TOGAF 9 Certified (Level 2) — Question 2

MightyGears produces components for the Car industry. Driven by the global financial downturn they are looking to reduce IT costs. They believe there is a cost saving opportunity within IT but this is not quantified in terms of potential savings nor is there an agreed target architecture. Final decisions on the solutions are not yet fully agreed. They have completed the first pass architecture and now are looking at the best opportunities and solutions to meet their financial goals.
You are the Chief Architect from a consulting organization brought into review the work to date by MightyGears and to make recommendations to the CIO and the board on the opportunities and solutions present.
Which of the following answers best describes how TOGAF recommends examining the opportunities and solutions before presenting to the board?
Choose one of the following answers

Answer options

• A. I would examine the architecture work today ensuring it is complete and accurate and addressing any gaps. I would look at functional and integration requirements. I would then ensure all dependencies are understood and documented. I would then create the necessary artefacts including major work packages and transition architectures and the project charters for the recommended projects for presentation to the board.
• B. I would assess the architecture work today, create, and priorities projects to transition Widget Inc from the current architecture to target architecture. This will include a business value for each project, the resources required and the intended timing. I would then validate the prioritizations with the board particularly looking at cost benefits and risks. Lastly, I would generate the Architecture Implementation Roadmap and document lessons learned.
• C. I would assess the requirements of the organization particularly those requirements describing the functions required and information flows within the architecture. I would then look to produce artifacts that describe the recommended projects, the risk, issues and dependencies. This would also include transition architects to move us from current architecture to the recommended target architectures. I would present my recommendations to the board for agreement. Once this is done, I would update the architectures reflecting any changes resulting from the board discussion.
• D. I would look at the corporate culture and attitude to change, understand the constraints such as cost and the required time horizons. I would then look at the architecture work to ensure it is complete and seek to address any gaps. I would review the functional requirements and ensure there are complete interoperability requirements. I would then validate any dependencies and risks. Then formulate an implementation and migration strategy identifies major work packages and the transition architecture required. Finally, once agreement is reached with the board I will create project charters and re-factor any changes needed from the board discussion into the architecture.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer, D, emphasizes a comprehensive approach that considers corporate culture, constraints, and thorough analysis of the existing architecture, ensuring that all functional and interoperability requirements are met. Options A, B, and C fail to incorporate the cultural aspect and the detailed evaluation of constraints, which are crucial aspects according to TOGAF for making informed recommendations to the board.