TOGAF vs. Reality: When Theory Meets Messy Execution

Greetings, valiant architects!

Today, we tackle a classic existential crisis in enterprise architecture — the moment TOGAF, in all its pristine, orderly brilliance, smashes into the chaos of real-world delivery. Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Main Story: TOGAF, Meet the Wild West

It started like every good EA journey — with a PowerPoint. Our hero, Cassandra the Chief Architect, unveiled a clean, four-phase ADM cycle. Stakeholders nodded. Boxes were aligned. Arrows pointed with purpose.

And then came… The Project.

Suddenly, developers went rogue with Agile stand-ups. A stakeholder “reprioritized” the entire roadmap mid-sprint. The Data team went AWOL. And someone (we’re still investigating) swapped the Business Capability Model with a pizza ordering diagram. “Operational Excellence,” they claimed.

TOGAF Phase B? Postponed.

Architecture Governance? Usurped by a Slack thread titled “Quick Fixes.”

By Phase D, Cassandra was writing Requirement Definitions on napkins.

TOGAF to the Rescue (With a Side-Eye)

Sure, TOGAF may not predict Dave from DevOps deleting the baseline architecture repo, but it does offer guardrails. Cassandra rallied:

• She weaponized Architecture Principles like “Data is an asset” (and not a napkin sketch).

• She invoked Architecture Contracts to corral the rogue Agile squads.

• And she established an Architecture Board — which, yes, met during lunch, but still counted.

TOGAF didn’t fix the mess. But it framed the chaos, like a velvet rope around a mosh pit.

Educational Twist: From Theory to Tactical

Here’s how to keep TOGAF grounded:

• Tailor the ADM: Don’t treat it like gospel. Customize it for the organization’s speed and style.

• Use Phases Iteratively: Loop back when reality diverges (and it will).

• Embed Governance in Workflow: Make it invisible but effective — like caffeine in coffee.

Humor in Diagrams

Share and Connect

Have your own “TOGAF meets reality” story?

Was there a napkin involved? We need to know. Share it with us!

Next Week’s Tease

Coming up: “The Presentation Virtuoso: When your deck gets more attention than your architecture” — PowerPoint sorcery, incoming.