The Open Group OGBA-101 TOGAF Business Architecture Foundation Exam (English) Exam Practice Test

A business model is a description of the rationale for how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value4. Value is defined as the worth or importance of something to someone6. A business model explains what value proposition the organization offers to its customers, what revenue streams it generates from delivering the value proposition, what cost structure it incurs to create and deliver the value proposition, what key resources and activities are needed to create and deliver the value proposition, and what key partnerships are leveraged to support the value creation and delivery process4.

The TOGAF standard covers the development of four architecture domains: Business, Data, Technology, and Application. The Application Architecture domain defines the applications required to process the data and support the business functions.

The TOGAF standard describes the development of four architecture domains, which are considered its pillars. These are Business, Data, Technology, and Application. The Application Architecture domain provides a blueprint for the individual application systems to be deployed, their interactions, and their relationships to the core business processes of the organization.

A business model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value for its stakeholders3. A business architecture breaks a business model down into the core functional elements that describe how the business works, such as the value proposition, the customer segments, the channels, the revenue streams, the cost structure, the key resources, the key activities, and the key partnerships3.

The relationship between business models and business architecture is that while business models provide a high-level description of business elements such as customers, markets, andthe economic rationale of the business, the business architecture takes this model and breaks it down into more detailed descriptions. It identifies the core functional components and their relationships, which describe how the business operates, the roles involved, the information flowing through the business, and the technology supporting business activities.

 The process used to decompose a set of business capabilities to communicate more detail is leveling6. Leveling is a technique that can be used to break down a business capability into sub-capabilities at lower levels of granularity6. Leveling can help to provide more clarity and specificity about what a business capability entails and how it supports the business goals and objectives6. Leveling can also help to identify dependencies, gaps, overlaps, or redundancies among business capabilities6.

According to the TOGAF Series Guide: Business Capabilities, after documenting all of the business capabilities, the next step is to organize them in a logical manner1. This can be done by using techniques such as layering, sorting, mapping, and leveling1. These techniques can help to classify, group, and align capabilities into categories for a deeper understanding of how they support the business goals and objectives1. Organizing the business capabilities can also help to identify dependencies, gaps, overlaps, or redundancies among them1.

In the provided diagram, item A refers to the Architecture Repository, which is a part of the TOGAF framework where all the architecture assets are stored. This includes the architectural models, patterns, architecture descriptions, and other artifacts relevant to the architecture. Item B is labeled as the Governing Board, which is likely referring to the Architecture Board or a similar governance structure responsible for oversight and decision-making regarding the enterprise architecture. Item C refers to Enterprise Capability, which encompasses the processes, tools, skills, and other capabilities that enable the architecture function within the enterprise.

The example value stream shown, labeled "Acquire Retail Product," represents a decomposition into a sequence of stages that collectively create value. Each stage, such as "Advertise Channels," "Display Products," "Enable Selection," "Process Payment," and "Deliver Product(s)," is a step in the overall process that contributes to the final outcome, which in this case is the acquisition of a retail product by the customer. Value streams are utilized in business architecture to model the flow of value through an organization from the initial customer demand to the final delivery of the product or service.

A business capability is a conceptual representation that reflects the core abilities or capacities of a business. It is defined as an intrinsic ability that an organization possesses or can develop to consistently deliver a specific outcome or set of outcomes. Business capabilities abstract away from the organizational structure, processes, and technology to focus on the 'what' the business can do, rather than the 'how' it does it. This concept is fundamental in business architecture as it helps in aligning strategic objectives with operational efficiency.

The purpose of Enterprise Architecture, within the context of TOGAF, is to establish a clear and comprehensive blueprint for how an organization can effectively achieve its current and future objectives through a structured approach. Enterprise Architecture guides effective change by providing a long-term view of the organization's processes, systems, and technologies so that individual projects can build capabilities that fit into a cohesive whole. It helps to ensure that IT investments are aligned with business goals, supports the management of complex IT landscapes, and provides a systematic approach for the adoption of emerging technologies. Essentially, it acts as a strategic framework that facilitates the translation of business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change.

The technique shown in the example is called heat mapping. It is a technique that can be used to show a range of different perspectives on a business capability map, such as maturity, effectiveness, performance, and value or cost contribution of each capability to the business2. Different attributes determine the colors of each capability on the business capability map. Heat mapping can help to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the business architecture.

Risk is defined as the effect of uncertainty on objectives. It can be positive or negative depending on whether it enhances or hinders the achievement of objectives. Threat is a potential cause of risk that could have a negative impact on objectives. Continuity is the ability to maintain or resume normal operations after a disruption or disaster. Vulnerability is a weakness or exposure that could be exploited by a threat to cause harm or damage.

Risk Management is the discipline that addresses the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated application of resources to minimize, control, and monitor the impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities. It is about striking a balance between the positive outcomes of opportunities and the negative outcomes of risks, ensuring that the enterprise can achieve its objectives while keeping potential threats under control.

When developing the Architecture Vision, which is part of the TOGAF ADM Phase A, architects should examine the Architecture Principles and Business Goals. These components provide the foundational guidance and the strategic context for the architecture work. They ensure that the resulting architecture aligns with the overall direction and objectives of the enterprise.

In the context of TOGAF's business scenarios, business capabilities and value streams are typically modeled during the phase of identifying and documenting the desired outcomes. This is because desired outcomes are directly related to what the business intends to achieve, and therefore, it makes sense to model the capabilities (what the business can do) and the value streams (the series of steps the business undertakes to create value) at this stage. This helps in understanding the required changes or enhancements to business capabilities and processes to achieve those outcomes.

According to the TOGAF Series Guide: Organization Mapping, one of the derived relationships in an organization map is value flow1. A value flow is a relationship that shows how value is exchanged between business units or other entities in an organization map1. A value flow can be expressed as a verb phrase that indicates what type of value is transferred or shared between entities1. For example, in an organization map for an online retailer, a possible value flow could be “Delivers products” between the Warehouse business unit and the Customer entity.

According to the TOGAF Business Capabilities Guide V2, a business capability is defined as "the expression or the articulation of the capacity, materials, and expertise an organization needs in order to perform core functions"5. A business capability can be decomposed into four elements: roles, information, processes, and technology5. In the given example, A represents roles and C represents information.

In the context provided in the image, 'A' refers to the roles involved in the recruitment management process, which in this case is the 'User: Recruiter' and the 'Stakeholders: Manager, Candidate Employee'. 'C' refers to the information or data aspects of the process, which includes 'Candidate/Applicant Details', 'Position Descriptions', 'Recruitment Agency Data', and 'Industry Standard Role Definitions'. Thus, 'A' corresponds to 'Roles' and 'C' to 'Information'.

The graphic illustrates a method for developing alternative target architectures in Phase E of the TOGAF ADM1. The method involves identifying and evaluating candidate architectures based on criteria such as business value, cost, risk, and feasibility1. The method helps to identify the most suitable architecture solution for the enterprise.

The graphic illustrates a method that supports the TOGAF ADM by identifying and evaluating alternative target architectures. The process begins with a vision, influenced by principles and requirements, leading to the consideration of alternatives. Each alternative is assessed based on different criteria, leading to the selection of the most suitable target architecture. This isconsistent with the TOGAF approach of developing a set of potential architectures and then selecting the one that best meets the enterprise's needs.

 A key principle of value streams is that value is always defined from the perspective of the stakeholder2. A stakeholder is any person or group who has an interest in or influence on an enterprise or its activities5. A stakeholder can be internal or external to the enterprise. A stakeholder can also be a customer, end user, partner, supplier, regulator, employee, or any other role that interacts with or benefits from the enterprise’s products or services5. Value streams should reflect how stakeholders perceive and measure value in terms of outcomes, benefits, costs, risks, and satisfaction2.