TOGAF — Define Business Strategy, Architecture and Business Roadmap

The business roadmap is a visual representation of an organisation’s strategic plan, outlining the steps the organisation needs to take to achieve its long-term goals. It shows the sequence of initiatives and projects, the resources required, and the timeline for implementation.

Enterprise Architecture (EA) and the business roadmap are closely related as EA provides the foundation for the business roadmap. The EA provides a comprehensive view of the organisation’s current state and future aspirations, including the technology and processes needed to support the business goals. The business roadmap, in turn, provides a visual representation of how the organisation will get from its current state to its desired future state. By aligning the EA with the business roadmap, organisations can ensure that their technology investments are aligned with their overall business strategy and goals.

Steps to build the Business strategy, Architecture and business roadmap

TOGAF provides a structured approach for building a Business Strategy, Architecture and Business Roadmap as part of Phase B: Business Architecture of Architecture Development Method (ADM). The following are the steps to build a business roadmap:

1. Define the Business Vision and Mission: The first step is to clearly define the organisation’s vision and mission, which forms the basis for the business roadmap.
2. Conduct a Business Architecture Assessment: A business architecture assessment is performed to understand the current state of the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology.
3. Identify Business Requirements: Based on the results of the business architecture assessment, the next step is to identify the business requirements that will drive the development of the business roadmap.
4. Define the Business Architecture and Business Strategy: The business architecture defines the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology. It provides a detailed view of the organisation’s future state, including the capabilities, services, and data required to support the business goals. Using the results of the business architecture assessment and the defined business architecture, the next step is to develop the business strategy, outlining the steps the organisation needs to take to achieve its vision and mission.
5. Create the Business Roadmap: The business roadmap provides a visual representation of the organisation’s strategic plan, including the initiatives and projects, resources, and timeline required to achieve the business goals.

Now lets do the deep dive in each steps

1- Define the Business Vision and Mission

Defining the Business Vision and Mission is first step, Phase A of the Architecture Development Method (ADM) in the TOGAF framework. The purpose of this step is to provide a clear direction for the organisation and to ensure that all stakeholders understand and are aligned with the organisation’s goals and objectives. The following are the steps to define the Business Vision and Mission:

• Determine the Stakeholders: The first step is to determine the stakeholders who will be involved in the development of the Business Vision and Mission. This may include senior leaders, business units, and functional groups.
• Define the Business Objectives: The next step is to define the business objectives, which outline the specific goals the organisation wants to achieve.
• Develop the Business Vision: Using the business objectives, the next step is to develop the Business Vision, which provides a clear and inspiring picture of the future state of the organisation.
• Develop the Business Mission: Based on the Business Vision, the next step is to develop the Business Mission, which provides a clear statement of the organisation’s purpose and the values that guide its actions.
• Obtain Approval: The final step is to obtain approval for the Business Vision and Mission from all stakeholders, including senior leaders and other relevant parties.

2- Conduct a Business Architecture Assessment

is an important step in the TOGAF framework for developing an enterprise architecture. The purpose of the assessment is to understand the current state of the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology, and to identify areas for improvement. The following are the steps to conduct a business architecture assessment:

• Define the Assessment Scope: The first step is to define the scope of the assessment, which includes the specific areas of the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology that will be evaluated.
• Gather Data: The next step is to gather data about the organisation’s current state. This may include documentation, interview data, and other relevant information.
• Analyse the Current State: Using the data gathered, the next step is to analyse the current state of the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology. This includes identifying any gaps, inefficiencies, or areas for improvement.
• Define the Future State: Based on the results of the analysis, the next step is to define the future state of the organisation’s business processes, information, and technology. This includes identifying the desired capabilities, services, and data required to support the business goals.
• Identify the Gap: The final step is to identify the gap between the current state and the desired future state, which will form the basis for the business roadmap.

3- Identify Business Requirements is typically performed during the Architecture Vision phase. This process involves gathering information about the business environment, defining business goals and objectives, and identifying the capabilities and processes that the business needs to support those goals.

The following steps can be used to identify business requirements:

• Define the scope of the project: Determine the boundaries of the project and the level of detail required for the business requirements.
• Gather information: Collect data from stakeholders, including business executives, employees, customers, and partners. This information can be gathered through interviews, surveys, focus groups, and other means.
• Analyse the information: Evaluate the information collected to identify common themes and patterns. This will help to identify the key business requirements and objectives.
• Prioritise requirements: Based on the information gathered, prioritise the requirements based on their importance to the business.
• Validate requirements: Work with stakeholders to validate the requirements and ensure that they are aligned with the overall business strategy.
• Document requirements: Document the business requirements in a clear and concise manner, making sure they are easily accessible and understandable to all stakeholders.

4- Define the Business Architecture and Business Strategy

The Business Architecture in TOGAF refers to the description and representation of the business structure, business processes, and business rules of an enterprise. It provides a comprehensive view of the organisation and its operations, including its goals, strategies, capabilities, processes, information, people, and culture. The purpose of the Business Architecture is to align the enterprise’s business and IT strategies and to provide a common understanding of the organisation to support decision-making and enable change.

The Business Architecture also provides the foundation for other architecture domains, such as the Data Architecture, Application Architecture, and Technology Architecture, by defining the business context in which they operate. This helps ensure that the overall enterprise architecture is aligned with the organisation’s business goals and objectives and supports the efficient and effective execution of its business processes.

The following are the steps to define the Business Architecture:

• Develop the Business Architecture Vision: Define the desired future state of the business and articulate a vision for how the enterprise will operate in the future.
• Define the Business Context: Identify the key drivers and constraints that influence the business, including external factors such as the competitive landscape, regulatory environment, and market trends, as well as internal factors such as organisational culture, capabilities, and limitations.
• Conduct a Business Capability Assessment: Analyse the current state of the organisation to determine its existing capabilities, including its strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas for improvement.
• Define the Business Strategy: Develop a clear and concise business strategy that aligns with the business architecture vision and takes into account the business context and capabilities.
• Define the Business Structure: Identify the organisation’s structure, including its business units, departments, and roles and responsibilities, and how they support the execution of the business strategy.
• Define the Business Processes: Identify and describe the core business processes and workflows that support the execution of the business strategy, including inputs, outputs, and critical success factors.
• Define the Business Rules: Identify and describe the rules, policies, and regulations that govern the operation of the business, including decision-making processes and data governance.
• Validate the Business Architecture: Review and validate the Business Architecture with key stakeholders to ensure that it accurately reflects the organisation’s business goals, strategies, and operations.
• Implement the Business Architecture: Develop a plan to implement the Business Architecture, including the identification of any necessary changes to processes, policies, or technology.
• Monitor and Evolve the Business Architecture: Continuously monitor and evolve the Business Architecture to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with the changing business environment.

5- Create the Business Roadmap

The Business Roadmap is a visual representation of the steps required to transform the current state of the business to the desired future state, as defined in the Business Architecture. The following are the steps to create a Business Roadmap:

• Identify the Gap between the Current and Future State: Analyse the differences between the current state of the business and the desired future state, as defined in the Business Architecture.
• Define the Business Transformation Objectives: Define the objectives for transforming the business to the desired future state, taking into account the gap between the current and future state.
• Identify the Key Business Transformations: Identify the key business transformations required to achieve the business transformation objectives, including changes to processes, policies, and organisational structure.
• Develop the Business Transformation Plan: Develop a detailed plan for implementing the key business transformations, including the identification of any required changes to processes, policies, and technology.
• Develop the Business Roadmap: Create a visual representation of the business transformation plan, showing the steps required to transform the current state of the business to the desired future state. The Business Roadmap should also include a timeline for the implementation of the key business transformations and a description of the expected outcomes and benefits.
• Communicate the Business Roadmap: Communicate the Business Roadmap to key stakeholders, including executives, managers, and employees, to ensure that everyone understands the objectives and steps required to transform the business.
• Implement the Business Roadmap: Implement the Business Roadmap according to the plan, ensuring that the business transformations are implemented effectively and efficiently.
• Monitor and Evolve the Business Roadmap: Continuously monitor and evolve the Business Roadmap to ensure that it remains relevant and aligned with the changing business environment.