Created: 27 May 2021

What is Open Agile Architecture?

The Open Group's latest standard, Open Agile Architecture™ offers an approach to architect at scale with agility. Here is a beginner's guide to Open Agile Architecture.

Keyword(s): Open Agile Architecture, The Open Group

The digital enterprise is shaped by individuals working within the context of the organization and culture of an enterprise that must evolve towards agility on a large scale. Digital transformation is happening across the world. Every day businesses are taking the step online to take advantage of this new market to see how they can benefit. By inventing new business models, developing digital products, architecting highly automated operating systems, and delivering superior customer expertise, agile teams drive the enterprise's Digital Transformation.

The Open Group published a new standard to provide guidance and best practices for enterprise architects transitioning to Agile methodologies for digital transformation. President of The Open Group, Steve Nunn, stated the Open Agile Architecture standard will become a new "important tool in the toolbox of an enterprise architect" and address a market need to make use of the advantages of enterprise architecture within the more fast and nimble way of Agile methodologies.

What is this standard?

The Open Group took on the longstanding debate raging over the relationship and compatibility between Agile and enterprise architecture methodologies with the publication of its Open Agile Architecture standard. Open Agile Architecture, a standard of The Open Group, provides an approach to architect at scale with agility. The primary concept is doing enterprise architecture in an Agile fashion. That's precisely what this standard is about. It offers best practices and guidance for Enterprise Architects looking to transition into Digital and Agile contexts.

Chris Forde, vice president of enterprise architecture at The Open Group, stated this standart would serve as a complement, rather than a replacement, for the extra mature TOGAF standard. He mentioned the brand new Agile Architecture Framework standard provides an approach to architect at scale with agility, where digital and Agile transformation goes hand in hand.

Andrew Josey, VP of standards at The Open Group, stated efforts to deploy Agile at scale are too usually done at the expense of architecture. Agile groups drive the enterprise's Digital Transformation by inventing new business models, delivering superior customer experiences, creating digital products, and architecting highly automated operating systems. It provides guidance and best practices for Enterprise Architects seeking to transition into Agile and Digital contexts. The Open Group envisions two levels of training on Open Agile Architecture with potential certifications for Open Agile Architecture group members and Open Agile Architecture practitioners.

Who is the Agile Architecture Framework important to?

A new standard of The Open Group-Open Agile Architecture was designed for all business stakeholders in mind. The new framework's audience includes:

• Enterprise Architects who want to extend their scope of influence in an Agile at scale world
• Business Leaders and Managers who want to drive the enterprise's Agile and Digital change journey
• Product Owners who want to accelerate the transformation from managing feature backlog to steering value delivery
• Product Managers who want to help transform innovate products, customer experience, and generate growth
• Software Engineers who want to leverage the power of digital technologies to co-innovate with the organization
• Operations Managers who want to enable them to leverage Lean and automation to generate competitive advantages

What is in the Agile Architecture Framework?

We live in an information age where technology is constantly advancing. We're surrounded by 

, your group can capitalize on this accelerated studying cycle, meaning your Agile and Digital capabilities constantly and simultaneously co-create each other.

The Agile Architecture Framework covers different topics like creating continuous architecture in an agile world, discovering and analyzing customer insights, designing business models, developing digital offerings, architecting digital platforms and etc.

This framework has four parts:

• Agile Architecture Fundamentals – these fundamentals introduce the key concepts and give an overview of the document and
• Playbooks – playbooks provide guidelines to solve an agile architecture problem.
• Architecture Patterns – these patterns describe solution types to solve different problem types.
• Methods – methods develop a meta methodology discourse on relevant methods.

Overall, we can say that this standard helps organizations to understand the importance of renewing and changing their EA so it is fit for the digital age.

Want to learn more on this subject, and many others? Contact us today!