The Open Group publishes Open Agile Architecture

The Open Group, the vendor-neutral technology consortium, has announced the publication of Open Agile Architecture™ (O-AA), a standard of The Open Group. Developed by The Open Group Governing Board Agile Architecture Work Group, the new standard is designed to support enterprises through dual Agile and Digital Transformation initiatives.

“In today’s business environment where everything is digital, the need for organizations to demonstrate agility is a priority,” said Andrew Josey, VP Standards and Certification, The Open Group. “Agile teams drive Digital Transformation within organizations by inventing new business models, delivering a superior customer experience, and building digital products and highly automated operating models.”

“Yet, in a lot of cases, deploying Agile at scale comes at the expense of architecture, causing a number of business-critical set-backs,” Josey continued. “In reality, Enterprise Architecture is crucial to the transition to an Agile, digital-first culture – and must be made a main focus throughout the process.”

The O-AA approach is designed to help organizations architect in an Agile at scale environment. This includes techniques and practices for understanding the key elements of a successful Digital Transformation project, and the role Enterprise Architecture plays throughout. Taking into account key organizational factors, the standard also provides direction on experience-driven product architecture and development, as well as an efficient platform-driven operating model for guiding axioms and tenets in architecture design.

Carl Kinson, Chief Architect, DXC said: “While Enterprise Architecture is vital to businesses today, to maintain relevance it needs to match new techniques and practices. Agile, Lean, Design Thinking, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering have transformed how organizations design, develop, deploy, and operate new products and services. The need for a modern standard is evident, which is why O-AA will support businesses through this continuous change motion and enable them to become resilient in the current digital landscape.”

Enterprises utilizing O-AA will benefit from the provision of a proven change management approach, helping key stakeholders navigate the shift towards business agility and accelerate Digital Transformation. By delivering guidance on Agile strategy and governance, it also enables organizations to build business resilience and safeguard against future disruption. In addition, by leveraging Design Thinking and Artificial Intelligence, the standard allows enterprises to effectively transform both the customer and employee experience.

Chris Forde, General Manager, Asia Pacific Region and Vice President Enterprise Architecture, The Open Group, added, “The publication of this standard represents the significant drive of The Open Group in bringing the architecture discipline to the forefront of the digital enterprise. The standard acknowledges that Enterprise Architecture encompasses a wide set of roles. For that reason, it can be used by not only Enterprise Architects, but also Product Managers, Operations Managers, and Software Engineers.”