 | Level: Introductory Celso Gonzalez, System Administrator, Accovia, Inc.
15 Oct 2004 from The Rational Edge: This book presents the increasingly important discipline of enterprise architecture in terms of the Zachman Framework, an analysis tool for current software architecture and a business's plans for its evolution. The authors provide a detailed explanation of the Framework, and conclude with a defining a methodology for applying the Framework to plan and implement an enterprise architecture strategy.
By Carol O'Rourke, Neal Fishman and Warren Selkow
Course Technology, 2003
ISBN: 0-619-06446-3
Cover price: US$61.95
476 pages
During the last several years, a lot of IT organizations have decided to rationalize and reuse their application infrastructure as much as possible rather than do greenfield development for each new application. Out of these efforts -- driven by the necessity to adapt to an ever-changing market -- the enterprise architecture discipline developed. This discipline's main objective is to help enterprises plan, implement, and communicate the overall architecture they will need to reach their business objectives.
The Zachman Framework is one tool that organizations use to analyze their existing architecture and plan for the future; often it is mentioned in the same breath as enterprise architecture. But what is this framework, and exactly how does it relate to enterprise architecture? What is it useful for? Can it be applied outside the software development industry? If, like me, you are searching for answers to these questions, then this book is for you!
After they introduce you to John Zachman, his classification framework, and enterprise architecture, the authors guide you through a detailed exploration of the framework (see Table 1 for a common representation of the framework matrix). Each chapter uses examples to describe the framework's different perspectives: planner, owner, designer, builder, subcontractor, and functioning enterprise. Then, the book concludes with a defining a methodology for applying the Zachman framework to plan and implement your enterprise architecture strategy.
Table 1: Zachman Framework classification matrix
|
What
(Data)
|
How
(Function)
|
Where
(Network)
|
Who
(People)
|
When
(Time)
|
Why
(Motivation)
| Planner
(Scope) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Owner
(Business Model) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Designer
(System Model) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Builder
(Technology Model) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Subcontractor
(Detailed Representation) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Functioning Enterprise |
|
|
|
|
|
|
As you can see in Table 1, the framework matrix is composed of rows representing six organizational perspectives and six columns representing fundamental aspects of a project. Each cell expresses a specific aspect of the corresponding perpective. For example, the first cell in the planner row specifies what data the planner needs to do his or her job. As the book explains, collectively, the cells in each row address the specific set of concerns related to the corresponding perspective. In turn, addressing these concerns is necessary to meet the needs associated with the next row's perspective. For example, the owner must know everything the planner knows before he or she can construct a business model. Completing the framework in a methodical way ensures that project managers have thought through every aspect of a problem and considered it from every perspective.
A focus on concepts
What I like most about this book is the authors' teaching approach, which coincides with my best experiences as a university student. I had a mathematics teacher who insisted that, if you want to know how to use formulae and apply them efficiently in different contexts, you must understand the concepts behind them rather than simply memorize them. To help us to do that, he always introduced new theorems and formulae by explaining the context in which they were discovered: who discovered them, why and how they investigated the problem, and so forth. Even students who did not like mathematics never missed his classes, because they were captivated by his descriptions and anecdotes. Since then I have always liked a multi-disciplinary approach to learning, and I begin studying a new topic by learning concepts related to it.
This book's authors use a similar approach to explain the Zachman Framework and its application to enterprise architecture. They use examples from various domains, including science, history, business, and so on. As you learn about the concepts underlying the framework, you also discover how the Giza pyramids and Chartres Cathedral were built, how the Manhattan Project was organized, what Walt Disney's and Coca Cola's business strategies are, and much more. These multiple examples and viewpoints really help the reader understand the meaning of different cells in the framework and make the journey through it diverting. However, for readers who want to get through the book's 476 pages more quickly, the authors provide a "fastpath" that highlights important concepts and information and bypasses the diversions.
A rare instance of a weakness in the book is that the authors categorize IBM® Rational Unified Process,® or RUP,® as a heavyweight process. This reflects a common misconception about RUP, which is a truly agile process.1 Despite this, I think the book is really good and would be useful for both enterprise architects and other people engaged in an enterprise architecture effort. They will learn foundational information to support their effort and fully understand how the Zachman Framework can help them realize their objectives.
Notes
1 See "Agility with RUP" by Philippe Kruchten
About the author | | | After beginning his career as a system administrator, Celso Gonzalez spent several years as a consultant in domains that included configuration management, process engineering, and performance analysis. He now works as process manager for Accovia, Inc., a supplier of e-solutions for travel, helping them to successfully customize and implement IBM Rational Unified Process.® He holds degrees in mathematics, computer science, and philosophy. |
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