Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture

The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture is a framework for organizing and classifying the various components of an enterprise architecture. It was developed by John Zachman in the 1980s and is still widely used today.

The framework is structured around six perspectives or “views” of the enterprise architecture:

  • The “What” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a business perspective, including the goals, strategies, and objectives of the organization.
  • The “How” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a process perspective, including the workflows, procedures, and methods used to achieve the business goals.
  • The “Where” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a location perspective, including the physical locations of the organization and its resources.
  • The “Who” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a personnel perspective, including the roles, responsibilities, and skills of the people involved in the organization.
  • The “When” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a time perspective, including the timing and sequence of events, processes, and activities.
  • The “Why” perspective: This view describes the enterprise from a motivation perspective, including the driving forces behind the organization and its decisions.

The Zachman Framework is often depicted as a matrix, with the perspectives forming the rows and the various components of the enterprise architecture forming the columns. The framework provides a structured approach to enterprise architecture and can help organizations to align their IT systems with their business goals and objectives.