Using Enterprise Architecture Framework (TOGAF) in an Agile Way

Ensuring your organization follows best practices, frameworks, tools & deliverables recommended by an Enterprise Architecture framework like TOGAF is a daunting task. Often, we start with high-energy and commitment but the journey to get it in practice in your organization is not an easy path.

A pragmatic & progressive way towards building an enterprise architecture capability is similar to Agile methodology where we build the product incrementally. Considering a similar mindset, we can incrementally build enterprise capability and every cycle of TOGAF ADM helps towards achieving the same.

Key idea is to identify the top 3 deliverables or artifacts relevant to your organization and also use TOGAF framework in conjunction with the Agile framework in practice. 

Here is an example of going through various phases of TOGAF and brainstorm on identifying Top 3 Deliverables as an output of the first cycle across various phases.  

In conclusion, starting small and build on top of it is key to the success of getting enterprise architecture practice gets established in your organization.

Reference:  
https://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf9-doc/arch/

Many Development Methodologies - Which one to choose, Hyrbid might be the ANSWER

Well, the time has changed like the speed of sound since the era when Waterfall model was considered to be best methodologies for Software Development.

But now in new information age, where frequently changing user requirements, challenging timelines, tight budget and competitive bids are driving factors, IT industry offers many methodologies namely Prototyping, Spiral, RAD, Rational RUP, Agile (Scrum, XP, DSDM - Dynamic System Development Method, FDD - Features Driven Development, Lean Software Development) and the list goes on.

Considering all the available options as Development Methodologies in today's world, it is increasingly difficult to choose a single methodology for all your projects inside a single organization. But having multiple methodologies in a single organization generally creates chaos and obscures roadmap for future projects.

"A slightly different approach to tackle this challenge is to adapt best practices from short-listed methodologies, which suits best for your organization and formulate a hybrid-development methodology specific to your organization."

To illustrate, lets imagine a Development Methodology, which has following features:

• Sprint approach of Scrum for handling features/requirements in quick turnaround
• Daily Scrum (or Standup Meeting) to check progress of the project
• Feedback, Continuous Integration approach of XP
• Monitoring/Control of Waterfall SDLC (specially of larger projects)
• Eliminate Waste of Lean software development

Though it needs a considerable amount of research and analysis for any organization to formulate such a hybrid development methodologies, it will pay-off in long run and established a clear roadmap for future development.