TOGAF® Standard, 10th Edition · OGEA-101 Foundation · Quick revision
Architecture Compliance
No Chapter 4 definition — closest official wording
“An Architecture Compliance review is a scrutiny of the compliance of a specific project against established architectural criteria, spirit, and business objectives.”
Ensuring the compliance of individual projects with the Enterprise Architecture is an essential aspect of Architecture Governance (CG §6.1).
Source: CG §6.3 · CG §6.1 — Chapter 4 has no “Architecture Compliance” entry
Memory aid
Compliant = did LESS than the spec (but nothing wrong). Conformant = did ALL the spec PLUS extras.
Memory aid — not TOGAF wording.
In plain words
Checking that a project is actually building what the architecture says — and how closely.
Plain-English summary — not TOGAF wording.
Worked example
At the initial-design review, PayFlask implements every specified payment feature but also adds an unapproved analytics tracker that is not in accordance with the specification → Conformant, not Fully Conformant.
Illustrative example (Digital University Kerala) — not from the Standard.
01Mind map — related concepts
Architecture Compliance
6 LEVELS (FIG 6-1)
Irrelevant → Fully Conformant + Non-conformant
REVIEW PROCESS
12 steps (Fig 6-2 / §6.4.3)
TIMING
As soon as practical, well before project completion
PHASE G · 11.3.4
Perform EA Compliance Reviews
OUTPUT
Compliance Assessment (Phase G → Phase H)
NOT TO CONFUSE WITH
Compliant vs Conformant (opposite directions)
Source: CG §6.2–6.4 · ADM §11.3.4, §11.4 · AC §4.2.13
02Levels of Architecture Conformance (CG Fig 6-1)
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Irrelevant | No features in common with the architecture specification |
| Consistent | Some features in common, implemented per the spec — but some spec features missing, and other features not covered by the spec |
| Compliant | Some spec features not implemented, but all implemented features are covered by the spec and in accordance with it |
| Conformant | All spec features implemented per the spec, but some more features implemented that are not in accordance with it |
| Fully Conformant | Full correspondence between specification and implementation |
| Non-conformant | Any of the above where some spec features are implemented not in accordance with the spec |
“In accordance with” means: supports the stated strategy and future directions; adheres to stated standards; provides stated functionality; adheres to stated principles.
Source: CG §6.2
03Architecture Compliance review process (CG §6.4.3)
1 · Request reviewas mandated by governance policies
2–3 · Identify organization, principals, Lead Enterprise ArchitectArchitecture Review Co-ordinator
4–5 · Determine scope · tailor checklistsLead Enterprise Architect
6–7 · Schedule meeting · interview project principals
8–9 · Analyze checklists · prepare reportidentify and resolve issues; recommendations
10–12 · Present · accept and sign off · send summaryArchitecture Board and Customer sign off
Source: CG §6.4.1–6.4.3 (Fig 6-2)
04Where it appears in the ADM
Phase G · Step 11.3.4
Perform Enterprise Architecture Compliance Reviews — review ongoing implementation governance and compliance for each building block.
ADM §11.3.4
Phase G · Outputs
Compliance Assessments (input to Phase H).
ADM §11.4 · AC §4.2.13
05Exam traps
“Compliant means all features are implemented” → Compliant: some spec features not implemented, but everything implemented follows the spec
“Conformant means nothing extra was added” → Conformant: all spec features plus extra features not in accordance with it; that describes Fully Conformant
“Hold the compliance review when the project is complete” → As soon as practical — well before completion, while errors can still be corrected
“The review is purely technical” → Against architectural criteria, spirit, and business objectives
“Non-conformant is just “Irrelevant”” → Non-conformant: spec features implemented not in accordance with the spec
“The project leader signs off the review” → Step 11: accepted and signed off by the Architecture Board and the Customer
06Self-test — tap to reveal
Q1What is an Architecture Compliance review?
A scrutiny of the compliance of a specific project against established architectural criteria, spirit, and business objectives.
Q2Name the six levels.
Irrelevant, Consistent, Compliant, Conformant, Fully Conformant, Non-conformant.
Q3Which level: all spec features, plus extra non-spec features?
Conformant.
Q4Which level: some features missing, all implemented ones correct?
Compliant.
Q5What is the first and foremost goal of a compliance review?
Catch errors in the project architecture early, reducing cost and risk of later changes.
Q6Which Phase G step performs compliance reviews?
Step 11.3.4.
Q7Who signs off the review?
The Architecture Board and the Customer.
Q8Which deliverable records the result?
Compliance Assessment.