TOGAF certification shows that someone knows The Open Group’s enterprise architecture standard. Whether it is worth paying for depends less on the certificate itself than on whether your organisation has, or is building, an architecture practice in which the team will actually use the method. So a manager’s plan starts with that question, not with exam bookings.
Quick Overview
What you will learn:
- What the TOGAF Standard is and which edition is current
- Which certifications the TOGAF portfolio includes and how to reach them
- What to ask before deciding to certify your team
- How to plan the rollout step by step
Who this article is for:
- Managers of IT and architecture teams
- Training budget holders
- Architects and analysts considering certification
Reading time: 7 minutes
What TOGAF Is and Who Uses It
TOGAF is The Open Group’s standard setting out a method and framework for enterprise architecture (www.opengroup.org; note that The Open Group sells certification based on this standard). The latest version is the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition. Its owner says it is used by small, medium and large businesses as well as by government departments, public bodies and defence agencies.
On the job market, this maps to the enterprise architect occupation. The European ESCO classification (esco.ec.europa.eu) gives it the code 2511.5. Its English entry describes enterprise architects as people who balance technological opportunities with business requirements and who link the organisation’s mission, strategy and processes to its ICT strategy. Among the essential skills it lists are designing enterprise architecture and knowledge of ICT architectural frameworks. ESCO’s own entry for that first skill (esco.ec.europa.eu) describes it as analysing the business structure and providing a logical organisation of business processes and information infrastructure, applying principles and practices that help organisations realise their strategies, respond to disruption and achieve their goals. That is a useful yardstick for a manager: certification should serve this kind of work, not replace it.
Which Certifications the TOGAF Portfolio Includes
According to The Open Group (www.opengroup.org), the portfolio covers certifications based on two versions of the standard:
- TOGAF Enterprise Architecture, Foundation level — enterprise architecture fundamentals based on the 10th Edition;
- TOGAF Enterprise Architecture, Practitioner level — for people who develop, maintain and use enterprise architecture following the TOGAF ADM;
- TOGAF Business Architecture, Foundation level — aimed at people such as those responsible for business planning;
- TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified — based on Version 9.2.
There is no certificate called “TOGAF 10 Foundation”. There are several routes to Practitioner level (www.opengroup.org). Holders of TOGAF 9 Certified take the OGEA-10B bridge exam, and holders of the Enterprise Architecture certificate at Foundation level take Part 2 (OGEA-102). Everyone else takes Part 1 (OGEA-101) and Part 2, or the combined OGEA-103 exam.
Is It Worth It? Questions to Ask First
This article gives no salary figures or return-on-investment rates, because we have no reliable source for them. Instead, work through these questions:
- Does the organisation have an architecture practice? If nobody documents the architecture or makes decisions based on it, the certificate will remain knowledge with nowhere to go.
- Who will use the method at work? Certification makes most sense for people who will be doing architecture work in the coming months.
- Which level do you need? Foundation gives a wider group a shared vocabulary; Practitioner is for people who will work with the method on their own.
- Does the team already hold TOGAF 9 certificates? If so, consider the bridge route rather than starting from scratch.
A certificate proves knowledge of the standard, but it cannot replace experience of real architecture decisions. That is why the plan should count not only exam passes but also the first assignment in which the team applies the method, and the person who will support them through it.
A Rollout Plan for the Team Manager
- Diagnosis. Describe the decisions the architecture work should support: modernising systems, consolidating applications after a reorganisation, a transformation roadmap.
- Matching paths to roles. Practitioner for architects, Foundation for analysts and project managers, Business Architecture at Foundation level for people who plan business change.
- A first project. Line up a real assignment in which newly certified people apply the method straight away, such as documenting the architecture of one area.
- Measurement. Decide how you will recognise the effect: are decisions backed by an architecture description, does the team share the same vocabulary? The Kirkpatrick model works for evaluating the training itself.
- Budget and ownership. Agree who pays for the courses and exams and who is accountable for the rollout.
Who Is Responsible for What
- The team manager chooses the people and paths and secures the first project.
- The enterprise architect leads the work with the method and supports less experienced colleagues.
- The training budget holder approves the cost and checks that the plan has a measurable goal.
- The business sponsor names the decisions the architecture work should support.
Read Also
- Platform Engineer Career Path: A Rollout Plan for Team Managers — the same kind of plan for a different role
- How to Become a Solutions Architect — another architecture career path
- Just-in-Time Learning: Knowledge Exactly When It’s Needed — why knowledge you never use fades
Build Your Skills
Two courses take the topic further: Introduction to enterprise architectures and Fundamentals of systems engineering and architectural frameworks. The first covers the enterprise architect’s role, architecture layers and governance; the second, an overview of popular architecture frameworks and modelling. Get in touch and we will tailor the scope to your team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is TOGAF?
It is an enterprise architecture standard developed by The Open Group (www.opengroup.org). It sets out a method and framework for enterprise architecture work, that is, for how an organisation’s strategy and processes translate into its IT systems. The latest version is the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition.
How does TOGAF certification work?
The Open Group’s portfolio (www.opengroup.org) includes, among others, TOGAF Enterprise Architecture at Foundation and Practitioner level and TOGAF Business Architecture at Foundation level. The Practitioner exams come in several variants, depending on which certificate the candidate already holds.
What is the TOGAF ADM?
It is the method described in the TOGAF Standard, and The Open Group builds the Practitioner path around it. According to the certification page (www.opengroup.org), Practitioner-level competencies cover developing, maintaining and using enterprise architecture following the TOGAF ADM. The standard itself contains the full description of the method.
What does an enterprise architect do?
According to ESCO (esco.ec.europa.eu), an enterprise architect balances technological opportunities with business requirements and links the organisation’s mission, strategy and processes to its ICT strategy. In practice, the role connects business decisions with decisions about systems.