The Open Group Exam OGEA-103 Topic 1 Question 21 Discussion

Actual exam question for The Open Group's OGEA-103 exam

Question #: 21
Topic #: 1

[All OGEA-103 Questions]

Please read this scenario prior to answering the question

Your role is that of a consultant to the Lead Enterprise Architect to an international supplier of

engineering services and automated manufacturing systems. It has three manufacturing plants

where it assembles both standard and customized products for industrial production

automation. Each of these plants has been operating its own planning and production

scheduling systems, as well as applications and control systems that drive the automated

production line.

The Enterprise Architecture department has been operating for several years and has mature,

well-developed architecture governance and development processes that are based on the

TOGAF Standard. The CIO sponsors the Enterprise Architecture.

During a recent management meeting, a senior Vice-President highlighted an interview where

a competitor company's CIO is reported as saying that their production efficiency had been

improved by replacing multiple planning and scheduling systems with a common Enterprise

Resource Planning (ERP) system located in a central data center. Some discussion followed,

with the CIO responding that the situations are not comparable, and the current architecture is

already optimized.

In response, the Architecture Board approved a Request for Architecture Work covering the

investigations to determine if such an architecture transformation would lead to improvements

in efficiency. You have been assigned to support the architecture team working on this project.

A well-known concern of the plant managers is about the security and reliability of driving their

planning and production scheduling from a remote centralized system. Any chosen system

would also need to support the current supply chain network consisting of local partners at

each of the plants.

Refer to the scenario

You have been asked to explain how you will initiate the architecture project.

Based on the TOGAF Standard, which of the following is the best answer?

AYou would research vendor literature and conduct a series of briefings with vendors
that are on the current approved supplier list. Based on the findings from the
research, you would define a preliminary Architecture Vision including summary
views, high-level requirements, and high-level definitions of the baseline and target
environments from a business, information systems, and technology perspective. You
would then use that to build consensus among the key stakeholders.

BYou would conduct a pilot project that will enable vendors to demonstrate potential
off-the-shelf solutions that address the concerns of the stakeholders. Running a pilot
project will save time and money later in the process. Based on the findings of that
pilot project, a complete set of requirements can then be developed that will drive the
evolution of the architecture. Once the requirements are completed, a formal
stakeholder review should be held, and permission sought to proceed to develop the
target architecture.

CYou would hold a series of interviews at each of the manufacturing plants using the
business scenarios technique. This will allow you to understand the systems and
integrations with local partners. You would use stakeholder analysis to identify key
players in the engagement, and to understand their concerns. You will then identify
and document the key high-level stakeholder requirements for the architecture. You
will then generate high level definitions of the baseline and target architectures.

DYou would develop baseline and target Architectures for each of the manufacturing
plants, ensuring that the views corresponding to selected viewpoints address key
concerns of the stakeholders. A business case, together with performance metrics
and measures should be defined to ensure the architecture meets the business
needs. A consolidated gap analysis between the architectures will then validate the
approach and determine the capability increments needed to achieve the target state.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: C

The best answer is C. You would hold a series of interviews at each of the manufacturing plants using the business scenarios technique. This will allow you to understand the systems and integrations with local partners. You would use stakeholder analysis to identify key players in the engagement, and to understand their concerns. You will then identify and document the key high-level stakeholder requirements for the architecture. You will then generate high level definitions of the baseline and target architectures.

This answer is based on the TOGAF standard, which recommends the following steps to initiate the architecture project1:

Establish the architecture project

Identify stakeholders, concerns, and business requirements

Confirm and elaborate business goals, business drivers, and constraints

Evaluate business capabilities

Assess readiness for business transformation

Define scope

Confirm and elaborate Architecture Principles, including business principles

Develop Architecture Vision

Define the Target Architecture value propositions and KPIs

Identify the business transformation risks and mitigation activities

Secure stakeholder and sponsor approval

The answer C covers most of these steps, by using the business scenarios technique to elicit and validate the business requirements, goals, drivers, and constraints, as well as the current and future states of the architecture2. The answer C also uses stakeholder analysis to identify and engage the key stakeholders, and to address their concerns and expectations3. The answer C also generates high level definitions of the baseline and target architectures, which can be used to develop the Architecture Vision and the value propositions4.

The other answers are not the best approach for architecture development, because:

Answer A focuses on researching vendor literature and conducting briefings with vendors, which is not the best way to understand the business needs and the current situation of the enterprise. Answer A also defines a preliminary Architecture Vision without involving the stakeholders or validating the requirements, which may lead to misalignment and lack of consensus.

Answer B conducts a pilot project that will enable vendors to demonstrate potential solutions, which is premature and costly at this stage of the architecture project. Answer B also does not address the stakeholder concerns or the current systems and integrations, which may result in gaps and risks. Answer B also develops the requirements after the pilot project, which may not reflect the actual business needs and goals.

Answer D develops baseline and target architectures for each of the manufacturing plants, which may not consider the enterprise-wide perspective and the potential benefits of a common ERP system. Answer D also does not involve the stakeholders or address their concerns, which may result in resistance and conflict. Answer D also does not define the business case or the performance metrics, which are essential for demonstrating the value and feasibility of the architecture.

by Selma at Apr 09, 2024, 07:29 AM

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Wow, this is a pretty comprehensive scenario. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. There's a lot of information to unpack here.

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