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The Elaboration of a Modern TOGAF Architecture Maturity Model

Modern TOGAF Architecture Maturity Model.png

by Daniel Lambert (book a 30-minute meeting)

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Enterprise Architecture (EA) maturity is a critical factor in driving organizational success and alignment with business objectives. This paper presents a modern TOGAF Architecture Maturity Model, refreshing traditional approaches by assessing 10 key domains, as shown in Figure 1. Each domain progresses through five maturity levels, from initial, under development, and defined, to managed and measured. By integrating structured EA practices, strategic alignment, governance, security, and solution delivery, organizations can systematically improve their architecture capabilities. As businesses need to become more agile, this model enables them to evaluate, optimize, and measure their EA effectiveness, ensuring sustainable growth, agility, and adaptability in an increasingly complex and changing digital landscape.

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1. Architecture Organizational Structure

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The enterprise architecture organizational structure progresses through five distinct maturity levels, each reflecting an organization's EA evolution. Initially, at Level 1, there is no structured EA documentation or standards, leading to ad-hoc decision-making and limited alignment between business and IT.

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As organizations recognize the need for structured approaches, they transition to Level 2 (Under Development), where formalization of EA frameworks begins, though inconsistencies and gaps persist. This phase is often characterized by fragmented efforts, with some business units adopting EA principles while others remain disconnected.

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Reaching Level 3 (Defined) signifies a major shift, as organizations establish clear EA frameworks, business and technical reference models, and capability-based roadmaps, ensuring a structured and standardized approach. Level 4 (Managed) enhances this foundation by integrating iterative methodologies, enabling regular EA updates to reflect changing business needs.

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At the highest level (Measured), EA plays a proactive role in the organization's continuous improvement. Business capabilities are systematically measured, and EA insights drive strategic decision-making. This maturity level ensures that EA is not only well-governed but also contributes to ongoing innovation and organizational agility.

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2. Business Strategy Elaboration

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The involvement of enterprise architecture in the business strategy elaboration process evolves through five maturity levels, reflecting the degree of integration between EA and strategic business planning. At Level 1 (Initial), there is no explicit connection between EA and business strategy, leading to misaligned initiatives and a lack of strategic direction.

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As organizations acknowledge the importance of EA in shaping business outcomes, they progress to Level 2 (Under Development), where some links between EA and business strategy emerge, but they remain informal and inconsistent. At this stage, EA may be referenced in strategic discussions, but it lacks a structured role in shaping long-term business objectives.

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At Level 3 (Defined), EA actively participates in business strategy discussions and contributes to its dissemination across the organization, ensuring better alignment between technology and corporate goals. Moving to Level 4 (Managed) introduces a formal governance methodology, allowing EA to play a structured role in elaborating and disseminating business strategies, ensuring consistency and coherence across departments.

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Finally, at Level 5 (Measured), the outcomes of business capabilities are directly linked to business strategy, enabling organizations to measure the effectiveness of strategic initiatives through EA-driven insights. At this maturity level, EA becomes an integral part of strategic decision-making, continuously optimizing business capabilities to drive competitive advantage.

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3. Business Capabilities

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The business capabilities maturity model outlines five stages of development, reflecting an organization's ability to define, manage, and optimize its core capabilities. At Level 1 (Initial), there is no formalized capability mapping, and architectural decisions rely heavily on individual efforts rather than a structured approach. This lack of standardization results in inefficiencies and misalignment between business needs and technological solutions.

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As organizations begin to recognize the value of structured capability management, they transition to Level 2 (Under Development), where basic capabilities are identified but rarely validated by the business. At this stage, capability definitions remain inconsistent, limiting their effectiveness in guiding EA and strategy.

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Advancing to Level 3 (Defined) marks a significant shift, as business capabilities become well-communicated and customer-driven, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives. Organizations at this Level establish a clear connection between capabilities and value delivery. At Level 4 (Managed), business capabilities are fully integrated with strategic goals, stakeholders, applications, information, and business processes, creating a cohesive enterprise-wide framework.

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The highest Level, Level 5 (Measured), enables continuous improvement through key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring that capabilities evolve based on data-driven insights. At this maturity level, organizations leverage business capabilities as a strategic asset, optimizing them to enhance efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage.

Figure 1 - Modern TOGAF Architecture Maturity Model.png

4. Senior Management Participation

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The senior management participation in enterprise architecture evolves across five Levels, reflecting the increasing integration of EA into strategic decision-making. At Level 1 (Initial), senior management has minimal understanding of EA, leading to a lack of structured support and investment in architecture initiatives. Without leadership buy-in, EA efforts are often isolated, reactive, and fail to influence business strategy.

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As awareness grows, organizations reach Level 2 (Under Development), where some managers begin to appreciate EA’s value but remain only partially engaged. While EA may be acknowledged in discussions, it lacks the necessary executive sponsorship to drive meaningful impact.

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At Level 3 (Defined), senior management actively provides direction and sponsorship for EA efforts, ensuring that architectural initiatives align with business goals. This support fosters a structured approach to EA governance and implementation. Progressing to Level 4 (Managed), EA becomes an essential tool for strategic decision-making, with senior leadership leveraging architectural insights to drive long-term business transformation.

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At the highest maturity Level, Level 5 (Measured), financial metrics such as return on investment (ROI) are systematically used to evaluate EA performance. This data-driven approach ensures that EA not only supports strategic objectives but also demonstrates tangible business value, reinforcing executive commitment and continuous improvement.

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5. Business Unit Participation

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The business unit participation in enterprise architecture progresses through five Levels, reflecting the degree of collaboration between EA teams and business functions. At Level 1 (Initial), business units remain largely unaware of EA activities, leading to siloed decision-making and a lack of alignment between business and IT strategies. Without engagement from business leaders, EA efforts are often isolated, limiting their ability to influence operational and strategic outcomes.

 

As organizations recognize the value of cross-functional collaboration, they move to Level 2 (Under Development), where at least one business unit begins to contribute to EA activities. However, this involvement is often inconsistent and lacks a formalized structure, preventing enterprise-wide alignment.

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At Level 3 (Defined), most business units actively collaborate with EA teams, ensuring that architectural decisions reflect business priorities. This Level fosters greater integration, enabling EA to support business goals more effectively. Advancing to Level 4 (Managed), EA becomes a fundamental component of the organization's planning process, ensuring that business and IT strategies are seamlessly aligned.

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Finally, at Level 5 (Measured), financial metrics such as return on investment (ROI) are used to assess EA’s impact on business performance. By quantifying EA’s value, organizations reinforce continuous improvement and ensure that architecture initiatives directly contribute to strategic and financial success.

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6. Architecture Communication

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The architecture communication maturity model outlines the evolution of how enterprise architecture is shared and understood across an organization. At Level 1 (Initial), there is no organized communication about EA, resulting in limited awareness and engagement from key stakeholders. Without a structured communication approach, EA efforts remain disconnected from business and IT initiatives, reducing their overall impact.

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As organizations begin to recognize the importance of transparency, they transition to Level 2 (Under Development), where some internal communication about EA takes place. However, these efforts lack consistency, leading to misunderstandings and minimal alignment between EA and business objectives.

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At Level 3 (Defined), organizations establish regular communication about EA, ensuring that key stakeholders receive updates on architecture initiatives, frameworks, and strategic alignments. This structured communication fosters better collaboration between business and IT. Moving to Level 4 (Managed), EA communication becomes a structured and continuous process, incorporating various channels such as newsletters, workshops, and leadership briefings to ensure alignment across all levels of the organization.

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Finally, at Level 5 (Measured), engagement and awareness metrics are implemented to assess the effectiveness of EA communication. By tracking participation, feedback, and comprehension Levels, organizations can refine their messaging strategies, ensuring that EA remains a well-integrated and value-driven function that supports both business and technology objectives.

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7. Security

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The engagement of EA in the security maturity model reflects the increasing sophistication of an organization's approach to integrating security into enterprise architecture. At Level 1 (Initial), security considerations are purely reactive, meaning threats are addressed only after they arise rather than being proactively mitigated. This lack of structured security planning exposes the organization to significant risks, such as data breaches and compliance failures.

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As awareness grows, organizations move to Level 2 (Under Development), where proactive security measures are recognized but inconsistently applied. While some security best practices may be in place, they lack uniform enforcement across business and IT functions, leading to vulnerabilities in certain areas.

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At Level 3 (Defined), security is fully integrated into EA, ensuring that both business and IT security are considered in architectural decisions. This alignment helps organizations establish stronger defenses and regulatory compliance. Advancing to Level 4 (Managed), a formal and structured security architecture is implemented, with defined policies, governance models, and response plans that enhance overall security resilience.

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At Level 5 (Measured), organizations adopt a data-driven approach, using risk reduction metrics, threat intelligence, and incident readiness measures to continuously assess and improve their security posture. By systematically tracking security performance, organizations at this level ensure that security is not only embedded into EA but also evolves to counter emerging threats effectively.

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8. Initiative and Project Planning

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The participation of EA in the initiative and project planning maturity model reflects an organization's ability to align IT investments with strategic business goals. At Level 1 (Initial), there is little to no strategic alignment of IT investments, leading to ad-hoc decision-making and inefficient resource allocation. Without a structured approach, IT projects may be executed in isolation, failing to contribute meaningfully to business objectives.

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As organizations recognize the need for alignment, they progress to Level 2 (Under Development), where IT investment decisions are sometimes based on strategies. However, this alignment remains inconsistent, often depending on individual project owners rather than an enterprise-wide governance model.

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At Level 3 (Defined), IT investments are systematically aligned with business strategies and priorities, ensuring that technology initiatives support the organization's long-term objectives. Moving to Level 4 (Managed), IT spending is actively governed, with architecture alignment managed based on business outcomes directly tied to strategic goals. This ensures that every IT investment delivers measurable value.

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At Level 5 (Measured), organizations implement a continuous optimization approach, systematically measuring the business outcomes of each IT project. By using data-driven insights, decision-making is refined to maximize value creation, ensuring that IT investments consistently contribute to business success. At this maturity level, project planning is not just about execution but also about driving sustainable competitive advantage through strategic IT alignment.

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9. Solution Delivery and Execution

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The involvement of enterprise architecture in the solution delivery and execution maturity model outlines the increasing role of EA in guiding and supporting project execution. At Level 1 (Initial), EA is not involved in solution delivery, leading to fragmented technology implementations and misalignment with business goals. Without EA participation, IT initiatives are often developed in silos, resulting in redundancies, inefficiencies, and a lack of strategic coherence.

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As organizations begin to recognize the importance of EA, they reach Level 2 (Under Development), where EA is occasionally involved in solution delivery and execution. However, this engagement remains inconsistent, limiting its impact on ensuring technology initiatives align with business needs.

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At Level 3 (Defined), EA becomes a core component of solution delivery, actively participating in project execution to ensure alignment with business and technology strategies. This structured involvement improves decision-making, enhances efficiency, and reduces risks. Advancing to Level 4 (Managed), solution delivery processes are guided by detailed capability-based roadmaps, ensuring that projects, requirements, epics, and user stories are well-defined and strategically aligned.

 

Finally, at Level 5 (Measured), EA's contribution to solution delivery and execution is systematically tracked through performance metrics. By continuously measuring EA’s impact, organizations can refine their approach, ensuring that architecture-driven execution maximizes business value and operational effectiveness.

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10. Governance and Compliance

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The Governance and Compliance maturity model outlines the evolution of EA oversight within an organization. At Level 1 (Initial), there is no governance of architecture activities, leading to ad-hoc decision-making and a lack of standardized processes. Without formal governance, architecture initiatives operate in silos, increasing risks related to inefficiencies, security, and regulatory non-compliance.

 

As organizations begin to recognize the need for structured oversight, they transition to Level 2 (Under Development), where some governance frameworks exist but are not consistently enforced. At this stage, EA governance remains informal, often depending on individual leadership support rather than a formalized enterprise-wide approach.

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At Level 3 (Defined), organizations implement a structured and well-documented EA governance framework, ensuring that architecture activities align with business and regulatory requirements. Moving to Level 4 (Managed), governance processes are actively integrated into business decision-making, enabling architecture principles to guide IT investments, risk management, and strategic planning.

At Level 5 (Measured), EA governance is continuously evaluated and optimized for effectiveness using performance metrics. Organizations at this stage ensure that governance frameworks remain adaptable and responsive to evolving business needs, compliance requirements, and technological advancements. By embedding governance into the organization’s strategic processes, businesses enhance accountability, transparency, and long-term operational resilience.

 

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In conclusion, this innovative TOGAF architecture maturity model provides a structured framework for assessing and enhancing an organization’s enterprise architecture capabilities in organizations that need to become more agile. By defining maturity levels across ten critical domains, the model enables organizations to transition from unstructured, reactive practices to well-governed, data-driven, and continuously optimized architectural processes. The five maturity levels—Initial, Under Development, Defined, Managed, and Measured—offer a clear roadmap for organizations to integrate EA into strategic decision-making, align business and IT investments, and establish governance frameworks that enhance operational efficiency. Through this approach, EA evolves from a support function into a key driver of innovation and business transformation.

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This model emphasizes continuous improvement and strategic alignment, ensuring that EA not only supports but actively contributes to an organization’s long-term success. By embedding EA into business strategy, security, governance, and solution delivery, enterprises can enhance agility, mitigate risks, and drive competitive advantage. Measuring EA’s impact through financial metrics and performance indicators further ensures that architecture initiatives provide tangible business value. Ultimately, organizations that embrace this maturity model can achieve sustainable growth, adaptability in the digital landscape, and a robust foundation for future innovation.

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