Zachman Framework

The Zachman Framework is a classification schema—not a methodology—that maps architecture descriptions across six stakeholder perspectives and six fundamental questions (what, how, where, who, when, why). It helps teams identify missing artifacts and avoid conflating conceptual with physical representations. The framework emphasizes that different audiences need different abstractions of the same enterprise.

In Practice

Larkinized LLC employs Zachman as a completeness lens during architecture assessments, especially when organizations produce detailed technical diagrams but lack business motivation or ownership models. It complements process-oriented frameworks like TOGAF by clarifying which cell an artifact occupies. Teams should not treat the matrix as a mandatory deliverable set for every project.

Example

An EA assessment reveals no owner-defined business rules (Planner/What) for a claims process despite extensive deployment diagrams (Builder/Where).