Features & Benefits

Integrates TOGAF with IBM Rational Unified Process Delivers actionable enterprise architecture Identifies EA deliverables that are input into specific solution delivery tasks Solution Delivery Recommendations Solution Architecture Contract Architecture Review Report New major deliverables Solution Delivery Recommendations Solution Architecture Contract Architecture Review Report New roles Solution Architect Architecture Review Lead Certified by The Open Group Validated by IBM Rational

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Overview

ATPL+ Rational Unified Process (ATPL+RUP) is a method plugin in the APG TOGAF Process Library (ATPL) that integrates The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF™) and its Architecture Development Method (ADM) with the IBM Rational Unified Process® (RUP®). RUP is a comprehensive process framework that provides industry-tested practices for software and systems delivery and implementation and effective project management.

Research shows that high-performing organizations see a 40% increased ROI on IT investments than their competitors (Weill & Ross, 2004). These industry-leading companies share a number of common success factors, including:

• Assigning accountability for organizational change to key solution delivery projects,
• Clarifying how architecturally-significant projects link to business strategy, and
• Learning from each project to further develop internal capabilities to effectively manage architecture assets.

Related studies also show that organizations who effectively govern their IT portfolios realize 20% higher profits (ROA) than their competitors. ATPL+RUP provides organizations an integrated framework of proven best practices and industry standards that delivers these capabilities in pursuit of these benefits.

The solution architect role in ATPL+ Govern Solution Architectures (ATPL+GSA) describes the hand-offs between enterprise architecture and solution delivery (see Figure 1). However, it is still the responsibility of the development team to understand what to do with the information provided.

Figure 1 Different business-IT lifecycles and how they need to integrate with one another. Also shows the types of tooling required to support each lifecycle and their integration.

This requires an organization to do two things:

• Provide a clear definition of the solution delivery method, and
• Identify which deliverables from the architecture development method are inputs to which activities in the solution delivery lifecycle.

Organizations interested in rapidly adopting industry standard best practices for enterprise architecture and solution delivery have a unique opportunity to provide a comprehensive and integrated solution. With ATPL and RUP being built on the same Eclipse-based platform (see Figure 2), APG has created ATPL+ Rational Unified Process (ATPL+RUP) – a tight integration between TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM) and RUP.

Integration with IBM Rational Unified Process

ATPL+RUP provides a clear description of how enterprise architecture integrates with solution delivery and identifies which TOGAF architecture deliverables are relevant to solution delivery and associates them with specific tasks within RUP. ATPL+RUP shows how enterprise architecture influences activities in many different aspects of solution delivery, including the following RUP disciplines and roles:

• Project management (Project Manager)
• Requirements (System Analyst and Requirements Specifier)
• Architecture (Software Architect)
• Design (Database Designer)
• Testing (Test Analyst)

Integration with IBM Rational Method Composer

ATPL+RUP is an IBM Ready for Rational software validated product and integrates with the IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform. In particular, ATPL+RUP is designed to be used with IBM Rational Method Composer (RMC), an Eclipse-based tool for defining and manage business and IT development methods.

RMC is a commercial tool based on the open source Eclipse Process Framework Composer (EPFC) tool (see Figure 2). RMC comes with the Rational Process Library which includes the IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP). End users of ATPL can use EPFC (but are encouraged to upgrade to RMC for enterprise-class features). Licenses of ATPL+RUP must use RMC, as ATPL+RUP requires the end user to also have a license to the Rational Unified Process (RUP).

Figure 2 Conceptual overview of the Eclipse Process Framework (EPF) platform. The bottom layers represent the tools and the top layers represent various method plugins.

RMC Features Not Found in EPFC

• Includes Rational Process Library (including RUP and other method plugins)
• User-defined reports via BIRT (including report templates)
• Enterprise-class configuration and process management capabilities
• Customization of published website via "skins"
• Additional publishing capabilities (Word, PDF)
• Project tailoring wizard via "tags"
• Search capability included in published static website

Examples of ATPL+RUP Integration

Figure 3 Screenshot of the RUP website published by RMC with ATPL+RUP content. The tree browser on the left is the Process Explorer which is how an end user navigates the process definition content. This example shows the ATPL+RUP view and one of the RUP tasks modified by ATPL+RUP to reflect enterprise architecture influence (the Architectural Analysis task performed by the Software Architect as a part of the Analysis & Design discipline).

Figure 4 Additional views added to the published RUP website when using ATPL+RUP and ATPL+GSA. This content would be accessed by solution delivery practitioners, as well as the enterprise architecture community.

Figure 5 Additional content added by ATPL+RUP to an existing RUP task – Architectural Analysis. Shows the extended purpose of the task and the TOGAF ADM work products that are inputs and outputs of the task.

Figure 6 More additional content added by ATPL+RUP to the same RUP task – Architectural Analysis. Shows additional steps added to the task as well as an extended task description. Task also includes added reference to an existing TOGAF guideline from ATPL.

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