Open Comments: S3 - The Open Group News Corner (Mini Episode 2): The Open Agile Architecture™ Standard, Version 2.0

In this mini episode, we give a quick overview of The Open Agile Architecture™ Standard, Version 2.0, a standard of The Open Group, and why it matters when Enterprise Architecture struggles to keep up with Agile delivery. We share the four-dimensional structure, the tools that support it, and the techniques that help teams align on a future vision without forcing a one-size-fits-all model. 

• The core problem of bridging Enterprise Architecture and fast-paced agile delivery 
• Why parallel transformations fall into silos without a shared framework 
• How The Open Agile Architecture™ Standard, Version 2.0, a standard of The Open Group, connects operating model change and team ways of working 
• Modern practices that support agility: experience design, event storming, domain-driven design, green software, GenAI 

Learn more about The Open Agile Architecture™ (O-AA) Work Group here: https://www.opengroup.org/AgileArchitecture. 

The Open Agile Architecture™ Standard, Version 2.0, a standard of The Open Group, is available to download via The Open Group Library here: https://publications.opengroup.org/c262. 

Copyright © The Open Group 2023-2026. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Welcome And Series Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome back to Open Comments with me, Ash. In this mini-series titled The Open Group News Corner, we will be exploring the latest standards from the Open Group in more detail. Today we'll be exploring the OpenAGI Architecture Standard version 2.0 and hearing from those involved in it. Before we hear from them, for some context, the OpenAGI Architecture Standard version 2.0, a standard of the Open Group, offers an approach to architect at scale with agility. It provides guidance and best practices for enterprise architects seeking to transition into agile and digital contexts. This document is available to download via the Open Group Library. For more details, please see the description for this episode. Thank you. Over to you, gentlemen.

Meet The OpenAGI Contributors

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Hi, my name is Nichols and I work for DXE Technology.

SPEAKER_03 0:51

Hi, Ruit de Witz, working for Kev Gemini.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Hi my Hans van Reis, I'm also working for Kev Gemini.

SPEAKER_04 0:59

Hi, I'm Dave Critelli, working for DXE.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Hello everyone and

The Enterprise And Agile Gap

SPEAKER_02 1:05

welcome. Today we're giving you a quick overview of the Open Agile Architecture Standard, or OAA version 2. We want to address a question every modern enterprise faces. How do you bridge the gap between enterprise architecture and fast-paced agile delivery?

SPEAKER_03 1:26

And this is important priority for a reason. Most organizations today are tackling two massive shifts simultaneously. So transforming their operating model, including digital capabilities, and in the meanwhile, also transforming their organization, including changing how their teams work. But they do this without a shared framework, and without a shared framework, those two transformation efforts quickly get trapped in separate silos.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Exactly. OAA version 2 connects them and brings them into a single cohesive framework. In fact, major global organizations have already woven OEA right into their core practices. I know we have.

The Four Dimensions Explained

SPEAKER_01 2:10

So how is OAA version 2.0 structured? After many iterations and plenty of MIROBORD sessions, we drew inspiration from the Delft framework to organize the standard into four district dimensions. Basis is the agile way of thinking. This is the mindset. It frames how we view an agile organization, balancing social and technical dynamics, system thinking, and how we frame problems.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

From there, we start with the agile organization, the way of organizing or controlling. This is where the governance, the agile maturity, and organizational structure sits. Think of concepts like the inverse conway maneuver. Align team structures directly with the architecture we want to build.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Then we move into the agile architecture capability, the way of working. This defines the strategy, processes, deliverables, and style of architecture development. It asks how do we actually architect just in time and just enough? And finally, the way of supporting. This brings to modern toolkits, methods, and capabilities, like experience design, event storming, domain-driven design, green software practices, and Gen AI.

Handling Complexity And Coexisting Models

SPEAKER_04 3:26

This structure is vital because the real world is complicated. On large-scale modernization programs like engineering platforms for insurance giants, you realize very quickly that agile streams and traditional waterfall projects often have to coexist in the same ecosystem.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Right.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Precisely. And we continue to develop the standard further. We'll discuss frameworks like Stacey, Cinefin, and Worldly Mapping. These tools help us to assess environmental complexity so we can tailor our agile and architectural approaches to specific to the specific situation, rather than implying a one-size-fits-all rule.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Plus, for expanding OAI with dedicated

Playbooks And Visioning Techniques

SPEAKER_03 4:18

playbooks for critical emerging areas. Specifically, AI sustainability. We already have a playbook on security.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

And to make architecture truly agile, you also have to innovate how you discover and align on the future vision. OAI will leverage several interactive best practices. Like the postercards from the future, collaborative vision, where stakeholders write narrative postcards describing their ideal future state to serve as shared storylines. Or working backwards, inspired by Amazon, drafting internal press releases, FAQs, and mock-ups to sharpen customer focus before writing any technical specs. World Cafes, structured small table conversations that build collective knowledge and speed up organizational alignment.

Key Takeaway And Wrap

SPEAKER_02 5:10

So to wrap up, OEA version 2.0 bridges the enterprise to agile gap by pairing a clear, four-dimensional structure with practical tools for navigating real-world complexity.