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Business Architecture Skill (TOGAF Phase B)

Develops the business architecture to support the agreed Architecture Vision.

Purpose

Phase B establishes: - Business Capabilities: What the organization can do - Value Streams: How value flows to customers - Business Processes: How work gets done - Organization Structure: Who does what - Business Services: What services the business provides

This phase bridges the Vision (Phase A) to Information Systems (Phase C).

When to Use

Invoke this skill when:

  • Architecture Vision (Phase A) is approved
  • Need to understand business requirements for a system
  • Mapping capabilities to support strategic goals
  • Identifying business process improvements
  • Analyzing organization impacts of change

Trigger phrases: 

"Develop Business Architecture for..."
"Map business capabilities for..."
"Start TOGAF Phase B for..."
"What business processes support...?"
"Analyze the value stream for..."

Key Concepts

Business Capability

What the organization can do (not how it does it).

Capability: "Order Management"
├── Sub-capability: "Order Capture"
├── Sub-capability: "Order Fulfillment"
└── Sub-capability: "Order Tracking"

Capabilities are: - Stable (don't change with org structure) - Business-focused (not technology) - Hierarchical (can decompose)

Value Stream

How the organization creates value for stakeholders.

Value Stream: "Product to Cash"
├── Stage: Opportunity Identification
├── Stage: Solution Design
├── Stage: Order Processing
├── Stage: Delivery
└── Stage: Payment Collection

Business Process

How capabilities are executed.

Process: "Process Customer Order"
├── Step: Receive order
├── Step: Validate items
├── Step: Check inventory
├── Step: Allocate stock
└── Step: Confirm order

Business Service

What the business exposes to consumers.

Service: "Order Placement Service"
├── Input: Order request
├── Output: Order confirmation
├── SLA: < 500ms response
└── Channel: Web, Mobile, API

Deliverables

Artifact Purpose
Business Capability Map Hierarchical view of what the business does
Value Stream Map How value flows to customers/stakeholders
Business Process Models How work gets done (current and target)
Organization Map Structure and responsibilities
Business Service Catalog Services the business provides
Gap Analysis Differences between baseline and target

Workflow Overview

flowchart TD
    A[Inputs from Phase A] --> B1[Baseline Business Architecture]
    B1 --> B2[Target Business Architecture]
    B2 --> B3[Gap Analysis]
    B3 --> B4[Roadmap Components]

    subgraph "Phase B Activities"
        B1
        B2
        B3
        B4
    end
  1. Baseline: Document current state business architecture
  2. Target: Define desired state aligned to vision
  3. Gap Analysis: Identify what needs to change
  4. Roadmap: Input to transition planning

Prerequisites

Before starting Phase B:

  • Architecture Vision (Phase A) complete
  • Scope defined and approved
  • Key stakeholders identified
  • Access to business stakeholders for interviews

Integration with Other Skills

Skill Integration
arch-analysis Provides baseline understanding
vision (Phase A) Provides scope and objectives
information-systems (Phase C) Consumes business requirements
software-design Informs application structure

Modeling Notations

Business Capability Heatmap

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           CUSTOMER-FACING CAPABILITIES          │
├───────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────────┤
│    Sales      │   Marketing   │    Service      │
│   🟡 Medium   │   🟢 Strong   │   🔴 Weak       │
├───────────────┼───────────────┼─────────────────┤
│ Lead Mgmt     │ Campaign Mgmt │ Case Mgmt       │
│ Quote Mgmt    │ Content Mgmt  │ Knowledge Base  │
│ Order Entry   │ Analytics     │ Self-Service    │
└───────────────┴───────────────┴─────────────────┘

Legend: 🟢 Strong | 🟡 Medium | 🔴 Weak/Gap

Value Stream Diagram

┌────────┐    ┌────────┐    ┌────────┐    ┌────────┐
│ Stage 1│───▶│ Stage 2│───▶│ Stage 3│───▶│ Stage 4│
│ Engage │    │ Qualify│    │ Deliver│    │ Support│
└────────┘    └────────┘    └────────┘    └────────┘
     │             │             │             │
     ▼             ▼             ▼             ▼
 Capabilities  Capabilities  Capabilities  Capabilities

Process Flow (BPMN-style)

┌─────┐    ┌─────────┐    ◇        ┌─────────┐    ○
│Start│───▶│ Receive │───▶│Decision│───▶│ Process │───▶│End│
└─────┘    │ Order   │    ◇        │ Payment │    ○
           └─────────┘    │        └─────────┘
                         ▼ No
                    ┌─────────┐
                    │ Reject  │
                    └─────────┘

Analysis Techniques

Capability Assessment

Capability Maturity Strategic Value Investment Priority
Order Mgmt 3/5 High High
Inventory 2/5 High Critical
Reporting 4/5 Medium Low

Value Stream Mapping

Stage Activities Pain Points Improvement Opportunities
Order Entry Manual data entry Slow, error-prone Automate validation
Fulfillment Pick, pack, ship Inventory mismatches Real-time sync

Organization Impact

Role Current State Target State Gap
Order Processor Manual entry Exception handling Training, tools
Warehouse Staff Paper-based Mobile scanning Devices, training

References