TOGAF 10 Enterprise Architect Practitioner · Free Practice Question Medium
Question 3
Digital transformation of a home entertainment company
SOLY is a home entertainment company, specializing in the development, production and sales of home electronics such as televisions, gaming consoles and radios. The devices are manufactured in factories in various countries and sold via retail partners.
In Order to expand its business in a competitive industry, SOLY intends to evolve its products into interconnected, smart & user-centered devices. The company decides to set up a digital transformation program consisting of six work streams.
Despite the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled devices and the adoption of new sales channels, the essence of SOLY remains unchanged. The new devices will be sold via existing retailers or a new direct-to-consumer sales channel. The new direct-to-consumer sales channel is currently being tested in two work streams that create a minimum viable product.
Your Enterprise Architecture (EA) team has had difficulty explaining to the stakeholders how digital channels and third-party problems fit with the company’s well-proven selling practices over a network of experienced retail partners.
During a recent steering committee meeting, your EA team leader shared insights from a case study detailing similar experiences. She noted that the TOGAF Library contains relevant resource material that could provide guidance in addressing this situation.
Additionally, there has been some resistance within your EA team towards adapting to the demands of working on a digital transformation program and transitioning to a digital enterprise on an Architecture to support Portfolio level. Some team members are inclined to apply their traditional IT-centric mindset, tools and methods.
You are a new to the EA team and have been hired to extend the existing EA Capability. You have joined the team during the digital transformation program. You have experience with direct-to-consumer selling and digital enterprise.
You have been asked by the EA team leader, how you would improve the architecture capability to support the digital transformation?
Which of the following is the best answer?
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A
You explain to your EA team that SOLY as an expanding company is confronted with specific challenges that are described in the four contexts defined in the Digital Practitioner Body of Knowledge™ (DPBoK) Standard. To address these concerns, you review the Viewpoint Library to ensure that there are Architecture Viewpoints tailored to scaling. You distribute training materials to the team that explains how a new sales channel and AI offering will tend to act like the Founder/Team contexts, and how the enterprise will tend to think at the Enduring Enterprise context.
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B
You create training materials that illustrate the development of digital products with scaled agile methods. Your goal is to support the team in understanding the transition from a traditional IT portfolio planning to a modern digital product approach. The training material emphasized that every work stream adheres to DevOps. The training is structured to promote an agile mindset and emphasize the importance of agile software development and product management initiatives.
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C
You search the TOGAF Library to gain insights into business reference models and digital transformation. You also gather resources on architectures and implementation strategies tailored to the digital enterprise. You expand the current capabilities of the EA team to foster a digital-first culture. You create training material to teach the necessary skills and knowledge to manage the evolving landscape. You ensure that the new training provides Architecture Views that meet the concerns of the stakeholders.
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D
You search the TOGAF Library for insights on the digital enterprise and improving agility. You identify relevant white papers and write an email to your EA team with a reading recommendation. You then improve the business capability model, focusing on an "agile leader" approach. Using this updated model, you conduct a Gap Analysis to determine the differences between the current and the desired digital EA Capability. Finally, you create a roadmap for senior leadership, outlining the EA capabilities to be developed or changed.
Reveal correct answer
Correct answer: A
Explanation
TOGAF Standard: Learning goals & further readings
Explain what an Enterprise Architecture looks like. TOGAF® Series Guide - G186 - A Practitioners Approach to Developing Enterprise Architecture Following the TOGAF ADM §3.2.3
Briefly explain the role of the Enterprise Architect and Enterprise Architecture in a Digital enterprise for the four contexts of the DPBoKTM Standard. TOGAF® Series Guide - G217 - Using the TOGAF Standard in the Digital Enterprise §4.2.1-4.2.4
A.
Best answer. To date, your EA team has been focused on addressing IT centric change. The work streams of the digital transformation program do not follow that approach. You use the training material drawn from the DPBoK™ standard to explain this to your EA team. In addition, you ensure that there are architectural views that take stakeholders concerns into account.
B.
Wrong answer. Your training on agile development may be needed but it doesn’t help your team members understand how to align the IT portfolio with the six work streams together. You neither point towards helpful material of the TOGAF Standard, nor provide useful Architecture Views.
C.
Second best answer. Searching the TOGAF Library for material is a positive step. You focus on a reference model and build a training that addresses the concerns of your stakeholders. However, a ‘digital-first’ culture is not a concern raised by one of the stakeholders.
D.
Third best answer. You search the TOGAF Library and circulating reading recommendations, but you do not address the concern of your EA team. Exploring the differences between the existing and future EA Capability model is a step in the right direction. However, the ‘Agile Leader’ approach is not chosen by the stakeholders.
Discussion
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