TOGAF ADM Overview
The TOGAF ADM is a logical approach to creating knowledge. Knowledge used to develop an enterprise architecture that guides effective change. Then knowledge to ensure expected value is achieved.
The TOGAF ADM is broken into Phases, each Phase is focused on creating knowledge that is used to:
- select the path forward and the target
- perform implementation governance
- assess the journey forward and course correct
What is Phase H?
Phase H is where you assess the journey from current to target. You check whether your organization is harvesting the target architecture's expected benefits. You also check to ensure the current environment would impact prior architecture analysis and architecture decisions.
The steps in Phase H create three core work products:
- implementation value assessment
- threat and opportunity assessment
- architecture change request
Phase H in Action
Enterprise agility is the ability to respond to unanticipated opportunities and threats. Enterprise agility requires spotting threats, opportunities, and assessing whether your change initiatives are getting anywhere. TOGAF Phase H is has the steps to generate this information.
In practice, solid EA Teams keep an eye on the organization. They observe, assess and recommend action. We all have predictable architecture work and unplanned architecture work. Strong enterprise architects exercise our responsibility and proactively look at earned value, threats and opportunities. We do not sit back and wait for the call.
In January 2020, after seeing news from China, I told my EA Team we had an agility event. I didn't know if it was an opportunity or threat, but the global environment had just changed. China had closed a large industrial city. We architected the COVID-19 response, then stepped in and led the readiness initiative (Phase G). I’m proud of this. We didn’t cut corners. I have the:
- architecture alternatives
- scenario analysis
- SABSA business attributes profile, & risk model,
- capability gap & candidate work packages
- strategy alignment models
Our Kanban-based architecture work management kept the other architecture development work moving.
Our client transitioned to the global lockdown smoothly. They kept delivering, hiring, growing, and yes selling. Landing new clients the first week of lockdown because we were open and selling.
That is Phase H in action! Monitoring your environment for threats and opportunities. Enabling enterprise agility - enabling the enterprise to react in time to an unexpected threat or opportunity.
Enterprise architecture helps with the hard problem—digital transformation, IT portfolio rationalization, or COVID-19 response. The result of our work was taking market share during this sad event. Instead of layoffs, we hired.
Enterprise Agility is Reactive
Enterprise agility is a reaction to an unexpected external opportunity or threat. Enterprise agility follows a 5 step model:
- See a threat or opportunity
- Gather essential information
- Make a resolute decision
- Complete the work within the time
- Work to reduce the barriers to the other four step
Have a look at Phase H in action: True Life EA Webinar: Agile COVID-19 Response
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TOGAF Phase H Essential Knowledge
All TOGAF ADM Phases lead you to developing the knowledge you need. The Outcome of Phase A is permission to proceed.
| Output & Outcome | Essential Knowledge |
| Direction to proceed and start developing a Target Architecture that addresses perceived, real, or anticipated shortfalls in the Enterprise relative to stakeholder preferences. |
|
Table 4 from TOGAF Series Guide: Enterprise Architect's Guide to Developing Architecture
Phase H Bare Bones
The bare bones of Phase H are:
- Assess change initiatives for value delivery
Confirm the projects in architecture roadmaps are delivering expected value. If not, determine whether implementation governance needs to be improved or the target architecture.
- Scan the environment for threats & opportunities
Your environment is constantly changing. Are there threats or opportunities that might need to be actioned? If so, initiate unplanned architecture work to address the opportunity or threat.
- Scan the environment for changes that alter architecture analysis
Your environment is constantly changing. Are that assumptions, or facts, used in architecture analysis still valid? If so, initiate architecture work to address the changes to your architecture analysis.
The completion essentials of Phase H:
- Phase H completion essential is an agreement to proceed with work to address the value shortfall, threat or opportunity, or change to the basis you previously developed architecture. (Request for Architecture Work)
Phase H Knowledge Sets the Stage for Course Correction
Frankly, the analysis of Phase H is routinely skipped. This hurts the organization and the EA Team. Architecture development effort is wasted and creditability is lost.
The logic is straightforward:
- we develop a target to make the organization better
- we implement the target to make the organization better
If we do not have a better organization what are we doing to improve the architecture or improve implementation?
Then there is change in our environment. Opportunities and threats will arise. Environment changes will change the foundation we used for architecture analysis and architecture decision.
The sooner we respond to meaningful threats and opportunities the more time our organization has to implement reactive change.
The sooner we adjust the basis of analysis and decision-making less likely we will have a value shortfall.
Work in the Real World
The TOGAF Standard call Phase H 'Architecture Change Management' for a reason. We headlined Phase H 'Ensuring Enterprise Agility' for a reason.
We need to stop and look at the Real World - project delivery and environment. Confirm we are using a solid foundation. Make any necessary adjustments.
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TOGAF Phase H Deliverables
Phase H has three normal work products
- implementation value assessment
- threat and opportunity assessment
- architecture change request
The one to focus on is an implementation value assessment. It is applicable to both architecture supporting strategy, and portfolio architecture.
TOGAF Phase H Implementation Value Assessment
The predictable work product in Phase H is a value assessment. It looks at completed projects to determine whether they are delivering the expected value. Expected value will be found in the architecture roadmap, or architecture contract.
Value delivery is tied to the basics of governance directions:
- Performance Expectation - is the project delivering the architecture value it was expected to?
- Constraint - is the project complying with the architecture specifications and controls? Also:
- Are the architecture specifications delivering what they were expected to deliver?
- Are the controls delivering the risk mitigation they were expected to?
- Risk Appetite - is the project executing within acceptable risk appetite?
When a project is delivering expected value, nothing else is required.
When it isn't the question is what should the enterprise architects do? The choices net down to:
- accept the shortfall
- tighten implementation governance
- improve the architecture
| Architecture to Support Strategy | Architecture to Support Portfolio | Architecture to Support Project | Architecture to Support Solution Delivery | |
| Phase H Work Product: Value Assessment | Before governance review, framing a strategic planning session and program budget | Key Deliverable
Before governance review and program budgeting |
Limited use
Scope of significant architecture change and value often does not cleanly align to projects |
Limited use
Scope of significant architecture change and value often does not cleanly align to solution deployment |
Table 3 from TOGAF Series Guide: Enterprise Architect's Guide to Developing Architecture
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TOGAF ADM Phase H Techniques
The central technique of Phase H value assessment is to look past a project charter, or digital product release, to the architecture concept of an architecture contract.
There is often a difference between what a project is delivering to the sponsor, and what a project is delivering for the architecture. This is especially true when a portfolio roadmap has dependencies or you are improving a capability.
On a digital transformation, we were using an infrastructure automation initiative to improve the ability of the infrastructure organization to automate, and delivering infrastructure automations. To improve the organization we were regularly refreshing the automation team. Every time the automation team resources were being refreshed the project lead tried to block the staff transfer. The argument was risk & efficiency - the. They had just built skill and capacity, now they would be able to delivery automations.
Agreeing to the project gaining efficiency would have destroyed the value of building a department-wide capability. We had to look past the project to the transformation objective.
Using Scenario Analysis in Phase H
When assessing opportunities and threats scenario analysis is a powerful technique. There is a tight linkage between unexpected threats and opportunities and events in scenario development.
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TOGAF ADM Phase H Tools
The basic tools used in Phase H are the work packages, transition architectures, architecture specifications, compliance assessments, and architecture contracts developed in other ADM Phases
Together these provide the governance directions applied to the project.
- Performance Expectation
- Constraint
- Risk Appetite
Use these tools to assess implementation value. Up above we used an example of an automation initiative. When the project lead succeeding in shielding a number of people from rotation and was claiming increased productivity we reported they were putting the digital transformation at risk, by delaying the capability-development and operational transformation.
Final Thoughts on TOGAF ADM Phase H
Phase H is used in the TOGAF architecture development method to keep your architecture fresh, and your EA Team credible.
Confirm your organization is harvesting value. Then claim credit. If your organization is not harvesting value, find the cause. Then propose a fix. And, claim credit.
If your organization faces an threat or opportunity, adjust your architecture work plan. Have an approach to mitigate the threat, or seize the opportunity. And, claim credit.
Phase H is indispensable for an EA team focused on the EA use case of strategy or portfolio. You have to course correct.
Proactively assess value and risk information. Then react to the facts you observe. Great architects live in the real-world.
