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TOGAF® 9.1

TOGAF® Version 9.1 - The world's leading Architecture Framework just got better

A revised version of the TOGAF specification, version 9.1, was released on 1st December 2011. There are no new features in this version; it is intended to introduce a number of relatively minor corrections and improvements to TOGAF version 9, launched at the start of 2009.

Mike Lambert, Chief Technical Officer and Principal Instructor with Architecting the Enterprise, and a core member of the TOGAF 9.1 Specification team throughout the period answers your questions about TOGAF® version 9.1.

Register Now for access to an inside look at our TOGAF 9.1 video presented by Mike Lambert, CTO Architecting the Enterprise

Q: Does this mean that TOGAF version 9 is flawed?

A: Not at all.

TOGAF version 9 represented a major update, with a multitude of new features. It has been incredibly successful.

However, with such a major change, it was inevitable that there would be some errors and inconsistencies. Extensive use of TOGAF has flushed these out. For the last two years a group of TOGAF experts has been processing a steady flow of requests for improvement. As Chief Technical Officer of Architecting the Enterprise, I have been a core member of this team throughout the period.

Q: So is new version really important?

A: Yes!

Several areas of the specification have been substantially rewritten. The content hasn't changed, but the way it is described has been significantly improved.

Some inconsistent use of terminology has been tightened up.

A rigorous modeling exercise identified several areas where the flow of information between phases of the TOGAF ADM was not completely specified. This has been addressed.

Q: Does this invalidate my existing TOGAF 9 certification?

A: No. TOGAF certification is against version 9 of the TOGAF specification, not against any sub-version. From December 1st 2011, the examinations for TOGAF 9 certification will NOT test any feature that has been changed in version 9.1. This means that the examination is equally fair for candidates who attended training courses based on version 9 and 9.1 of the TOGAF specification.

Q: Exactly what has changed?

A: Version 9.1 of TOGAF includes a set of maintenance updates based on feedback received on version 9. A separate detailed document of the changes is available as from The Open Group as "TOGAF 9 Technical Corrigendum No. 1 (Document U112)."

Material that has been removed:

  • Definitions of terms where usage by TOGAF is not distinctive from the common dictionary definition have been removed
  • The Building Blocks example has been removed
  • The Document Categorization Model has been removed
  • The Evaluation Criteria and Guidelines have been removed from Part V, Chapter 42

Material that has been substantially revised:

  • The Phase E and F descriptions have been reworked to match the level of detail in other phases
  • The concepts of levels/iterations/partitions have been clarified and made consistent. This includes a reorganization of material in Part III, Chapter 19 and Chapter 20, and Part V, Chapter 40
  • The "Objectives" sections of the phases have been reworked to focus on actual objectives rather than techniques or a list of steps
  • The SOA chapter (Part III, Chapter 22) has been updated to describe the latest SOA Work Group output
  • Additional introductory text on architectural styles has been added in Part III, Chapter 18

Areas where inconsistent use of terminology has been addressed:

  • The usage of the terms "application" versus "system" has been reviewed and made consistent
  • The uses of terminology for Transition Architecture/Roadmap/Implementation Strategy have been clarified and made consistent
  • The possible artifacts (viewpoints) for each phase are now listed in the description of that phase, not just in Part IV, Chapter 35
  • The terms "artefact" and "viewpoint" have been clarified and made consistent. This includes a restructuring of Part IV, Chapter 35
  • Minor changes have been made to the Security Architecture chapter (Part III, Chapter 21) for consistency with the ADM
  • Corrections have been made to metamodel diagrams
  • Corrections have been applied to aspects of the metamodel. Part I: Introduction 35
  • Duplicate text in several places has been replaced with an appropriate reference:
    • Gap Analysis in Phases B, C, and D now references Par t III, Chapter 27
    • Requirements Management in several phases now references Par t II, Section 17.2.2 in the Requirements Management phase
  • Some of the artifacts have been renamed to better reflect their usage:
    • System/Data matrix becomes Application/Data matrix
    • Class diagram has been replaced with Conceptual Data diagram and Logical Data diagram
    • System/Organization matrix becomes Application/Organization matrix
    • Role/System matrix becomes Role/Application matrix
    • System/Function matrix becomes Application/Function matrix
    • Process/System Realization diagram becomes Process/Application Realization diagram
    • System Use-Case diagram becomes Application Use-Case diagram
    • System/Technology matrix becomes Application/Technology matrix
  • The description of Architecture Principles now divides them into two types only - Enterprise and Architecture - whereas before IT Principles were called out separately. IT Principles are now seen as just part of Enterprise Principles
  • The Stakeholder Map included in the Stakeholder Management chapter (Part III, Chapter 24) is now explicitly referred to as an example, the table has been highlighted to refer to Stakeholder Concerns, and the list of artifacts for each stakeholder updated
  • The Business Scenarios chapter (Part III, Chapter 26) has been renamed to Business Scenarios and Business Goals to better reflect the contents of the chapter
  • The relationship of the Enterprise Repository to the Architecture Repository is clarified in Part V, Chapter 41
  • The chapter on Architecture Maturity Models (Part VII, Chapter 51) has been editorially revised for consistency and clarity