Sometimes people come to me looking for TOGAF 9 training.
I tell them that TOGAF 9 doesn’t live here anymore.
All our TOGAF certification training moved to the newer TOGAF Standard, version 10 as soon as we could get it done. We have some good reasons not to offer TOGAF 9 training and only to provide a combined course.
Consider these points before investing in the older version, or in two separate classes.
The Newer Version is Better
You would expect that to be true, wouldn't you?
The TOGAF ADM methodology is mostly unchanged from earlier versions. But the emphasis has changed. In the latest version, some important takeaways are strongly in play.
Ferocious focus on stakeholders. This is one of the strongest themes in the Practitioner training. A focus on stakeholders has been constant since the invention of EA as a formal discipline.
But many EA practitioners in the wild just don't get it. Some of the most significant new material in the TOGAF body of knowledge is focused on correcting this. Stakeholders own the architecture, not the EA.
Ferocious focus on value outcomes. What is enterprise architecture about, anyway? Making models? Running through forms and checklists like bored QMS auditors? No.
It's about helping the enterprise manage change in a way that leads to real business value. Enterprise architecture is always about optimizing value in the midst of complex change. That's the deal.
Semantic alignment with ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011. Every EA framework and methodology is built around the language in "42010."
The diagram describes the relationship among the foundational linkages of Stakeholders, Concerns, Views, Viewpoints, and Models.
The diagram and terminology represent the global language of stakeholder management ... a fundamental EA skill at the heart of the latest TOGAF guidance. Bringing stakeholders to the center of the discussion makes these concepts foundational for telling the story for our students.
In version 10, the focus is on making a meaningful contribution to the organization.That's the right idea.
TOGAF Foundation Training is Meaningless Alone
Why do we offer only a combined course?
TOGAF Foundation's focus on pure memory is called Part One because it doesn't mean much without Part Two. And the info in Part Two only works if you understand Part One.
Each set of information provides context for the other. It doesn't make sense simply to glue a Foundation course to a Practitioner course. That's not "combined." We interleave both to tell a complete, integrated story:
- Why is Enterprise Architecture a "thing?" If you don't know why we have EA, you are unlikely to succeed.
- What foundational skills are needed to be successful? Not coding. Not drawing pictures for the sake of drawing pictures.
- The central role of stakeholder facilitation. Including, not avoiding. Understanding, not telling. Communicating effectively. Getting real buy-in from all the key players.
- What governance and risk management are really about. Helping, not commanding, is a good starting point.
- How understanding the TOGAF ADM can help everyone involved in the transformation to succeed
- How we can create and manage architecture content for maximum value ... in a project, in a tool, over time.
Our Commitment to Your Future
You will invest some serious time and money in acquiring your TOGAF certification. Four days of training, several hours of review, and a couple of tough exams.
We respect this.
I promise not to provide a cheap imitation of TOGAF training.
I had a call a few months ago from someone who didn't want to wait for my next open date. He found something sooner and cheaper and signed up for that one. He was not pleased.
He called me halfway through the course to complain. "A very young person is just reading slides to me!" he said. "He knows nothing about the subject and has no relevant experience. I should have waited!"
Yep.
An experienced architect joined our Australian partner CC&C Solutions last year. Their trainers use my TOGAF material, so he spent some time with me to learn the material. "This is so much better," he told me. "I've been doing some work for {famous big training company} and their material is rubbish!"
Key point: {famous big training company} left out the Learning Studies case study. The Open Group requires this for accredited Practitioner courses.
Oops!
I get a LinkedIn DM about once a month from {famous big training company} trying to pull me in as one of theirs. Nope. Their game is purely about taking your money, not about energizing your career. And they know diddly squat about architecture.
We don’t offer half-courses, or leave out required content. We certainly don't offer bare-bones generic material recited by a teenager. And we have been brave enough to leave TOGAF 9 behind to ensure the best outcome for our students.
Sign up today for individual training. Or book a call to discuss individual or team needs.
See you on the other side!
