The Preliminary Phase in TOGAF 10 is the foundational step before the Architecture Development Method (ADM) cycle begins. Its primary objectives establish the essential conditions and organizational readiness for successful architecture development. The Preliminary Phase focuses on ensuring that the organization has the proper framework, governance, and commitment to execute architectural work effectively. Key objectives include establishing the Architecture Capability, which involves identifying the people, processes, tools, and technologies needed to support architecture efforts within the organization. This includes defining clear roles and responsibilities for the architecture team. Another critical objective is securing sponsorship and commitment from organizational leadership, ensuring that executives understand the value of architecture and allocate necessary resources. The phase also aims to establish Architecture Governance frameworks, including policies, standards, and procedures that will guide architecture work. This encompasses defining decision-making processes and approval mechanisms. The Preliminary Phase objectives further include identifying and engaging stakeholders who will be involved in or affected by architectural initiatives. Understanding stakeholder needs and expectations is crucial for success. Additionally, the phase seeks to understand the organizational context, culture, and constraints that will influence architecture development. This includes assessing the current state of the organization's technical and business environments. Finally, the Preliminary Phase establishes the Architecture Vision at a high level, providing initial direction and strategic alignment. It creates a tailored methodology and approach for the specific organization, as TOGAF is a flexible framework adaptable to different organizational needs. These objectives collectively ensure that the organization is prepared, resourced, and aligned to undertake comprehensive architecture development through subsequent ADM phases, maximizing the likelihood of successful implementation and value realization.

Establishing the Architecture Capability is a critical component of TOGAF 10's Preliminary Phase, focusing on setting up the organizational foundation for successful enterprise architecture practice. This process involves creating the necessary structures, processes, skills, and resources required to support architecture initiatives throughout the organization.

Key aspects of establishing architecture capability include:

1. Organizational Structure: Creating or defining the architecture function within the organization, including establishing an Enterprise Architecture (EA) team with clear roles and responsibilities. This includes identifying the Chief Architect or Architecture Board who will oversee EA activities.

2. Architecture Framework and Methodology: Adopting TOGAF as the standard framework and ensuring all stakeholders understand the ADM (Architecture Development Method). This includes tailoring TOGAF to fit organizational needs and constraints.

3. Governance and Processes: Developing architecture governance frameworks that define decision-making processes, approval authorities, and compliance mechanisms. This ensures architectural decisions are properly reviewed and aligned with business strategy.

4. Skills and Competencies: Identifying skill gaps and implementing training programs to develop architecture competencies within the team. This includes certifying architects in TOGAF and building expertise in relevant domains.

5. Tools and Infrastructure: Selecting and implementing architecture tools that support documentation, modeling, and repository management. This enables effective communication and knowledge sharing across the organization.

6. Business Context: Understanding the organization's vision, mission, and strategic objectives to ensure the architecture function aligns with business goals and addresses key stakeholder concerns.

7. Reference Materials: Establishing architecture repositories, templates, and best practices that guide future architecture work and ensure consistency across projects.

Successful capability establishment ensures that the organization has the maturity and readiness to conduct effective architecture work during the Architecture Vision and subsequent ADM phases.

Architecture Principles in the TOGAF 10 Preliminary Phase form the foundational guidelines that govern the entire enterprise architecture practice within an organization. These principles are established before the ADM cycle begins and serve as the bedrock for all architectural decisions and activities.

Architecture Principles are statements of direction or intent that reflect the organization's core values and strategic objectives. During the Preliminary Phase, these principles are identified, documented, and endorsed by senior management. They provide a consistent framework for evaluating architectural choices, ensuring alignment with business goals.

Key characteristics of Architecture Principles include: they are actionable, measurable, and provide clear guidance to architects and stakeholders. They establish the 'why' behind architectural decisions, not just the 'what.' Common examples include principles related to interoperability, cost-effectiveness, security, and flexibility.

The development of Architecture Principles in the Preliminary Phase involves several activities: identifying existing organizational principles, gaining stakeholder consensus, and securing executive sponsorship. These principles are typically documented in a principle statement that includes the principle itself, rationale, implications, and supporting metrics.

Architecture Principles serve critical functions: they reduce ambiguity in decision-making, promote consistency across architectural domains, facilitate communication with stakeholders, and ensure regulatory compliance. They act as decision filters when evaluating alternative solutions or resolving conflicts between different architectural requirements.

During the Preliminary Phase, the governance framework is established to enforce these principles. This includes defining who has authority to make exceptions, how principle violations are addressed, and how principles evolve as the organization changes.

Ultimately, Architecture Principles established in the Preliminary Phase provide the strategic direction and constraints that guide all subsequent ADM phases, ensuring the architecture remains aligned with organizational strategy and stakeholder expectations throughout the entire enterprise architecture engagement.

Tailoring the TOGAF Framework is a critical activity within the Preliminary Phase that ensures the Architecture Development Method (ADM) is customized to meet the specific needs, constraints, and culture of an organization. This process recognizes that TOGAF provides a comprehensive set of tools and techniques, but not all elements are universally applicable to every organization.

Tailoring involves several key aspects:

**Scope and Scale Customization**: Organizations must determine which ADM phases are necessary and in what sequence. Some organizations may skip or compress phases based on their maturity level and project requirements.

**Framework Adaptation**: TOGAF provides templates, tools, and methodologies that should be adapted to align with existing organizational processes, governance structures, and architectural practices. This ensures seamless integration with current operations.

**Governance Alignment**: Tailoring includes establishing how architecture governance will function within the organization, including decision-making authorities, review processes, and compliance mechanisms that fit organizational hierarchy and culture.

**Resource and Tool Selection**: Organizations identify which TOGAF resources, content metamodels, and analytical tools are most relevant. Not all components need implementation simultaneously; selection depends on organizational priorities.

**Cultural Considerations**: Effective tailoring acknowledges organizational culture, stakeholder expectations, and change management capabilities. The framework should be presented and implemented in ways that gain acceptance and support.

**Documentation and Communication**: Tailoring establishes how architecture documentation will be created, maintained, and communicated across the organization, ensuring clarity and consistency.

In the Preliminary Phase and Architecture Vision, tailoring establishes the foundation for successful architecture work by creating an approach that is both faithful to TOGAF principles and pragmatically designed for organizational success. This customization enables more effective architecture implementation, better stakeholder engagement, and improved achievement of business objectives while maintaining architectural rigor and consistency throughout the ADM lifecycle.

Phase A: Architecture Vision is a critical component of the TOGAF ADM that establishes the foundation for the entire architecture development process. The primary objectives of Phase A include developing a high-level vision of the desired architecture capability, obtaining stakeholder agreement on the architecture approach, and securing executive sponsorship and commitment for the architecture initiative.

The key objectives encompass several essential elements. First, practitioners must define the scope and constraints of the architecture engagement, identifying which business units and IT domains will be addressed. Second, they must clearly articulate the business problems, opportunities, and the desired business value that the new architecture will deliver. Third, stakeholders must establish the architecture principles that will guide all subsequent architecture work and decisions throughout the ADM cycle.

The approach to Phase A involves multiple critical steps. Initially, architects conduct discovery workshops and stakeholder interviews to understand the current business environment, strategic drivers, and organizational goals. They develop the Architecture Vision document, which provides a concise, compelling description of the desired future state and its benefits. This vision typically includes high-level business and IT goals, success metrics, and the transformational journey.

Crucially, Phase A emphasizes stakeholder engagement and consensus building. Architects must identify all relevant stakeholders, including business leaders, IT executives, and operational teams, ensuring their concerns and requirements are incorporated. The phase culminates in obtaining formal approval and sign-off from enterprise leadership, establishing a mandate for the architecture development effort.

The deliverables include the Architecture Vision, Business Architecture overview, stakeholder map, and the Architecture Statement of Work. Phase A establishes clear governance mechanisms and defines how architecture decisions will be made throughout subsequent phases. This foundation is essential for ensuring alignment between business strategy and IT capabilities, ultimately increasing the likelihood of successful architecture implementation and organizational transformation.

Creating the Architecture Vision is a critical activity within TOGAF 10's Preliminary Phase and Architecture Vision phase of the ADM. This process establishes the foundational direction and scope for the entire architecture engagement.

The Architecture Vision serves as a high-level, aspirational view of the desired future state of the enterprise. It articulates the business objectives, strategic initiatives, and the value proposition that the architecture aims to deliver. This vision is essential for gaining stakeholder alignment and establishing a clear mandate for architectural work.

Key elements include defining the business context, identifying major stakeholders, and understanding their concerns and requirements. Architects must capture the current state baseline and envision the target state, identifying the gap that architecture will address.

The vision document typically includes: a statement of architectural intent, business drivers, key performance indicators, success metrics, and the scope of the architecture engagement. It establishes the business case by demonstrating how the architecture will enable business strategy and deliver measurable value.

Creating an effective Architecture Vision requires collaboration with executive sponsors, business leaders, and key stakeholders. This ensures the vision reflects organizational priorities and has adequate support for implementation.

The Architecture Vision phase also involves securing approval and commitment from governance bodies. This formal endorsement is crucial for resource allocation and organizational buy-in throughout the ADM cycle.

Furthermore, this vision becomes the reference point against which all subsequent architectural decisions are evaluated. It provides guardrails ensuring alignment with business strategy and helps manage scope creep by clearly defining what is included and excluded from the architecture engagement.

Ultimately, Creating the Architecture Vision transforms abstract business strategy into concrete architectural direction, bridging the gap between business objectives and technical implementation, and establishing the foundation for successful architecture development and transformation initiatives.

Stakeholder Identification and Concerns is a critical activity within TOGAF 10's Preliminary Phase and Architecture Vision phase. It involves systematically identifying all individuals, groups, and organizations who have an interest in or will be affected by the enterprise architecture initiative.

Stakeholder identification begins by recognizing key personas such as sponsors, business leaders, IT leadership, end-users, and external partners. The process ensures that no critical stakeholder group is overlooked, as their engagement is essential for architecture success.

Once identified, understanding stakeholder concerns is paramount. Each stakeholder group has distinct interests, priorities, and constraints. Business stakeholders may prioritize cost reduction and competitive advantage, while IT operations focuses on system stability and maintainability. End-users are concerned with usability and productivity improvements. Security teams emphasize risk mitigation.

The Architecture Vision phase explicitly addresses these concerns by creating a shared understanding of the architecture's purpose and benefits. This involves documenting stakeholder requirements, expectations, and potential resistance points. Architects must balance competing interests and demonstrate how the architecture addresses multiple stakeholder perspectives.

Effective stakeholder concern management requires:

1. Creating a Stakeholder Map that categorizes stakeholders by influence and interest level
2. Documenting specific concerns through interviews, workshops, and surveys
3. Developing communication strategies tailored to each stakeholder group
4. Establishing feedback mechanisms for ongoing stakeholder engagement
5. Ensuring architecture decisions transparently address documented concerns

This foundational work prevents costly rework, improves adoption rates, and increases architecture effectiveness. By comprehensively identifying stakeholders and genuinely addressing their concerns, organizations create buy-in and support necessary for successful architecture transformation. Neglecting this activity often leads to resistance, project delays, and failure to realize intended business benefits.

The Statement of Architecture Work (SAW) is a critical document produced during the Preliminary Phase of the TOGAF ADM (Architecture Development Method). It serves as the formal authorization and charter for the architecture project, establishing the foundation for all subsequent architectural work.

The SAW defines the scope, objectives, and constraints of the architecture engagement. It specifies what architectural domains will be addressed—whether Business, Data, Application, or Technology architectures—and outlines the business drivers and strategic goals that necessitate the architecture work. This document ensures stakeholder alignment by clearly communicating the rationale for the architectural initiative.

Key components of the SAW include: the architecture project request details, such as business requirements and drivers; identified stakeholders and their concerns; the architecture scope and organizational context; success criteria and key performance indicators; constraints and assumptions; and the planned timeline and resource allocation.

The SAW also establishes the governance framework for the architecture program, defining decision-making authority, approval processes, and communication protocols. It identifies the Architecture Vision that will guide the work and references the organizational principles and reference models that will inform architecture decisions.

This document is essential for setting realistic expectations about what the architecture will deliver, when deliverables will be available, and what resources are required. By formalizing the architecture work through the SAW, organizations ensure executive sponsorship, secure necessary funding and resources, and create accountability for the architecture team.

The SAW bridges the gap between business strategy and architectural execution, translating business requirements into an actionable architecture development program. It remains a reference document throughout the ADM cycle, ensuring that work remains focused on original objectives while allowing for documented changes through proper governance mechanisms.

In TOGAF 10 Foundation, the Preliminary Phase and Architecture Vision phase establish the foundation for enterprise architecture development. Business Context and Business Drivers are critical elements that inform this process.

Business Context refers to the comprehensive understanding of the organization's current state, including its structure, operations, competitive environment, and stakeholder landscape. It encompasses the organizational structure, existing business processes, current technology infrastructure, market position, and regulatory environment. Understanding business context helps architects recognize constraints, opportunities, and dependencies that will influence architecture decisions. It provides the baseline against which changes will be measured and ensures that architectural recommendations align with organizational realities.

Business Drivers are the fundamental forces, motivations, and pressures that necessitate change within the organization. These include market demands, competitive threats, regulatory requirements, technological advances, customer expectations, and strategic goals. Business drivers answer the 'why' question—why the organization needs to change or improve. Examples include digital transformation initiatives, cost reduction targets, expansion into new markets, compliance with new regulations, or improving customer experience.

In the Preliminary Phase and Architecture Vision, these elements work synergistically. Business Context establishes what currently exists, while Business Drivers explain what needs to change and why. Together, they define the problem space and provide the rationale for architectural initiatives.

Architects use Business Context to understand constraints and stakeholder concerns, and Business Drivers to align architecture with organizational objectives. This alignment ensures that proposed architectures address genuine business needs rather than pursuing solutions seeking problems. The clarity gained from analyzing both elements helps communicate the architecture's value to stakeholders and ensures resources are invested in strategically important initiatives. Ultimately, a clear understanding of business context and drivers enables architects to create relevant, achievable, and measurable architecture solutions that drive organizational success.

Architecture Vision represents a critical phase in the TOGAF ADM that follows the Preliminary Phase. This phase establishes the business context and creates a compelling vision that guides architectural work.

INPUTS to Architecture Vision phase include:

1. Request for Architecture Work - The formal request triggering the architecture engagement, containing business drivers and objectives
2. Organizational Model and Governance Framework - From Preliminary Phase, defining decision-making structures
3. Tailored ADM and Framework - Customized methodology for the specific organization
4. Architecture Principles - Foundational guidelines governing architectural decisions
5. Business Goals and Strategic Plans - High-level organizational objectives
6. Stakeholder Input - Requirements and concerns from key stakeholders
7. Reference Models and Standards - Industry best practices and organizational standards

OUTPUTS from Architecture Vision phase include:

1. Architecture Vision Document - High-level aspirational view of the future architecture, communicating business drivers and expected benefits
2. Business Architecture Definition - Foundation for understanding current and target business processes
3. Stakeholder Map Analysis - Identification and assessment of key stakeholders and their concerns
4. Communications Plan - Strategy for keeping stakeholders informed throughout the engagement
5. Refined Problem Statement - Clear articulation of business challenges to be addressed
6. Approved Statement of Architecture Work - Formal agreement defining scope, objectives, and success criteria
7. Architecture Principles Refined - Refined and approved principles guiding the architecture
8. Baseline Architecture - Documentation of current state architecture
9. Target Architecture Vision - High-level definition of desired future state

These inputs and outputs ensure stakeholder alignment, establish clear vision direction, and provide the foundation for subsequent ADM phases. The Architecture Vision phase transforms business requirements into architectural context, enabling effective architecture development throughout the engagement lifecycle.