added in Part III, Chapter 18
Areas where inconsistent use of terminology has been addressed:
The usage of the terms "application" versus "system" has been reviewed and made consistent
The uses of terminology for Transition Architecture/Roadmap/Implementation Strategy have been clarified and made consistent
The possible artifacts (viewpoints) for each phase are now listed in the description of that phase, not just in Part IV, Chapter 35
The terms "artefact" and "viewpoint" have been clarified and made consistent. This includes a restructuring of Part IV, Chapter 35
Minor changes have been made to the Security Architecture chapter (Part III, Chapter 21) for consistency with the ADM
Corrections have been made to metamodel diagrams
Corrections have been applied to aspects of the metamodel. Part I: Introduction 35
Duplicate text in several places has been replaced with an appropriate reference:
Gap Analysis in Phases B, C, and D now references Par t III, Chapter 27
Requirements Management in several phases now references Par t II, Section 17.2.2 in the Requirements Management phase
Some of the artifacts have been renamed to better reflect their usage:
System/Data matrix becomes Application/Data matrix
Class diagram has been replaced with Conceptual Data diagram and Logical Data diagram
System/Organization matrix becomes Application/Organization matrix
Role/System matrix becomes Role/Application matrix
System/Function matrix becomes Application/Function matrix
Process/System Realization diagram becomes Process/Application Realization diagram
System Use-Case diagram becomes Application Use-Case diagram
System/Technology matrix becomes Application/Technology matrix
The description of Architecture Principles now divides them into two types only - Enterprise and Architecture - whereas before IT Principles were called out separately. IT Principles are now seen as just part of Enterprise Principles
The Stakeholder Map included in the Stakeholder Management chapter (Part III, Chapter 24) is now explicitly referred to as an example, the table has been highlighted to refer to Stakeholder Concerns, and the list of artifacts for each stakeholder updated
The Business Scenarios chapter (Part III, Chapter 26) has been renamed to Business Scenarios and Business Goals to better reflect the contents of the chapter
The relationship of the Enterprise Repository to the Architecture Repository is clarified in Part V, Chapter 41
The chapter on Architecture Maturity Models (Part VII, Chapter 51) has been editorially revised for consistency and clarity
Certification
The TOGAF 9 Certification for People Program has been designed to accommodate maintenance updates to the TOGAF 9 standard such as TOGAF 9.1
The two levels of certification remain as TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified
Individuals who are currently certified in the TOGAF 9 People Certification program remain certified
The Conformance Requirements for TOGAF 9 Certification have been updated and will become mandatory on June 1, 2012
All Accredited TOGAF 9 Training Courses will be updated to the revised Conformance Requirements by June 1, 2012
In the period between December 1, 2011 and June 1, 2012 candidates can study either to the original Conformance Requirements or the revised Conformance Requirements
The examinations have been designed to accommodate both up to June 2013, which allows candidates up to twelve months after studying to take the exam
The reference text provided with the Open Book examinations will remain TOGAF 9 until June 1, 2012 and will then switch to TOGAF 9.1 after that date
Resources
TOGAF 9.1 Site - http://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf9-doc/arch/
TOGAF 9.1 Summary Presentation - http://www.togaf.info/togafSlides91/TOGAF-V91-Extra-TOGAF91-Changes-Overview.pdf
TOGAF 9.1 Specification Download: http://www.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf91/downloads.htm
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