Business Architecture in TOGAF ADM (Phase B)

The Business Architecture phase in the ADM cycle focuses on understanding and designing the business aspects of the enterprise. It ensures that the architecture supports the organization’s strategic goals by analyzing its processes, organizational structure, and capabilities.

In simple terms, this phase answers:

• "How does the business work now?" (Current state)
• "How should it work in the future?" (Target state)

Purpose of Business Architecture Phase

• To align business operations with the enterprise's strategic goals and vision.
• To identify the capabilities, processes, and organizational changes needed to achieve the architecture vision.
• To provide the foundation for developing data, application, and technology architectures.

Example in Simple Terms

Scenario: A bank wants to improve its customer experience for loan processing.

• Inputs:

  • Vision Document: "Reduce loan approval time from 10 days to 2 days."
  • Current Business Processes: Loan approval involves 5 manual steps across 3 teams.
  • Stakeholder Requirements: Faster service, fewer errors, and better tracking.

• Activities:

  • Baseline Analysis: Map the current loan approval process.
  • Define Target: Design a streamlined, automated process with fewer hand-offs.
  • Gap Analysis: Identify bottlenecks, such as manual data entry and redundant checks.

• Outputs:

  • Business Process Model: Diagram showing an automated workflow with 3 steps instead of 5.
  • Capability Map: Highlighting areas like automation, credit scoring, and customer notifications.
  • Gap Analysis Results: Need to replace manual steps with a digital platform.