About XAF

Who built this and why we're giving it away.

Developed by InnovateX Solutions

XAF Connected Architecture was developed by InnovateX Solutions, a Brisbane-based IT consulting and managed services provider.

We're not a big consultancy with a marketing department that dreamed up a framework to sell more engagements. We're practitioners who built this because we needed it - and figured others might too.

Why We Built This

Here's the no bullshit version.

We kept running into the same problems at every client. Architecture functions that produced documents nobody read. Governance that teams routed around because it was easier than engaging. Architects who left and took all the context with them. Technical debt accumulating invisibly until it became a crisis.

The existing frameworks - TOGAF, Zachman, SABSA - they're not wrong. They're just incomplete in the dimension that matters most: practical implementation in organisations with competing priorities, limited time, and imperfect conditions.

So we built what we actually needed. A governance approach that scales based upon risk. Decision records that take 15 minutes, not three days. Architecture Passports that keep context with systems instead of burying it in SharePoint. Guardrails that enable autonomy instead of creating bottlenecks.

We've tested this ourselves and with leading SME's across the region. We refined it based on what actually worked versus what sounded good in theory. And now we're publishing it because we believe architecture should ship, not just document.

What's Free, What's Not

The framework documentation is free. Everything you need to understand XAF - the philosophy, the governance model, the domain modules, how they connect, how to get started. It's all here, no paywall, no registration required.

The templates come with our engagements. We've built a library of 40+ ready-to-use templates that make implementation practical from day one. These are battle-tested artefacts that encode what we've learned works across dozens of implementations. They're part of the value we deliver through Architecture-as-a-Service partnerships and dedicated implementation projects.

Why this split? Because understanding and implementing are different problems.

You can absolutely read this documentation, understand the concepts, and build your own templates. Many organisations will. The framework guidance is comprehensive enough to do exactly that.

But if you want to accelerate implementation with templates that are already refined, configured to your context, and backed by expertise - that's where we come in. The templates aren't just forms to fill in. They're the practical distillation of everything we've learned about making architecture governance actually work.

Three reasons:

1. The framework documentation isn't our product - implementing it is.

Anyone can read about guardrails-not-gates. Making that work in a government agency with project-based funding, or a 50-person business with legacy systems and political dynamics? That's where the value sits. The expertise and the templates are the product, not the PDF.

2. It matches who we are.

Our whole positioning is radical transparency - no jargon, no hidden costs, no corporate runaround. If you're the kind of organisation that reads this and thinks "these are the people I want to work with" - good. That's exactly why we're sharing the framework openly.

3. Architecture capability shouldn't be completely gatekept.

Too many organisations struggle with architecture because the guidance is either academic theory or locked behind expensive consulting engagements. A single architect at a regional council deserves access to the same thinking as a global enterprise with a 20+ person EA function. The concepts should be accessible. The accelerators - templates and expertise - are where professional services add genuine value.

Who We Are

InnovateX Solutions is a Brisbane-based IT consulting, cyber security, and managed services provider serving South East Queensland and beyond.

What we do:

Architecture & Consulting: Enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, Microsoft 365 & Azure design, IT strategy, AI integration
Cyber Security: Essential Eight implementation, security architecture, managed security monitoring
Managed Services: SMB1001 Gold certified managed IT for organisations that need enterprise capability without enterprise overhead

Our credentials:

Queensland Government ICT Professional Services panel
LocalBuy panel for local councils across Queensland and Australia
SMB1001 Gold certified
Essential Eight implementation expertise

Our approach:

We sound like the expert mate you'd grab a beer with after work - knowledgeable, helpful, and genuinely Aussie. No corporate waffle, no jargon for jargon's sake. If something's a bad idea, we'll tell you straight up. If there's a simpler solution, we'll recommend it even if it means less work for us.

Need Help Implementing?

The framework documentation is free. The templates and expertise to make it work in your context is what we do.

Two ways we engage:

Engagement	What You Get
Dedicated Implementation Project	Time-boxed engagement to stand up your architecture practice. Templates configured to your context, implementation support through initial adoption, training and enablement for your team, and handover so you're self-sufficient.
Architecture-as-a-Service (AaaS)	Ongoing architecture capability without building a full internal function. Embedded expertise, templates that evolve with your practice, and architecture support that scales with your needs.

Both engagement types include the full template library for your selected modules - Governance Core plus whichever domain modules fit your priorities.

Whether you're a 20-person SMB, a government agency, or a regional council - we've got the experience and the approach to help you get architecture right without the corporate runaround.

Get in Touch

No sales pressure. No commitment required. Just a straightforward conversation about what you're facing and whether we can help.

Or just keep using the framework documentation. Seriously. If you can implement it yourself and it helps your organisation, that's a win. We'd love to hear how it goes.

Contributing

Found something that doesn't work? Got a pattern that's worked well in your context? We're open to feedback and contributions.

The framework is better when it's informed by real implementation experience across different organisations. If you've got insights to share, we'd genuinely like to hear them.

XAF Connected Architecture | Developed by InnovateX Solutions