The Open Group Offers Enterprise Architecture Tool

Capgemini will release and donated an enterprise architecture tool called the TOGAF Customizer. The goal is to assist enterprises in the implementation of enterprise architecture with the TOGAF framework. The Open Group hopes that offering a tool will assist in making TOGAF 9 more actionable.

Donated by Capgemini, the TOGAF Customizer tool is a free, open source technology based on the Eclipse Process Framework.

Unfortunately, while this is useful to the Java community it is an example of siloed non-enterprise thinking. The challenge here is that most enterprises have both Java and .Net development teams. This is compounded by industry forecasts that application development will increase from $7.7 billion in 2009 to more than $9.6 billion in 2012. Both Microsoft and Java have very large roles to play. While .Net has trailed Java we are seeing data that suggests .Net surpassing Java in key markets, emerging markets is one of those according to Gartner (Market Trends: Application Development, Worldwide, 2008-2013).

There should be coverage or planned coverage for the two mainstream enterprise development languages. By excluding one, you effectively diminish your EA program efforts. I would suggest that the Open Group sponsors efforts to create compatibility of some sorts to the Visual Studio platform.

As for other potential challenges I see this as way too low level and IT centric (since it snaps to Eclipse). Since it is so tightly coupled to the development world I wonder how well this tool will align to the Business and EA worlds.


TOGAF Customizer

Plugging into the Eclipse IDE, the tool contains TOGAF 9 content in a structured and editable form, including guidelines and checklists as well as materials accommodating the Architecture Development Method in the framework. Users also can use the tool to integrate TOGAF with other enterprise architecture frameworks such as Zachman.

The tool is a desktop client that publishes HTML output that can be edited; it will generate a Web site for user reference.

Specific features of the tool include:

• Constructs and tasks to enable processes to be defined with related content such as outputs, inputs and roles.
• A supporting editor to make changes to the standard framework.
• A content management system for group collaboration, editing and versioning.
• A plug-in architecture for adding content packages such as document templates.

Tags: TOGAF, EA Tools, Enterprise Architecture

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