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Traditionally, system implementation in manufacturing has been approached as a project—something designed to be completed once and then considered finished.
However, TOGAF’s agile approach requires a fundamental shift in thinking. Instead of treating a system as a one-time delivery, it should be managed as a product that continuously evolves.
This is not merely a difference in development methodology. It is a change in the design philosophy of the management foundation itself—one that enables the enterprise to keep creating value over time.
In this article, we break down “5. Using Agile Product Management Techniques” from the TOGAF® guidance and explain it through concrete manufacturing examples. The goal is to translate the concept into a level that can be directly applied in practice.
oduct Management: Shifting Manufacturing from Projects to Continuous Value Creation
In the traditional project-based approach, an SAP implementation, for example, typically proceeds as follows:
In this model, post-go-live improvements are often treated as part of a separate future project. As a result, organizations struggle to respond quickly to changes in the business and on the shop floor.
By contrast, agile product management views something like a target costing platform as a single product.
Under this model:
For example, in the target costing domain of an automotive parts manufacturer, the difference becomes clear:
This shift is what transforms IT from a mere implementation exercise into a mechanism for delivering business outcomes.
In agile, the process does not begin with trying to define perfect requirements from the outset. It begins by identifying the true nature of the problem.
In many manufacturing companies, the following issues occur:
The important point here is not to define the surface-level problem, but the underlying problem.
For example:
This reframing changes the direction of the solution.
Instead of aiming simply to reduce design changes, the focus becomes:
Build a mechanism that enables decision-making during the design stage.
To identify the real issue, activities may include:
These activities help reveal the real business challenge that architecture and product management need to address.
Once the problem is clear, the next step is not to pursue full optimization from day one. Instead, the focus should be on defining an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)—the smallest scope that can still deliver meaningful value.
For the theme of making costs visible during the design stage, implementation can proceed in stages such as:
Sprint 1
Sprint 2
Sprint 3
What matters is:
TOGAF® also emphasizes the importance of just-enough architecture.
In agile, requirements are not translated directly into system specifications. They are first broken down into epics and user stories.
Enable cost control during the design stage
This is how development shifts from being system-centered to being driven by operational value.
Large-scale manufacturing systems cannot be developed in an agile way unless they are first broken down into manageable units.
TOGAF® addresses this by decomposing the landscape into segments and capabilities.
This decomposition makes it possible to:
A backlog is not simply a list of tasks. It is an ordered sequence of business value.
Typical prioritization criteria include:
In agile, governance is not a separate process outside delivery. It is built into the sprint cycle itself.
Objective
Improve the accuracy of target costing
Key Results
Agile product management is not simply a development methodology. In manufacturing, it is a mechanism for executing management itself.
By applying TOGAF’s way of thinking, organizations can make several fundamental shifts:
As a result, ERP evolves from being just an operational system into infrastructure that continuously generates business outcomes.
Please refer to this article for topics related to Enterprise Architecture (EA).
Enterprise Architecture – Insight Arc | SAP, Enterprise Architecture & Supply Chain Strategy
Parts of this article were developed with reference to generative AI suggestions and were reviewed, refined, and supplemented based on the author’s professional expertise and judgment.
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