Introducing the Salesforce Operating, Governance, and Architecture Framework (SOGAF)

This article introduces the Salesforce Operating, Governance, and Architecture Framework (SOGAF), a new large‑scale governance framework supported by extensive research of academic literature, existing frameworks, and transformation case studies across multiple industries.

Why do we need another governance framework?

We have observed two fundamental shifts in technology‑driven transformation: the technology model itself and the methods of implementation and operation. The shift from on‑premises to cloud computing brings benefits such as agility, scalability, cost savings, minimal capital expenditure, enhanced collaboration, and anywhere‑anytime work. Alongside this, implementation and operation have moved from waterfall, project‑centric delivery to agile, product‑centric continuous improvement.

Transformation Trilemma

Companies launching technology‑driven transformation often face a trilemma where a set of three goals produce different outcomes and specific risks; they must choose two of the three goals to "stay on one side of the transformation triangle" and drive results.

Keep it Pure

Goal: Keep pace with the business by rapidly implementing standard technology for all user groups – “adopt, don’t adapt”.

Risk: Trigger the “law of unintended consequences”. Standardizing one architectural layer may require customization in another (e.g., a standardized database layer may need UI customization).

Do It All

Goal: Satisfy all business needs, avoid regression (loss of previously available functionality), and ensure future scalability for specific user groups.

Risk: Rebuilding a “legacy in the cloud”. Solving legacy pain points often lifts and transfers those pain points to the new system instead of designing an architecture that evolves with the business.

Make it Good

Goal: Deliver a complete technology‑driven business transformation (e.g., from “physical” to online) and transition from waterfall to agile delivery.

Risk: Chaos. Both business and IT abandon old methods, learn new ones, replace existing processes and systems, while building new processes and systems.

To successfully achieve digital transformation and mitigate these risks, companies are advised to select the two most compatible goals from the three possible objectives. For example, a company pursuing a fast, pure, standardized Salesforce implementation will find it difficult to meet all business requirements without sacrificing functionality.

What does this mean for Salesforce architects?

Salesforce architects are responsible for managing technology‑driven transformation and delivering outcomes that shape the business future. They face many large‑scale governance questions, such as:

Where are we today compared with peer companies?

Where do we start to become self‑sufficient? How small can we start? Given our context, how far must we go?

What organizational entities, capabilities, structures, roles, and skills do we need, and when?

What does the Salesforce Center of Excellence (CoE) do? How does it relate to Salesforce Design Authority (DA)?

How do we ensure end‑to‑end consistency (business, IT, projects, governance methods, etc.)?

What is Salesforce’s enterprise operating model?

How do we translate the operating model into architecture or organizational strategy?

Large‑scale Salesforce Governance

Salesforce governance can be defined as the strategy for organizing company capabilities, leadership, people, and management. Organizational capability defines how to manage the Salesforce platform and ensure best practices. Leadership decides how and when to act, often through entities such as a CoE, Change Control Board, or Architecture Review Board. People and teams design and deliver value, while management ensures consistency, compliance, and compatibility.

For example, a key governance function may be to ensure delivery teams follow configuration best practices, achieved through regular review meetings with architects and developers to manage the platform in a consistent and compliant manner, minimize technical debt, and decide between configuration and customization.

Introducing SOGAF

I developed a new large‑scale governance framework because existing architecture and implementation frameworks such as TOGAF and Zachman are not platform‑specific. The Salesforce Operating, Governance, and Architecture Framework (SOGAF) addresses governance components at scale through seven distinct functions and their end‑to‑end consistency. SOGAF is grounded in academic literature and empirically validated through case studies that examine each capability to answer common large‑scale governance questions.

Organizational Capability . The structures, roles, and skills required for design, development, and deployment.

Common Entity (CoE) . The mission, scope, and organization of the CoE (or any equivalent entity) and its responsibilities for enabling, optimizing, and ensuring product adoption.

Design Authority . The organization of people and processes to ensure consistency, compliance, and compatibility.

Operating Model . The strategy to provide efficiency and predictability across the enterprise based on the desired level of business‑process standardization and data integration.

Architecture Types and Organizational Strategy . The capability, systems, and functions at the architectural layer that determine the Salesforce organizational strategy based on the operating model.

Implementation Axis . The Salesforce implementation approach derived from the operating model and business objectives.

Mission, Scope, and Organization . An organized large‑scale governance support plan based on the CoE, operating model, and implementation axis.

SOGAF – a research‑informed framework

SOGAF applies the MIT‑CISR EA model and an empirically‑based field‑research method to build Salesforce transformation plans and large‑scale governance frameworks. I analyzed and compared transformation plan components and functions with cross‑industry case studies to validate this new framework.

The creation of SOGAF includes three parts:

Part 1: Define large‑scale governance capabilities based on academic literature (five‑part model), Salesforce experience, case studies, and research.

Part 2: Apply the MIT‑CISR EA model, value disciplines, and related theories to define scale‑pattern Salesforce governance.

Part 3: Create transformation case studies to validate the model across manufacturing, high‑tech, financial services, consumer goods, and energy industries. The case studies aim to inform the framework and answer questions such as whether governance patterns can be identified in practice, how they relate to operating models, real‑world use cases, and successful patterns of organization and governance.

SOGAF Getting Started

You can immediately begin using the resources available on the Architect Digital Home for SOGAF Operating Models , Common Entity Framework , and Architecture Types to help link your operating model and organizational strategy.

As part of the upcoming Salesforce Enterprise Architect (EA) program, I will also release additional resources covering the remaining SOGAF capabilities. These will help architects define the scope, mission, and specific focus of the Center of Excellence, and include several courses in the Business Architecture curriculum to provide best practices for large‑scale governance and guide a business‑first approach to technology decisions.

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