The Open Group OGEA-103 - TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Combined Part 1 and Part 2 Exam

The scenario clearly states that:

Theoverall objective is known,

BUT the EA team is expected todefine the scope, shared vision, and requirements,

The company uses aniterative approach,

The CEO wantsrepurpose and reuse rather than replace,

This is amajor strategic shift(new markets, new products, new crop mix).

According to the TOGAF standard, whenthe problem must be understood, andscope, vision, and requirements are not yet defined, the correct starting point isPhase A: Architecture Vision, using aniteration cycle.

This is also consistent with the “baseline-first” approach recommended in the TOGAF Series Guides for situations where:

the business direction is known but high-level,

detailed impacts must be discovered,

and the organization wants to reuse existing capabilities rather than replace them.

OptionBis the only answer that:

Begins byunderstanding the problem,

Definesthe structure of the change,

Usesiteration cyclesstarting with abaseline-first approach,

Leads intotransition planning,

Supports clarification of theshared visionandrequirements,

Fits the CIO’s instruction to “define the scope, shared vision, and requirements.”

This matches exactly what TOGAF prescribes in early-cycleArchitecture Vision and initial iterations.

The correct answer is C, as it aligns with the key TOGAF principles necessary for guiding enterprise architecture in a merger scenario where retail operations and systems are being consolidated.

Analysis of the Principles in Option C:

Common Use Applications

Since the two companies are merging, it is essential to standardize applications across the enterprise.

Using common applications ensures consistency, reduces costs, and improves efficiency.

TOGAF emphasizes this principle to prevent duplicate or redundant systems, which aligns with the CIO’s goal of reducing the number of applications used.

Data is an Asset

In the scenario, a central inventory management system is a core business function.

Treating data as an asset ensures it is managed properly, shared efficiently, and used strategically across the merged organization.

This principle supports the company’s ability to predict demand, adjust stock levels, and automate reordering.

Common Vocabulary and Data Definitions

The merger requires integrating different systems and data structures.

Having a common vocabulary ensures that all stakeholders (stores, fulfillment centers, and digital platforms) use consistent terminology and data definitions.

This minimizes confusion and ensures interoperability across business functions.

Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise

Every architectural decision should focus on the overall benefit to the business.

By consolidating IT systems and reducing redundancies, the company achieves cost savings, which directly supports this principle.

Business Continuity

The stores operate seven days a week, so system changes must ensure uninterrupted service.

Business continuity ensures that customers are not affected during the transition and that critical retail operations (sales, inventory tracking, and fulfillment) remain functional.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Option A: Control Technical Diversity, Interoperability, Data is an Asset, Data is Shared, Business Continuity

Control Technical Diversity is not the primary concern here. The focus is on system consolidation, not necessarily on limiting technology diversity.

Interoperability is important but not as critical as defining a common system and data structure.

Option B: Service Orientation, Compliance with the Law, Requirements-Based Change, Responsive Change Management, Data Security

While service orientation and compliance are valuable, they are not the most relevant to this specific business transition.

Change management and data security are important but do not address the primary enterprise-wide architectural concerns of system consolidation.

Option D: Ease of Use, Common Use Applications, Data is an Asset, Technology Independence, Business Continuity

Ease of Use is beneficial but is not a core architecture principle in this case.

Technology Independence is useful but does not align directly with the scenario’s priority, which is consolidating applications and data structures.

Based on the illustration, the phase of the ADM labeled as item 2 is the Implementation Governance phase. This phase provides architectural oversight for the implementation. It ensures that the implementation project conforms to the architecture. It also provides a framework for monitoring and managing the implementation.

The Implementation Governance phase involves the following activities:

Finalizing the Architecture Roadmap and the supporting Implementation and Migration Plan

Assigning an Architecture Board to oversee the implementation

Establishing Architecture Contracts with the implementation partners

Reviewing and approving the implementation project plans and deliverables

Performing Architecture Compliance reviews to ensure alignment with the architecture

Performing Architecture Audit reviews to ensure quality and performance of the architecture

Resolving any architecture issues or change requests that arise during the implementation

Maintaining the architecture lifecycle and ensuring its continuity

The Implementation Governance phase is essential for ensuring that the architecture is realized as intended and that it delivers the expected business value and outcomes.

Implementation Governance

Key aspects of the scenario:

Business Objective:

A merger is happening to combine offerings, reduce costs, and achieve operational efficiency.

The goal includes fully integrating retail operations and systems, replacing duplicated systems, and reducing the number of applications used.

Technological Improvements:

A central AI-based inventory system is in place.

Hand-held devices for stores have improved customer and staff satisfaction and increased efficiency.

Scope of Architecture Work:

Integrating the merged systems.

Managing retail architecture to optimize operations.

TOGAF Alignment:

TOGAF principles aim to ensure the architecture supports business transformation effectively while aligning with governance and best practices.

Best answer analysis:

Option 1:

Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise: Aligns with the merger goals of cost reduction and efficiency.

Common Use Applications: Matches the goal to reduce duplicated systems.

Data is an Asset: Central AI system depends on accurate and reliable data.

Responsive Change Management: Necessary to support the transition and manage organizational impacts.

Technology Independence: Encourages selecting flexible, scalable solutions post-merger.

This option comprehensively aligns with the scenario.

Option 2:

Control Technical Diversity: Important but less emphasized than cost reduction and application unification.

Interoperability: Relevant, but less critical compared to principles addressing business value.

Data is an Asset: Relevant.

Data is Shared: Implied in centralized inventory but not directly stated.

Business Continuity: Important but not the main focus here.

This option partially fits but lacks emphasis on business outcomes.

Option 3:

Common Vocabulary and Data Definitions: Indirectly helpful but not central to the transformation.

Compliance with the Law: Always critical, but no explicit legal issues are mentioned.

Requirements-Based Change: General principle but not transformation-specific.

Responsive Change Management: Relevant.

Data Security: Important but not a central concern in the scenario.

This option focuses more on governance and less on merger goals.

Option 4:

Common Use Applications: Relevant to reducing duplicate systems.

Data is an Asset: Relevant.

Data is Accessible: Fits with AI system and handheld devices but is a subset of "Data is an Asset."

Ease of Use: Relevant to handheld devices but not a core transformation principle.

Business Continuity: Important but secondary to cost and efficiency.

This option focuses more on usability and accessibility rather than transformation objectives.

In TOGAF, creating a Business Scenario is a foundational step in defining and understanding the business problem, especially for complex transformations involving multiple stakeholders andsystems, such as in this scenario. This method aligns with Phase A (Architecture Vision) of the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM). Here’s why this approach is the most effective:

Understanding Business Requirements:A Business Scenario provides a structured way to capture and analyze the business requirements, stakeholder concerns, and the contextual elements related to the problem. In this scenario, the company faces challenges in integrating newly acquired companies with existing operations, which includes complex stakeholder concerns across different functional areas. Developing a Business Scenario allows the EA team to break down these complexities into identifiable and manageable parts.

Risk Evaluation and Management:By using the Business Scenario approach, the EA team can not only define the requirements but also assess associated risks systematically. TOGAF emphasizes the importance of risk management through identifying potential risks, evaluating their impact, and defining strategies for handling these risks. The process includes assessing how risks can be avoided, transferred, or reduced—a necessary step in large-scale transformations to ensure that risks are proactively managed.

Residual Risks and Governance:Any risks that cannot be fully resolved should be identified as residual risks and escalated to the Architecture Board, which is aligned with TOGAF’s governance approach. The Architecture Board’s role in TOGAF is to provide oversight and make critical decisions on risks that exceed the control of the EA team. This ensures that unresolved risks are managed at the appropriate level of the organization.

Alignment with TOGAF ADM Phases:The Business Scenario approach directly aligns with the Preliminary and Architecture Vision phases of the TOGAF ADM, which focuses on establishing a baseline understanding of the business context and the strategic transformation required. The detailed understanding of requirements, stakeholder concerns, and risks identified here will guide the subsequent phases of the ADM, including Business Architecture and Information Systems Architecture.

TOGAF Reference (Section 2.6, ADM Techniques):TOGAF provides guidelines on the creation of Business Scenarios as part of ADM Techniques, highlighting the importance of defining a business problem comprehensively to ensure successful transformation. This method includes identification of stakeholders, business requirements, and associated risks, which aligns well with the company's need for strategic and systematic integration of new business units.

By utilizing a Business Scenario, the EA team ensures that all aspects of the transformation are well understood, risks are identified early, and residual risks are managed effectively, aligning with the company's strategic objectives and the TOGAF framework’s guidance on risk management and stakeholder alignment.

When considering agile development, Architecture to Support Portfolio will identify the necessary products for the enterprise, define their boundaries, and outline the constraints for a product owner. This process directly relates to defining the enterprise's backlog, which in agile methodologies, is a prioritized list of work for the development team that is derived from the roadmap and its requirements.

Business Transformation Readiness Assessment is a joint effort between corporate staff lines of business and IT planners to evaluate the readiness of the organization to undergo change. It involves assessing factors such as vision, commitment, capacity, capability, culture, and motivation that may influence the success of a business transformation initiative. Reference: The TOGAF® Standard | The Open Group Website, Section 3.3.2 Business Transformation Readiness Assessment.

This statement about Requirements Management is most correct because it reflects the central role of Requirements Management and stakeholder engagement in the ADM cycle. Requirements Management is not a step of all ADM Phases, but rather an ongoing process that ensures that all relevant requirements are elicited, analyzed, prioritized, and addressed throughout the architecture development and transition. Stakeholder engagement is also a continuous activity that involves identifying, communicating, and managing stakeholder expectations and concerns. Reference: The TOGAF® Standard | The Open Group Website, Section 3.1 Introduction to the ADM.

A business scenario describes business and technology environment in which those problems occur. It provides a realistic context for identifying and addressing business problems and opportunities, as well as their impact on the enterprise’s architecture. Reference: The TOGAF® Standard | The Open Group Website, Section 3.3.1 Business Scenarios.

The planning horizon, depth, and breadth of an Architecture Project, along with the contents of the EA Repository, are typically framed by Strategy, Portfolio, Segment, and End-to-end Target Architecture. The 'Segment' refers to a part of the organization, typically addressed in a Segment Architecture, while 'End-to-end Target Architecture' encompasses the complete view of the planned architecture across the entire organization.