TOGAF Definitions Flashcards
The technique of providing summarized or generalized descriptions of detailed and complex content.
1 Abstraction Abstraction, as in “level of abstraction”, can also mean providing a focus for analysis that is concerned with a consistent and common level of detail or abstraction. Abstraction in this sense is typically used in architecture to allow a consistent level of definition and understanding to be achieved in each area of the architecture in order to support effective communication and decision-making. It is especially useful when dealing with large and complex architectures as it allows relevant issues to be identified before further detail is attempted.
A person, organization, or system that has one or more roles that initiates or interacts with activities; for example, a sales representative who travels to visit customers. They may be internal or external to an organization.
2 Actor In the automotive industry, an original equipment manufacturer would be considered an actor by an automotive dealership that interacts with its supply chain activities.
A description of the structure and interaction of the applications as groups of capabilities that provide key business functions and manage the data assets.
3 Application Architecture Application Architecture is described in Part II, 10. Phase C: Information Systems Architectures - Application Architecture .
An encapsulation of application functionality aligned to implementation structure, which is modular and replaceable. It encapsulates its behavior and data, provides services, and makes them available through interfaces.
4 Application Component For example, a business application such as an accounting, payroll, or CRM system.
The collection of technology components of hardware and software that provide the services used to support applications.
5 Application Platform
The combination of distinctive features related to the specific context within which architecture is performed or expressed; a collection of principles and characteristics that steer or constrain how an architecture is formed.
6 Architectural Style
- The fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment embodied in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution. (Source: ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011)
7 Architecture
A constituent of the architecture model that describes a single aspect of the overall model.
8 Architecture Building Block (ABB)
A part of the Enterprise Continuum. A repository of architectural elements with increasing detail and specialization.
9 Architecture Continuum This Continuum begins with foundational definitions like reference models, core strategies, and basic building blocks. From there it spans to Industry Architectures and all the way to an Organization-Specific Architecture.
The core of the TOGAF framework. A multi-phase, iterative approach to develop and use an Enterprise Architecture to shape and govern business transformation and implementation projects.
10 Architecture Development Method (ADM) The ADM is described in Part II: Architecture Development Method (ADM).
The architectural area being considered. The TOGAF framework has four primary ones: business, data, application, and technology. Others may also be considered (e.g., security).
11 Architecture Domain
A conceptual structure used to plan, develop, implement, govern, and sustain an architecture.
12 Architecture Framework
The practice of monitoring and directing architecture-related work. The goal is to deliver desired outcomes and adhere to relevant principles, standards, and roadmaps.
13 Architecture Governance
The layout and representation of assets in use, or planned, by the enterprise at particular points in time.
14 Architecture Landscape
A representation of a subject of interest within an architecture, providing a smaller scale, simplified, and/or abstract representation of the subject matter.
15 Architecture Model An architecture model provides a smaller scale, simplified, and/or abstract representation of the subject matter.
A qualitative statement of intent that should be met by the architecture.
16 Architecture Principle A sample set of Architecture Principles is defined in Part III, 20. Architecture Principles .
A representation of a system from the perspective of a related set of concerns.
17 Architecture View In some sections of this standard, the term “view” is used as a synonym for “architecture view”.
A specification of the conventions for a particular kind of architecture view.
18 Architecture Viewpoint An architecture viewpoint can also be seen as the definition or schema for that kind of architecture view. It establishes the conventions for constructing, interpreting, and using an architecture view to address a specific concern (or set of concerns) about a system-of-interest.
A succinct description of the Target Architecture that describes its business value and the changes to the enterprise that will result from its successful deployment. It serves as an aspirational and a boundary for detailed architecture development.
19 Architecture Vision Phase A (Architecture Vision) is described in Part II, 6. Phase A: Architecture Vision .
An architectural work product that describes an aspect of the architecture.
20 Artifact
A specification that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter serves as the basis for further development or change and that can be changed only through formal change control procedures or a type of procedure such as configuration management.
21 Baseline
A shorthand representation of “access to integrated information to support business process improvements” representing a desired state of an enterprise’s infrastructure specific to the business needs of the organization.
22 Boundaryless Information Flow™ The need for Boundaryless Information Flow - a trademark of The Open Group - is described in the TOGAF® Series Guide: The TOGAF Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM).
A (potentially re-usable) component of enterprise capability that can be combined with others to deliver architectures and solutions.
23 Building Block Building blocks can be defined at various levels of detail, depending on what stage of architecture development has been reached. For instance, at an early stage, a building block can simply consist of a name or an outline description. Later on, a building block may be decomposed into multiple supporting building blocks and may be accompanied by a full specification. Building blocks can relate to “architectures” or “solutions”.
A representation of holistic, multi-dimensional business views of: capabilities, end-to-end value delivery, information, and organizational structure; and the relationships among these business views and strategies, products, policies, initiatives, and stakeholders.
24 Business Architecture Business Architecture relates business elements to business goals and elements of other domains.
A particular ability that a business may possess or exchange to achieve a specific purpose.
25 Business Capability
Delivers business capabilities closely aligned to an organization, but not necessarily explicitly governed by the organization.
26 Business Function
Concerned with ensuring that the business processes and policies (and their operation) deliver the business outcomes and adhere to relevant business regulation.
27 Business Governance
A model describing the rationale for how an enterprise creates, delivers, and captures value.
28 Business Model
Supports business capabilities through an explicitly defined interface and is explicitly governed by an organization.
29 Business Service
An ability that an organization, person, or system possesses.
30 Capability For example, Enterprise Architecture, marketing, customer contact, or outbound telemarketing.
A highly detailed description of the architectural approach to realize the ability of a business to provide a specific solution or solution aspect.
31 Capability Architecture
A discrete portion of a capability architecture that delivers specific value. When all of these have been completed, the capability has been realized.
32 Capability Increment
The management of needs of stakeholders of the Enterprise Architecture practice. It also manages the execution of communication between the practice and the stakeholders and the practice and the consumers of its services.
33 Communications and Stakeholder Management Architecture stakeholder management is described in 21. Stakeholder Management .
An interest in a system relevant to one or more of its stakeholders.
34 Concern Concerns may pertain to any aspect of the system’s functioning, development, or operation, including considerations such as performance, reliability, security, distribution, and evolvability and may determine the acceptability of the system.
Activity undertaken to achieve strategic goals and objectives, often specified to provide direction and focus when delivering the value proposition characterized in the business model.
35 Course of Action
A description of the structure and interaction of the enterprise’s major types and sources of data, logical data assets, physical data assets, and data management resources.
36 Data Architecture Data Architecture is described in Part II, 9. Phase C: Information Systems Architectures - Data Architecture .
An architectural work product that is contractually specified and in turn formally reviewed, agreed, and signed off by the stakeholders.
37 Deliverable Deliverables represent the output of projects and those deliverables that are in documentation form will typically be archived at completion of a project, or transitioned into an Architecture Repository as a reference model, standard, or snapshot of the Architecture Landscape at a point in time.
The highest level (typically) of description of an organization and typically covers all missions and functions. It will often span multiple organizations.
38 Enterprise
A categorization mechanism useful for classifying architecture and solution artifacts, both internal and external to the Architecture Repository, as they evolve from generic Foundation Architectures to Organization-Specific Architectures.
39 Enterprise Continuum
Generic building blocks, their inter-relationships with other building blocks, combined with the principles and guidelines that provide the basis on which more specific architectures can be built.
40 Foundation Architecture
A structure for content or process that can be used as a tool to structure thinking, ensuring consistency and completeness.
41 Framework
A statement of difference between two states. Itemized in an analysis which identifies the differences between the Baseline and Target Architecture.
42 Gap Gap analysis is described in Part III, 23. Gap Analysis .
The discipline of monitoring, managing, and steering a business (or IS/IT landscape) as it delivers a business outcome required.
43 Governance
Any communication or representation of facts, data, or opinions, in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audio-visual forms.
44 Information
- A discrete behavior requestable from an application (e.g., log in, book train seat, transfer money). It supports and enables business roles and processes by capturing or providing data or automating a process. It can be coarse-grained or fine-grained (cf. a use-case or user story). It can be found in and invoked via an interface.
45 Information System Service
- The lifecycle management of information and related technology used by an organization.
46 Information Technology (IT)
- The ability to share information and services. [across systems]
47 Interoperability
An implementation-independent definition of the architecture, often grouping related physical entities according to their purpose and structure.
48 Logical For example, the products from multiple infrastructure software vendors can all be logically grouped as Java® application server platforms.
Data about data, of any sort in any media, that describes the characteristics of an entity.
49 Metadata
A model that describes how and with what the architecture will be described in a structured way.
50 Metamodel
A defined, repeatable approach to address a particular type of problem.
51 Method
A technique which enables a subject to be represented in forms that enable reasoning, insight, and clarity concerning the essence of the subject matter, without constructing or depicting the entire subject.
52 Modeling
Conventions for a type of modeling referenced in an architectural viewpoint.
53 Model Kind
An architecture viewpoint references one or more model kinds; an architecture view incorporates one or more models.
A time-bounded milestone for an organization used to demonstrate progress towards a goal; for example, “Increase capacity utilization by 30% by the end of 2019 to support the planned increase in market share”.
54 Objective
An articulation of the relationships between the primary entities that make up the enterprise, its partners, and stakeholders.
55 Organization Map
A re-usable technique for putting building blocks into context; for example, to describe a re-usable solution to a problem.
(Or) A repeatable behavior
56 Pattern
Building blocks are what you use: (architecture) patterns can tell you how you use them, when, why, and what trade-offs you have to make in doing so.
A description of a real-world entity as opposed to abstract or reference. These elements in an Enterprise Architecture may still be considerably abstracted from Solution Architecture, design, or implementation views.
57 Physical
A qualitative statement of intent that should be met by the product or outcome.
58 Principle (See 3.16 Architecture principle)
An abstract framework for understanding significant relationships among the entities of [an] environment, based on a small number of unifying concepts. May be used as a basis for education and explaining standards to a non-specialist, and for the development of consistent standards or specifications supporting that environment. Not directly tied to any standards, technologies, or other concrete implementation details, but it does seek to provide common semantics that can be used unambiguously across and between different implementations.
59 Reference Model (RM) A reference model is based on a small number of unifying concepts and may be used as a basis for education and explaining standards to a non-specialist. A reference model is not directly tied to any standards, technologies, or other concrete implementation details, but it does seek to provide common semantics that can be used unambiguously across and between different implementations.
A system that collects and manages all of the data of an enterprise, including data and process models and other enterprise information.
60 Repository The data in a repository is much more extensive than that in a data dictionary, which generally defines only the data making up a database.
A statement of need that must be met by a particular architecture or work package.
61 Requirement
An abstracted plan for business or technology change, typically operating across multiple disciplines over multiple years. Normally used in the phrases Technology xxxx, Architecture xxxx, etc.
62 Roadmap
- The usual or expected function of an actor, or the part somebody or something plays in a particular action or event. An actor may have a number of these.
63 Role
A detailed, formal description of areas within an enterprise, used at the program or portfolio level to organize and align change activity.
64 Segment Architecture
- A repeatable activity; a discrete behavior that a building block may be requested or otherwise triggered to perform and provide value to another part of the system.
65 Service
Examples include check customer credit, provide weather data, and consolidate drilling reports. It serves a client or customer by delivering an output or changing system state. It can be defined in a logical service contract that defines input and output flows and/or state changes. It encapsulates any building block that processes the input and output flows. It may be one of several services in a service portfolio or Service-Level Agreement (SLA). It may be invoked via an interface. It can be coarse-grained (build a house) or fine-grained (retrieve an address).
Viewing an enterprise, system, or building block in terms of services provided and consumed.
66 Service Orientation
An architectural style where services are provided to the other components by application components, through a communication protocol over a network. Its principles are independent of vendors and other technologies.
67 Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
A collection of services, potentially an interface definition.
68 Service Portfolio It is used in the TOGAF framework to define the requirement for a building block or system.
A description of a discrete and focused business operation or activity and how IS/IT supports that operation.
69 Solution Architecture A Solution Architecture typically applies to a single project or project release, assisting in the translation of requirements into a solution vision, high-level business and/or IT system specifications, and a portfolio of implementation tasks.
A candidate solution which conforms to the specification of an Architecture Building Block (ABB).
70 Solution Building Block (SBB)
A repository of re-usable solutions for future implementation efforts. It contains implementations of the corresponding definitions in the Architecture Continuum.
71 Solutions Continuum
An individual, team, organization, or class thereof, having an interest in a system.
72 Stakeholder
A database of standards that can be used to define the particular services and other components of an Organization-Specific Architecture.
73 Standards Information Base (SIB) The Standards Information Base is described in Part V, 37.4 Standards Information Base .
A summary formal description of the enterprise, providing an organizing framework for operational and change activity, and an executive-level, long-term view for direction setting May include organizational vision, mission, goals, and objectives.
74 Strategic Architecture
The description of a future state of the architecture being developed for an organization.
75 Target Architecture There may be several future states developed as a roadmap to show the evolution of the architecture to a target state.
The organized collection of all architecture views pertinent to an architecture.
76 Taxonomy of Architecture Views
A description of the structure and interaction of the technology services and technology components.
77 Technology Architecture Technology Architecture is described in Part II, 11. Phase D: Technology Architecture .
- A technology building block. A generic infrastructure technology that supports and enables application or data components (directly or indirectly) by providing technology services.
78 Technology Component
A technical capability required to provide enabling infrastructure that supports the delivery of applications.
79 Technology Service
A formal description of one state of the architecture at an architecturally significant point in time.
80 Transition Architecture One or more Transition Architectures may be used to describe the progression in time from the Baseline to the Target Architecture.
A representation of an end-to-end collection of value-adding activities that create an overall result for a customer, stakeholder, or end user.
81 Value Stream
A representation of a system from the perspective of a related set of concerns.
82 View or Architecture View
A specification of the conventions for implementing a specific kind of view. The definition or schema for that kind of view, which establishes the conventions for constructing, interpreting, and using a view to address a specific concern (or set of concerns) about a system-of-interest.
83 Viewpoint
A collection of the specifications of architecture viewpoints contained in the Reference Library portion of the Architecture Repository.
84 Viewpoint Library
A set of actions identified to achieve one or more objectives for the business. Can be a part of a project, a complete project, or a program, or a value stream.
85 Work Package
Software entities which have a specific business purpose.
A.1 Application Software
In the context of IT systems, the probability that system functional capabilities are ready for use by a user at any time, accounting for all downtime, including operations, repair, administration, and logistic time. Further defined by system category for both routine and priority operations.
A.2 Availability
The collection of hardware, software, policy statements, processes, activities, standards, and people which together implement a business function.
A.3 Business System
A structured list of architectural outputs of a similar kind, used for reference. For example, a technology standards list or an application portfolio.
A.4 Catalog
An application component which requests services from a server.
A.5 Client
An acronym for control objectives for information and related technology, created by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), which provides a set of recommended best practices for the governance/management of information systems and technology.
A.6 COBIT
A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: Identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item Control changes to those characteristics Record and report changes to processing and implementation status Also, the management of the configuration of Enterprise Architecture practice (intellectual property) assets and baselines and the control of change over of those assets.
A.7 Configuration Management
An agreement between a service consumer and a service provider that establishes functional and non-functional parameters for interaction.
A.8 Contract
A decision-making step with accompanying decision logic used to determine execution approach for a process or to ensure that a process complies with governance criteria. For example, a sign-off on the purchase request processing process that checks whether the total value of the request is within the sign-off limits of the requester, or whether it needs escalating to higher authority.
A.9 Control
The chief officer within a particular function of the business; e.g., Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer.
A.10 CxO
A specialized type of database containing metadata; a repository of information describing the characteristics of data used to design, monitor, document, protect, and control data in information systems and databases; an application system supporting the definition and management of database metadata.
A.11 Data Dictionary
A basic unit of information having a meaning and that may have subcategories (data items) of distinct units and values.
A.12 Data Element
An encapsulation of data that is recognized by a business domain expert. Can be tied to applications, repositories, and services and may be structured according to implementation considerations.
A.13 Data Entity
A structured or organized collection of data entities, which is to be accessed by a computer.
A.14 Database
A computer application program that accesses or manipulates the database.
A.15 Database Management System
An external or internal condition that motivates the organization to define its goals. An example of an external xxxx is a change in regulation or compliance rules which, for example, require changes to the way an organization operates; i.e., Sarbanes-Oxley in the US.
A.16 Driver
Person who ultimately uses the computer application or output.
A.17 End User
A complete suite of integrated applications that support the major business support functions of an organization; e.g., Financial (AP/AR/GL), HR, Payroll, Stock, Order Processing and Invoicing, Purchasing, Logistics, Manufacturing, etc.
A.18 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System
An organizational state change that triggers processing activities – may originate from inside or outside the organization and may be resolved inside or outside the organization.
A.19 Event
A hierarchy of the functions of an enterprise or organization.
A.20 Functional Decomposition
A high-level statement of intent or direction for an organization. Typically used to measure success of an organization.
A.21 Goal
An architectural document that provides guidance on the optimal ways to carry out design or implementation activities.
A.22 Guideline
The physical infrastructure needed to run software; e.g., servers, workstations, network equipment, etc.
A.23 Hardware
Grouping of information (or data entities) by a set of criteria such as security classification, ownership, location, etc. In the context of security, they are defined as a set of users, their information objects, and a security policy.
A.24 Information Domain
The computer (or IT)-based portion of a business system.
A.25 Information System (IS)
A relationship between architectural building blocks (i.e., services or components) that embodies communication or usage.
A.26 Interaction
An architectural view, catalog, or matrix that shows a particular type of interaction. For example, a diagram showing application integration.
A.27 Interaction Model
Interconnection and inter-relationships between, for example, people, systems, devices, applications, or the user and an application or device.
A.28 Interface
A way of quantifying the performance of the business or project relative to strategic business objectives.
A.29 Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
The period of time that begins when a system is conceived and ends when the system is no longer available for use.
A.30 Lifecycle
A physical place where business activity takes place and may be hierarchically decomposed.
A.31 Location
An encapsulation of application functionality that is independent of a particular implementation. For example, the classification of all purchase request processing applications implemented in an enterprise.
A.32 Logical Application Component
A boundary zone that encapsulates related data entities to form a logical location to be held. For example, external procurement information.
A.33 Logical Data Component
An encapsulation of technology infrastructure that is independent of a particular product. A class of technology product. For example, supply chain management software as part of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite or a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) purchase request processing enterprise service.
A.34 Logical Technology Component
A best practice methodology for program management, developed by the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
A.35 Managing Successful Programs (MSP)
A format for showing the relationship between two (or more) architectural elements in a grid format.
A.36 Matrix
An indicator or factor that can be tracked, usually on an ongoing basis, to determine success or alignment with objectives and goals.
A.37 Measure
A pattern or template of the view, from which to develop individual views. Establishes the purposes and audience for a view, the ways in which the view is documented (e.g., for visual modeling), and the ways in which it is used (e.g., for analysis).
A.38 Metaview
A system that implements sufficient open specifications for interfaces, services, and supporting formats to enable properly engineered application software: To be ported with minimal changes across a wide range of systems To interoperate with other applications on local and remote systems To interact with users in a style that facilitates user portability
A.39 Open System
Management and oversight of the performance and service of systems against contracted performance levels, the definition of such performance levels, and the implementation of systems that ensure effective performance. .
A.40 Operational Governance
See also 3.43 Governance in 3. Definitions
Services that are acquired from the market from a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) vendor, rather than being constructed via code build.
A.41 Packaged Services
An application, application module, application service, or other deployable component of functionality. For example, a configured and deployed instance of a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) supply chain management application.
A.42 Physical Application Component
A boundary zone that encapsulates related data entities to form a physical location to be held. For example, a purchase order business object, comprising purchase order header and item business object nodes.
A.43 Physical Data Component
A specific technology infrastructure product or technology infrastructure product instance. For example, a particular product version of a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution, or a specific brand and version of server.
A.44 Physical Technology Component
- The ease with which a system, component, data, or user can be transferred from one hardware or software environment to another. 2. A quality metric that can be used to measure the relative effort to transport the software for use in another environment or to convert software for use in another operating environment, hardware configuration, or software system environment.
A.45 Portability
The complete set of change activities or systems that exist within the organization or part of the organization. For example, application xxxx and project xxxx.
A.46 Portfolio
An acronym for projects in controlled environments, which is a standard project management method developed as a UK government.
A.47 PRINCE2
A sequence of activities that together achieve a specified outcome, can be decomposed into sub-xxxx, and can show operation of a function or service (at next level of detail). May also be used to link or compose organizations, functions, services, and processes.
A.48 Process
Output generated by the business. The business result of the execution of a process. A defined good or service provided to a customer.
A.49 Product
A set of one or more base standards and, where applicable, the identification of those classes, subsets, options, and parameters of those base standards, necessary for accomplishing a particular function.
A.50 Profile
Identifying standards and characteristics of a particular system.
A.51 Profiling
A co-ordinated set of change projects, managed with common shared services, that deliver business benefit to the organization.
A.52 Program
A single effort, with a defined beginning and end, which delivers business benefit to the organization.
A.53 Project
The management of potential and realized threats that may affect the success of the Enterprise Architecture practice and its ability to meet its vision, goals, and objectives, and, importantly, its service provision.
A.54 Risk Management
The capability to grow to accommodate increased work loads. The ability to use the same application software on many different classes of hardware/software platforms from PCs to super-computers (extends the portability concept).
A.55 Scalability
The practice of protecting resources and data, managing access, confidentiality, availability, and integrity.
A.56 Security
An application component which responds to requests from clients or consumers.
A.57 Server
A preset configuration of non-functional attributes that may be assigned to a service or service contract.
A.58 Service Quality
An acronym for 5 characteristics, which form an approach to ensure that targets and objectives are set in a way that can be achieved and measured.
A.59 SMART
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound
The activities related to managing the providers of products and services to the Enterprise Architecture practice, in concert with larger corporate procurement activities.
A.60 Supplier Management
A combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes (Source: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015). [Elements may include hardware, software, people, processes, and data]
A.61 System
The timeframe over which a potential impact is to be measured.
A.62 Time Period
Interaction between two entities in which one provides inputs to receive a specific result from the another.
A.63 Transaction
A view of organization, application, or product functionality that illustrates capabilities in context with the user of that capability.
A.64 Use-Case
- Any person, organization, or functional unit that uses the services of an information processing system. 2. In a conceptual schema language, any person or any thing that may issue or receive commands and messages to or from the information system.
A.65 User
