Complementing the Open Group Architecture Framework with Best Practice Solution Building Blocks

The design of an enterprise architecture (EA) management function suitable for an organization is no easy to accomplish task. Various frameworks as well as EA management tools exist, which promise to deliver guidance for performing EA management. Nevertheless, the approaches presented stay either on a level too abstract to provide realization support or are far too general neglecting organization-specific EA related goals, concerns, and contexts. In this article, we propose a combined approach, which complements the abstract architecture development method of TOGAF with problem-specific best practice solution building blocks of the Enterprise Architecture Management Pattern Catalog of TU München. Increasing homogeneity of applications is used as an expository example to illustrate the approach.