LEARN. PRACTICE. GROW.Concept and mechanism
Phases B, C, and D develop complementary perspectives on transformation. Business describes capabilities and operation; data and applications show information and system responsibilities; technology addresses the technical services supporting those needs. Sequence and depth can be tailored, but relationships should remain explicit. Compare baseline and target within the same scope and level of detail. A gap is not simply a product that has not been purchased: it may be an absent responsibility, insufficient capability, or required connection between systems. Identify elements to retain and retire as well.
Guided application
In one example, the new application calculates positions, but nobody owns reconciliation against the previous system. Infrastructure can be installed while this gap remains open. Connect reconciliation capability to data, application, control, and owner. If the target requires recovery within fifteen minutes, inspect dependencies such as identity, network, and storage; duplicating the server alone does not demonstrate that objective. Use identifiable assumptions where the baseline is incomplete and gather evidence proportionate to risk. Useful analysis produces decisions and required work rather than an indiscriminate list of differences. Before approving the solution, confirm that technical models still support the agreed data meaning and business process.
A capability may require process, data, and platform changes together.
Common pitfalls
Comparing different scopes; ignoring retained elements; counting products as capabilities.
Related topics: Context, mandate, and value · Stakeholders, conflicts, and views · Vision, scope, and feasibility
Turn gaps into traceable transformation needs.
Reference: Practitioner competency-to-role mapping · OGEA-102; TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition