Using TOGAF for eCommerce Projects
TOGAF stands for “The Open Group Architecture Framework”. This framework adds some level of standardization and uniformity to the task of defining an architecture. TOGAF will not, in and of itself, turn Enterprise Architecture into an engineering discipline, but it is a step in that direction. It defines a methodology for turning a vague need for improvement into a documented, actionable, architecture. You still have to do the hard work of defining everything and getting everyone to agree, but at least you have a defined process, albeit a high-level one, that you can follow. This imposes some order on what has often been a random process.
Other engineering disciplines have been through this process of becoming formalized in years past. Ship design, building architecture and mechanical design are all reasonably formal processes that yield a predictable result. These approaches evolved over the centuries and certain artifacts became first commonly produced, then expected and finally required for the industry to function. (Can you imagine hiring a home-builder who was not working to a set of plans or blueprints? )
TOGAF, at the high level, defines the following
· Preliminary Phase
· Architectural Vision
· Business Architecture
· Information Systems Architecture
· Technical Architecture
· Opportunities and Solutions
· Migration and Planning
· Implementation and Governance
· Architectural Change Management
· Requirements Management
Generally speaking, the architecture starts at the Preliminary Phase and Continues roughly in order until it comes to the Architectural Change Management Phase, with loops allowed for iteration. Requirements Management is addressed in all phases.
You normally don’t think of an eCommerce Architecture as being an Enterprise Architecture, but it is so complex that an enterprise architecture framework like TOGAF maps to it nicely. According to TOGAF, you can declare an entire organization as the enterprise, or a section of it. I suggest defining the eCommerce ecosystem as an enterprise and applying TOGAF to it.
The iterative nature of the TOGAF framework maps nicely to eCommerce Architecture also. Everyone in eCommerce will agree that these are projects that never end. The expectations of the business evolve so quickly that one release ends and another begins in a staccato cadence. If we take the time to add just a little formality to this, we may find that our expectation setting with the business improves and they begin to trust that we know what we are doing.
