In the rapidly evolving world of software development, misconceptions often arise about the compatibility of different methodologies. A common misbelief is that TOGAF, a comprehensive framework for enterprise architecture, is inherently slow and rigid, akin to waterfall models. However, this overlooks TOGAF’s inherent flexibility and its potential synergy with Agile development practices.

In backlog grooming sessions, developers often prioritize creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that may not align with established Business Architecture and Standards. For instance, they might opt for a custom authentication method instead of using standard protocols like OpenID/SAML and Code Authorization Flow with PKCE. To mitigate this, integrating architectural decisions and evaluations into backlog grooming and sprint planning, possibly extending to Scrum of Scrums, is crucial. This approach can significantly save time and effort by encouraging early collaboration and input from various teams, ensuring adherence to standards and a more cohesive project development phase.

TOGAF, with its structured approach in the Architecture Development Method (ADM), offers a solid foundation for long-term strategic planning. It ensures that all aspects of enterprise architecture are considered, from business strategy to technology infrastructure. Contrary to the notion of it being a static, waterfall-like process, TOGAF can be adapted to fit into Agile’s iterative and incremental model.

Agile, known for its flexibility and rapid response to change, complements TOGAF by injecting speed and adaptability into the architectural planning and execution process. The key lies in integrating Agile sprints within the phases of the ADM. This allows for continuous feedback and iterative development, ensuring that the architecture remains aligned with business needs and can adapt to changing requirements.

The synergy between TOGAF and Agile fosters a holistic approach to software development. It combines the strategic, big-picture perspective of TOGAF with the tactical, fast-paced nature of Agile. This integrated approach enables organizations to be both strategically aligned and agile in execution, ensuring that their architecture is not only robust but also responsive to the dynamic nature of business and technology.

In essence, TOGAF and Agile are not mutually exclusive but can be powerful allies in delivering effective and adaptable enterprise solutions. By understanding and leveraging the strengths of each, organizations can enhance their architectural practices, leading to more successful and sustainable outcomes.

E-Commerce ViewPoint

In an e-commerce setting, integrating Agile sprints within the TOGAF ADM cycle can be exemplified as follows:

1. Preliminary Phase: Define the scope and vision for the e-commerce project, focusing on key objectives and stakeholders.
2. Architecture Vision (Phase A): Develop a high-level vision of the desired architecture. An Agile sprint can be used to quickly prototype a customer-facing feature, like a new user interface for the shopping cart.
3. Business Architecture (Phase B): Detail the business strategy, governance, and processes. Sprints can focus on evolving business requirements, like integrating a new payment gateway.
4. Information Systems Architectures (Phase C): Define data and application architecture. Agile sprints could focus on implementing a recommendation system for products.
5. Technology Architecture (Phase D): Establish the technology infrastructure. Sprints might involve deploying cloud services for scalability.
6. Opportunities & Solutions (Phase E): Identify and evaluate opportunities and solutions. Use sprints to experiment with different solutions like chatbots for customer service.
7. Migration Planning (Phase F): Plan the move from the current to the future state. Agile methodologies can be used to incrementally implement changes.
8. Implementation Governance (Phase G): Ensure the architecture is being implemented as planned. Sprints can be used for continuous integration and deployment processes.
9. Architecture Change Management (Phase H): Manage changes to the new architecture. Agile sprints allow for quick adaptations to customer feedback or market trends.

This approach ensures that the strategic framework of TOGAF and the iterative, responsive nature of Agile work in tandem, driving the e-commerce project towards success with both long-term vision and short-term adaptability.

Agile Board Example

For the use case of integrating a shopping cart with a rewards program from an airline partner, here’s an example of Agile backlog items:

1. User Story: As a customer, I want to link my airline rewards account with my shopping profile so that I can earn miles on my purchases.
   • Tasks:
     • Design UI/UX for account linking process.
     • Develop API integration with the airline’s rewards system.
2. User Story: As a user, I want to see how many miles I will earn for each purchase.
   • Tasks:
     • Implement a system to calculate miles earned per purchase.
     • Update the shopping cart UI to display potential rewards.
3. User Story: As a customer, I want to redeem my miles for discounts on products.
   • Tasks:
     • Create functionality to convert miles into store credits.
     • Integrate this feature into the checkout process.
4. User Story: As a system administrator, I need a dashboard to monitor the integration and track transactions.
   • Tasks:
     • Develop a dashboard showing real-time data of linked accounts and transactions.
     • Implement reporting tools for transaction analysis.
5. User Story: As a customer, I want to securely unlink my airline rewards account when needed.
   • Tasks:
     • Develop a secure process for unlinking accounts.
     • Ensure all customer data related to the rewards program is appropriately handled.
6. User Story: As a marketing manager, I want to create promotions exclusive to customers with linked airline rewards accounts.
   • Tasks:
     • Develop a feature to create and manage exclusive promotions.
     • Integrate promotion visibility based on account link status.

These backlog items can be broken down into smaller tasks and tackled in sprints, allowing for iterative development and continuous feedback whilst still addressing the requirements at the Enterprise Level e.g. A Rewards reusable module that can be consumed across multiple brands within an enterprise addressing Business Architecture in a holistic fashion.

The approach described doesn’t necessarily have to follow a linear, waterfall methodology. It can be more interactive, with different stages addressed flexibly as the Product Owner deems appropriate, such as when defining new Epics.

Consider these examples:

Firstly, the core concept of the rewards program – should it span multiple brands for wider reusability and align with the Business Architecture, or should it concentrate on a single brand? This is where Enterprise is important, building solutions for business units in your organisation with a common goal? All too often there are silo’s with an organisation and this can be mitigated to a certain extent with a ADM framework such as TOGAF

Secondly, the choice of hosting environment for the compute runtime is crucial. Options range from VMs, Kubernetes, Azure Container Instances, AWS ECS to Micro-Kernels (High Frequency Trading solutions). Consulting the Technology Architecture phase will guide in allocating software runtime to the most suitable Compute platform.

Your choice of tooling is totally up to you; UML can often be restrictive due to the skills of an agile Squad focussed on rapid development; you can adapt, bin tools like UML, and opt for tools such as the C4 Model.

I hope this helps you bring some level of Architecture Governance to your organisation – no matter how big or small, and yes, you can leverage these principles in a start-up.

Sources:
https://pubs.opengroup.org/togaf-standard/
https://c4model.com/