What This Guide Covers
Applications Architecture defines how applications support business capabilities, data flows, and integration patterns. This guide provides a practical, TOGAF-aligned approach to designing a coherent, modern application landscape that supports transformation and reduces complexity.
1. Applications Architecture in TOGAF
TOGAF positions Applications Architecture as the definition of application components, their interactions, and their relationships to business processes and capabilities.
- Application portfolio structure
- Application-to-capability mapping
- Application interaction diagrams
- Integration viewpoints
2. Application Portfolio Management
A well-structured application portfolio reduces redundancy, improves cost transparency, and supports modernization planning.
- Identify systems of record, differentiation, and innovation
- Assess functional overlap and redundancy
- Evaluate technical health and lifecycle stage
- Align applications to business capabilities
3. Application Modernization
Modernization is not a one-size-fits-all effort. This section outlines common modernization patterns and decision criteria.
- Rehost, replatform, refactor, replace, retire
- Strangler pattern for gradual modernization
- Domain-driven decomposition
- Cloud-native modernization pathways
4. Integration and Application Interaction
Applications Architecture is tightly linked to Integration Architecture. This section outlines common interaction patterns.
- API-led interactions
- Event-driven interactions
- Batch and file-based interactions
- Service mesh and microservices interactions
Downloadable Assets
- Application Portfolio Template (PDF)
- Application-to-Capability Mapping Template (PDF)
- Application Modernization Assessment (PDF)
- Application Interaction Viewpoint Template (PDF)