Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions is well named. It is about finding opportunities for delivering the Target Architecture by implementing specific solutions.
Phase E generates the first complete version of the Architecture Roadmap – by combining the analysis and suggestions from the Architecture Development phases – B, C & D.
This phase concentrates on how to deliver the architecture. So it looks at creating an Architecture Roadmap listing Work Packages in a timeline to realize the Target Architecture.
When the change is so large that it is impossible to go directly from the Baseline to the Target Architecture, then it is Phase E that produces an incremental approach, made up of intermediate or Transition Architectures.
And it is Phase E that maps the required architectural changes to investment programmes and projects that have the funding and resources to carry out the Work Packages, and deliver the Transition and Target Architectures.
The inputs to this phase are pretty much everything that’s been output from earlier phases.
The steps take these outputs; consolidate them, analyse dependencies, and reconcile differences; and confirm again that the organization is able to make the changes.
Phase E refines and updates the requirements, architecture documentation and Architecture Roadmap. The key output is a first-cut of the Implementation and Migration Plan.
Enterprise Architecture TOGAF Video