TOGAF and ITIL V3.0

TOGAF and ITIL both focus on Business and IT integration. ITIL address the need of service management and TOGAF address the concern of Enterprise architecture. Both should be taken as complementary framework, rather than attempting to address EA and service management differently. As a matter of fact, ITIL took an appropriate step forward and also looks at the operation of the Foundation of execution (Enterprise Architecture) . Rather than writing a lengthy blog which nobody will read, considered I will try to explain this through the following diagram. “A picture tells a thousand word" .Click on the image to get a better view

Enterprise Architecture Maturity Level

IT Landscapes of an organization opens the window to the Enterprise architecture maturity of that particular organization. Going by the definition of the classic book " Enterprise Architecture as Strategy " (http://www.architectureasstrategy.com/) organization having multiple applications catering to local business functions without any technology standardization can be labeled as a maturity level one or business silo . Organization having technology standards and shared infrastructure can be termed as maturity level two or Standardized technology. While an organization moves from level one to level two, there will be significant reduction of IT cost due to fewer platforms to support. Organization with enterprise view of data and reduced data redundancy can be termed as maturity level 3. Investments change from local application to enterprise application and shared data. This can be also termed as an optimized core. When an organization got modular applications build on the optimized core it can be termed as maturity level four or Business Modularity. Through ‘Web services ‘ organization creates reusable business services at this level or create front end processes which connect to core data and backend processes. An Organization needs to move one level to another sequentially, jumping levels will not be a successful strategy as shown by the authors of the above mentioned book. This reflect perfectly in one of my recent interaction with an organization which was at a classic case of level one maturity. Management tries to push for a process standardization through an ERP system (optimized core) without a technology standardisation phase . There were political resistance, chaos and the entire project was heading towards failure.

TOGAF Framework for Infrastructure Architecture

TOGAF the framework from the open group (http://www.opengroup.org/togaf/) for the development of enterprise architecture can be easily adapted for development Infrastructure Architecture only. TOGAF provides some powerful methods. I have used it quite successfully in number of cases. I use the following phases from the Architecture development Methods (ADM).

Architecture vision
a) Identify business Goals and Business drivers
b) Review Architecture Principles
c) Define scope
d) Define constrains
e) Identify Stakeholders concerns and business requirements

The above provides inputs to the Technology Architecture or Infrastructure architecture development phase. I follow the following steps to create a broad technology / Infrastructure architecture

a) Create a baseline Technology description
b) Create an Architecture model of building blocks
c) Select the service portfolio requirement per building blocks
d) Develop the Target Technology / Infrastructure architecture
e) Gap analysis between Baseline and Target Architecture

Gap analysis provides inputs to the Opportunities & Solution Phase where projects can be identified .

The detail migration planning can be done subsequently in the Migration Planning Phase of ADM .

TOGAF can be successfully combined with the ITIL V3.0 to create the Service Strategy, Service Design and Service transitions. I will explain those in the a subsequent blog .

Of course the ADM method can be customized to individual project requirements.