In the Preliminary Phase of TOGAF ADM, after scoping the impacted organizations, assessing maturity, and confirming governance, the final major activity is to develop the Request for Architecture Work. This formal document outlines the high-level objectives, scope, approach, and timeframe for the upcoming architecture effort — serving as the official “charter” that kicks off the full ADM cycle starting in Phase A.
A key component of the Request for Architecture Work is the high-level project plan and schedule. Traditionally, this requires gathering inputs from stakeholders, estimating durations for major activities, sequencing them logically, and creating a timeline — often using spreadsheets or project management tools. While essential, this step can be time-consuming and challenging when details are still emerging.
Visual Paradigm’s AI-powered TOGAF Guide-Through makes this deliverable fast, practical, and professional. AI analyzes your problem description and context to generate a clear, realistic high-level project plan and schedule — giving you a strong starting point in moments.
Why the Request for Architecture Work (and Its Project Plan) Is Important
This document:
- Clearly communicates the purpose, scope, and expected outcomes of the architecture initiative
- Defines the high-level approach, deliverables, and constraints
- Provides a realistic timeframe and major milestones to set expectations with sponsors and stakeholders
- Serves as the formal input to launch Phase A (Architecture Vision)
- Helps secure buy-in, resources, and approval before deeper work begins
TOGAF recommends including a high-level project plan with major activities and planned durations — visualized clearly so everyone understands the journey ahead.
How AI Develops the Request for Architecture Work in Visual Paradigm
In the TOGAF Guide-Through, navigate to the Preliminary Phase activity: Develop Request for Architecture Work. The AI-assisted process is designed to be simple and effective:
- Provide Your Project Context
Enter a natural language description of the architecture initiative, including goals, scope, key constraints, and any known timelines. Example: “This project aims to modernize our core banking platform with cloud migration, improved security, and digital customer channels over the next 18 months, involving IT, operations, compliance, and three major business units.” - AI Analyzes and Structures
The AI interprets your input against TOGAF guidelines, identifying major phases, key activities, dependencies, and realistic durations based on typical enterprise architecture project patterns. - Instant Project Plan & Schedule Generation
AI produces a clean, high-level project plan diagram or timeline that shows:
– Major activities/milestones (e.g., Preliminary setup, Phase A Vision, Phase B Business Architecture, etc.)
– Planned durations for each major block
– Overall timeline from start to target completion
– Key dependencies and decision points
The output appears as an editable diagram or Gantt-style timeline directly in Visual Paradigm’s editor. You can:
- Adjust durations, add/remove activities, or refine milestones
- Apply formatting (colors, labels) for stakeholder presentations
- Link it to other Preliminary Phase artifacts (governance model, maturity chart, impacted units)
- Export it as part of the full Request for Architecture Work document
Benefits of AI-Assisted Project Planning in This Step
- Speed: Create a credible high-level schedule in seconds instead of days of workshops and revisions.
- Realism & Alignment: AI draws from TOGAF best practices and common project patterns to suggest practical timelines.
- Clarity for Stakeholders: A visual timeline makes the scope and pace of the architecture effort easy to understand and approve.
- Seamless Transition to Phase A: The generated plan provides a strong foundation for detailed visioning and planning in the next phase.
- Flexibility: Easily iterate — update your description, and AI can regenerate the plan accordingly.
This AI feature turns one of the more administrative Preliminary Phase tasks into a quick, visual, and valuable deliverable — helping you close out the phase with confidence.
Ready to Charter Your Architecture Project the Smart Way?
See how AI simplifies developing the Request for Architecture Work and delivers a professional high-level project plan instantly.
Download Visual Paradigm today and start your free trial — describe your initiative in the Guide-Through and let AI generate your project schedule and timeline in moments.
End your Preliminary Phase strong — with a clear, approved, and realistic path forward.