Change Management Skill¶

TOGAF ADM Phase H: Architecture Change Management

Purpose¶

Phase H ensures that the architecture remains relevant and responsive to business needs over time. It establishes processes to:

Monitor the implemented architecture for required changes
Assess change requests against architecture principles
Manage the lifecycle of architecture changes
Decide when to initiate a new ADM cycle
Maintain architecture governance through evolution

When to Use This Skill¶

Scenario	Use Case
Post-Implementation	Architecture deployed, entering steady-state operations
Change Request Received	Business or technology change needs architectural assessment
Environmental Shift	Market, regulatory, or technology landscape changes
Performance Gap	Realized architecture not meeting expectations
Strategic Pivot	Business strategy shift requiring architecture review
Periodic Review	Scheduled architecture health assessment

Key Concepts¶

Architecture Change Continuum¶

Changes exist on a spectrum from minor adjustments to major transformations:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    ARCHITECTURE CHANGE CONTINUUM                     │
├─────────────┬─────────────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────┤
│ Simplification │ Incremental   │   Re-Architecture  │ Radical        │
│                │ Change        │                    │ Change         │
├─────────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│ Minor config  │ Component      │ Domain rebuild   │ Enterprise      │
│ optimization  │ enhancements   │ or replacement   │ transformation  │
│               │                │                  │                 │
│ Local impact  │ Bounded impact │ Domain impact    │ Enterprise-wide │
│               │                │                  │                 │
│ Weeks         │ Months         │ Quarters         │ Years           │
├─────────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────┤
│ Phase H       │ Phase H        │ New ADM Cycle    │ New ADM Cycle   │
│ (internal)    │ (governance)   │ (partial)        │ (full)          │
└─────────────┴─────────────────┴──────────────────┴──────────────────┘

Change Drivers¶

Category	Examples
Business Drivers	Strategy shifts, M&A, new markets, regulatory changes
Technology Drivers	New capabilities, deprecations, security vulnerabilities
Operational Drivers	Performance issues, operational challenges, cost pressure
External Drivers	Market disruption, competitor actions, ecosystem changes

Governance Levels¶

Level	Scope	Authority	Examples
Enterprise	Cross-domain changes	Architecture Board	New integration patterns, shared services
Domain	Single domain changes	Domain Architect	Component replacement, interface updates
Solution	Project-level changes	Solution Architect	Implementation decisions, tactical fixes

Key Deliverables¶

Deliverable	Description	Audience
Architecture Change Request	Formal proposal for architecture modification	Governance body
Change Impact Assessment	Analysis of change effects across architecture	Decision makers
Change Decision	Approved/rejected change with rationale	Requestor, teams
Architecture Update	Modified architecture artifacts	All stakeholders
ADM Cycle Trigger	Recommendation to initiate new cycle	Architecture Board

Phase Inputs and Outputs¶

Inputs¶

Input	Source	Description
Change Request	Business, IT, operations	Proposed modification
Performance Data	Monitoring systems	Actual vs expected metrics
Compliance Assessments	Phase G	Identified gaps and issues
Technology Roadmaps	Vendors, industry	Future capabilities and EOL
Strategic Plans	Business strategy	Direction changes

Outputs¶

Output	Destination	Description
Updated Architecture	Repository	Modified artifacts
Architecture Updates	Stakeholders	Communication of changes
New ADM Work Request	Architecture function	Trigger for new cycle
Lessons Learned	Knowledge base	Process improvements

Change Request Types¶

Type 1: Technology Refresh¶

Replacement of technology components at end-of-life or for improvement.

Aspect	Details
Trigger	EOL notice, security advisory, capability gap
Scope	Component or technology layer
Impact	Typically bounded to specific systems
Process	Phase H assessment, may trigger Phase D/E cycle

Type 2: Strategic Change¶

Changes driven by business strategy or market forces.

Aspect	Details
Trigger	Strategy shift, M&A, market entry/exit
Scope	Multiple domains, potentially enterprise-wide
Impact	Significant, cross-cutting
Process	Usually triggers new ADM cycle from Phase A

Type 3: Defect Resolution¶

Fixes to architecture gaps discovered in implementation.

Aspect	Details
Trigger	Phase G findings, operational issues
Scope	Specific architecture decisions
Impact	Localized, corrective
Process	Phase H internal, expedited

Type 4: Enhancement¶

Improvements to realize additional value or capability.

Aspect	Details
Trigger	Stakeholder request, opportunity identified
Scope	Varies by enhancement scope
Impact	Additive, extending current architecture
Process	Phase H if minor, new cycle if major

Decision Framework¶

Should This Change Trigger a New ADM Cycle?¶

flowchart TD
    START[Change Request] --> Q1{Impacts enterprise<br/>principles or vision?}
    Q1 -->|Yes| FULL[Full ADM Cycle<br/>from Phase A]
    Q1 -->|No| Q2{Impacts multiple<br/>domains?}
    Q2 -->|Yes| Q3{Fundamental<br/>restructuring?}
    Q3 -->|Yes| PARTIAL_B[Partial Cycle<br/>from Phase B]
    Q3 -->|No| PARTIAL_E[Partial Cycle<br/>from Phase E]
    Q2 -->|No| Q4{Technology layer<br/>change only?}
    Q4 -->|Yes| PARTIAL_D[Partial Cycle<br/>from Phase D]
    Q4 -->|No| H[Handle in<br/>Phase H]

Change Classification Matrix¶

Criteria	Minor (H)	Moderate (Partial)	Major (Full)
Principle Impact	None	Limited	Significant
Domain Scope	Single	2-3 Domains	Enterprise
Stakeholder Impact	Team	Department	Organization
Investment	< $100K	$100K-$1M	> $1M
Duration	< 3 months	3-12 months	> 12 months
Risk	Low	Medium	High

Architecture Monitoring¶

What to Monitor¶

Category	Metrics	Threshold Examples
Conformance	Deviation count, compliance score	>10% drift triggers review
Performance	Response times, availability, throughput	Missed SLAs trigger assessment
Cost	TCO, cloud spend, operational cost	>20% variance triggers review
Technical Health	Security vulnerabilities, tech debt score	Critical CVEs immediate, debt >threshold triggers
Business Value	Capability utilization, ROI metrics	<60% utilization triggers review

Monitoring Rhythm¶

Activity	Frequency	Participants	Output
Health Dashboard Review	Weekly	Architecture team	Issue log
Architecture Health Report	Monthly	Domain architects	Status report
Strategic Alignment Review	Quarterly	Architecture Board	Priority changes
Comprehensive Assessment	Annually	Enterprise + business	ADM cycle decision

Integration with Other Phases¶

Phase G → Phase H¶

Compliance issues become change requests
Deviation patterns indicate architecture gaps
Lessons learned inform changes

Phase H → Phase A¶

Major changes trigger new vision work
Architecture principles may need update
Stakeholder concerns drive new initiatives

Phase H → Phase E¶

Moderate changes may skip to opportunities analysis
New transition architectures may be needed
Project portfolio adjustments

Tools and Artifacts¶

Tool	Purpose
Change Request Register	Track all requests through lifecycle
Architecture Health Dashboard	Visualize monitoring metrics
Impact Assessment Template	Standardize change analysis
Decision Log	Record change decisions with rationale
Architecture Calendar	Schedule reviews and assessments

Invocation¶

Use this skill when: - Processing architecture change requests - Assessing impact of proposed modifications
- Deciding between Phase H resolution vs new cycle - Conducting periodic architecture reviews - Managing architecture evolution

Invoke with:

Use skill: togaf/change-management