Key takeaways
- Objective 1: a Target Business Architecture aligned with the vision’s goals and drivers.
- Objective 2: roadmap components derived from business Baseline/Target gaps.
- Phase B starts from the approved Statement of Architecture Work, the vision, and the draft ADD.
- The steps (models, Baseline, Target, gaps, roadmap, impacts, review) are shared by B, C, and D.
- Outputs: enriched draft ADD and ARS, Business roadmap components.
Purpose and objectives
Like Phases C and D, Phase B aims at a domain architecture approved by stakeholders, together with the gaps and the work to close them. To get there, it answers four questions: where the current enterprise fails to satisfy stakeholder preferences, what must change (the gaps), what work achieves those changes (the work packages), and how priorities shift in the face of value, effort, and risk (the stakeholder requirements).
Its two objectives are specific to the business domain.
- Develop the Target Business Architecture: how the enterprise must operate to achieve its business goals and respond to the vision’s strategic drivers, while addressing the Statement of Architecture Work and concerns
- Identify candidate Architecture Roadmap components from gaps between Baseline and Target Business Architecture
Main inputs
Phase B takes over most Phase A outputs and the elements put in place in the Preliminary Phase.
- Approved Statement of Architecture Work and Architecture Vision
- Architecture Principles, including business principles
- Draft ADD with the high-level views from Phase A
- Capability Assessment, Communications Plan, Enterprise Continuum, and Architecture Repository
Steps shared by Phases B, C, and D
FURTHER STUDY · APPLICATION DETAILS
The domain phases share the same pattern. The Baseline is described only to the extent useful for the target and gap analysis. Techniques such as Business Scenarios, business capabilities, or value streams help discover and structure needs.
- Select reference models, viewpoints, and tools
- Describe the Baseline, then the Target Business Architecture
- Analyze gaps
- Define candidate roadmap components
- Resolve impacts across the Architecture Landscape
- Conduct the formal stakeholder review
- Finalize the architecture and complete the Architecture Definition Document
Deliverables and content
Phase B updates the Phase A outputs and enriches the ADD and the Architecture Requirements Specification, still in draft. The Target Business Architecture covers the organization and its locations, goals, functions, capabilities, services, products, processes, roles, and the business data model, with the views stakeholders need. These elements then steer the choices of Phases C and D.
- Draft ADD: Baseline and Target Business Architecture, associated views
- Draft ARS: gap analysis results, updated business requirements
- Business components of the Architecture Roadmap
- Statement of Architecture Work and principles updated as needed
TERMS TO KNOW
The terms, in context.
- Business Architecture
- Description of the enterprise’s strategy, organization, capabilities, processes, and key information.
- Baseline Architecture
- Description of the existing state, detailed to the extent useful for the target.
- Target Architecture
- Description of the future state aimed at to meet the vision and concerns.
- Gap Analysis
- Comparison of Baseline and Target to identify what must be added, changed, or removed.
- Architecture Requirements Specification
- Set of quantified, verifiable requirements that implementation must meet.