Date: January 20, 2023

TOGAF stands for The Open Group Architecture Framework. It is one of several IT architecture frameworks recognized in the IT industry and is a standard that provides a framework for effective enterprise architecture delivery, according to The Open Group, a consortium of technology standards, in the United States.

The Open Group has a TOGAF certification for people program. It consists of 2 levels: Enterprise Architecture Foundation (EA Foundation) and Enterprise Architecture Practitioner (EA Practitioner). The TOGAF EA Foundation level is considered to be the prerequisite for the TOGAF EA Practitioner level. Candidates can opt to do 2 exams or a combined exam to get TOGAF EA Practitioner. The TOGAF Standard at the time of writing is version 10.

I actually got TOGAF 9 Certified earlier and now I am actually upgrading to TOGAF 10. The Open Group offered a bridge exam for people certified in TOGAF Standard version 9.2.

I have been somewhat following The Open Group development of TOGAF since I got certified. As time progressed, more information got out and the (new) Standard releasing in April 2022.

Anyway the key reasons are that the TOGAF Standard follows a modular structure and incorporates "agile" & "digital", making it (more) relevant in today's world.

I am preparing for the bridge exam to TOGAF 10, not the 2-exam route (EA Foundation + EA Practitioner). I do expect the bridge exam to focus of the "changes".

Before diving in I first read the Introduction to TOGAF 10 whitepaper (W212) and the TOGAF 10 Pocket Guide (G220). These provided an overview of TOGAF 10. I also explored the (brige) exam objectives, comparing against the ones for EA Foundation and EA Practitioner to see how much overlap there are. This will help identify what the "changes" are. I also got the (bridge) online self-study materials (B228) from The Open Group. The self-study contains the (online & offline) powerpoint slides, online practice test and online practitioner learning studies (practice scenarios). The online powerpoint slides have the additional notes pointing to the objectives and sometimes comments.

After going through the online self-study materials, I know what the key "changes" were. The key changes worth noting:

• The structure of TOGAF documentation set here
• TOGAF Standard = TOGAF Fundamentional Content + TOGAF Series Guides
• Know the purpose of various TOGAF Series Guides, especially those in the agile (G20F & G210) and digital (G217 & G212) domains; may also want to check the relevant whitepapers too
• Get familiar with the DPBoK Standard (contexts and topics)
• Get familiar with the TOGAF Leader Guide (G184)
• Importance of security as a "cross-cutting" concern
• Knowing and applying the architecture alternatives and trade-off method

Concepts worth reviewing:

• ADM phases are "iterative", not necessarily waterfall
• Inputs, steps, and outputs/ outcomes of each ADM phase
• Governance is directing and controlling
• Difference between stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management
• Architecture views & viewpoints
• Various migration planning techniques
• Architecture contract
• Content & enterprise metamodel
• Architecture landscape (strategic, segment, capability architectures)
• Architecture continuum (ABBs & SBBs)
• Architecture repository

To recap, I did the following:

• Read the Introduction to TOGAF 10 whitepaper (W212)
• Read TOGAF 10 Pocket Guide (G220)
• Get TOGAF 10 reference cards (N220)
• Check and compare the conformance requirements for the bridge exam, EA Foundation and EA Practitioner
• Get and study the (bridge) online self-study materials (B228)
• Skim or browse through the TOGAF Fundamental Content, paying attention to those diagrams to remind/ review the main ideas/concepts
• Review the inputs, steps, and outputs/ outcome of each ADM phase, especially A to G
• Read or skim through the Practitioner's Approach Guide (G186)
• Skim through the TOGAF Leader Guide (G184)
• Practice scenario-based questions with practitioner learning studies
• Attempt practice test

When tackling those scenario questions, you should identify which ADM phase it is in or at least understand what the question is asking. Some tips:

• Understand the scenario's last paragraph - this will set up the question
• Understand what the actual question is asking
• Read the first sentence of each answer option - this should hopefully eliminate the obvious wrong answer(s)
• The subsequent sentences in the (wrong) answer options may be similar or identical, making it possibly correct

For the bridge exam, there are 2 sections - multiple choice and scenarios. Once you completed the multiple choice questions, you cannot go back so make sure you are absolutely certain before moving to the scenarios. The multiple choice questions are quite straight-forward so try to maximize the points in this section. In the scenarios section, the "references" provided are the TOGAF Standard (all sections) and the Practitioner's Approach Guide (G186).