According to TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method (ADM), the Preliminary Phase and Phase A (Architecture Vision) are foundational. The critical first step is to understand and define the business drivers, scenarios, and desired outcomes. This ensures the architecture work is aligned with business value and provides the necessary context and requirements for all subsequent technical decisions, preventing a solution in search of a problem.

The Architecture Vision, developed in Phase A of the ADM, is the key early deliverable that defines the scope, stakeholders, and, crucially, the business value and measurable benefits of the proposed architecture. It answers the ‘why’ and ‘what’s in it for us.’ A document focusing only on technical components without this business context is missing its strategic rationale.

Gap analysis is a core technique in TOGAF (Phase B, C, D). Identified gaps between the Baseline and Target Architectures are the primary source for defining the work packages, projects, and building blocks needed to realize the Target Architecture. These are formally managed and scheduled within the Implementation and Migration Plan (Phases E and F).

This statement is a classic example of an Architecture Principle. It is a qualitative rule that guides the design and evolution of the enterprise’s architecture. Principles have a defined structure (Name, Statement, Rationale, Implications) and are intended to be enduring and widely applicable, shaping decisions across projects, unlike specific solution requirements for a single system.

The Preliminary Phase establishes the architecture framework, principles, and repository structure. The Architecture Repository is then populated and maintained throughout the ADM cycles. It contains the reference models (e.g., TRM), standards, and guidelines (like technology selection criteria) that provide the governance and pre-existing knowledge to inform specific design decisions, such as technology product selection.

Implementation Governance (Phase G) is the specific process of ensuring that the implementation projects conform to the defined Target Architecture. It involves reviewing project outputs, issuing dispensations if needed, and confirming compliance. While Architecture Governance is the broader, overarching framework, Implementation Governance is the active application of that framework to the migration and implementation effort.

An Architecture Building Block (ABB) is a specification of a required capability from an architectural perspective. It is defined in functional terms, is reusable, and is implementation-agnostic. It describes *what* the building block must do, not *how* it is implemented (which is the role of the Solution Building Block – SBB).

The Requirements Management phase is the central process that runs throughout the ADM cycle. Its purpose is to manage changes to requirements (like new regulations) by assessing their impact and then injecting them into the appropriate phase of the current ADM cycle for consideration and incorporation. It ensures the architecture remains aligned with a dynamic business environment.

The primary value of reference models like the TRM is to provide a standardized, neutral taxonomy and structure for describing the technology landscape. This creates a common language for stakeholders, facilitates gap analysis, enables clearer communication about technology services, and supports better decision-making, rather than prescribing specific solutions.

According to TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method (ADM), the Preliminary Phase and Phase A (Architecture Vision) are foundational. The critical first step is to understand and define the business drivers, scenarios, and desired outcomes. This ensures the architecture work is aligned with business value and provides the necessary context and requirements for all subsequent technical decisions, preventing a solution in search of a problem.0