Zachman Analysis

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Analyze architecture from a specific stakeholder perspective

• Ensure complete coverage across different viewpoints

• Check which architectural aspects are documented

• Understand what questions each perspective asks

Keywords: zachman, viewpoint, perspective, interrogative, what, how, where, who, when, why, planner, owner, designer, builder

Zachman Framework 3.0 Overview

The Zachman Framework is a 6x6 ontology for classifying enterprise architecture artifacts. It's a classification schema (taxonomy), not a methodology.

Key insight: TOGAF tells you how to create architecture. Zachman tells you how to organize what you create.

The Matrix

Columns (Interrogatives)

Each column answers a fundamental question:

Column Interrogative Focus Artifacts

1 What (Data) Things of interest Data models, entity lists

2 How (Function) Processes and transformations Process flows, use cases

3 Where (Network) Locations and distribution Network diagrams, site maps

4 Who (People) Roles and responsibilities Org charts, RACI matrices

5 When (Time) Events and schedules Timelines, event models

6 Why (Motivation) Goals and constraints Business drivers, rules

Rows (Perspectives)

Each row represents a stakeholder level with increasing detail:

Row Perspective Audience Level

1 Planner/Executive Board, C-suite Scope/Context

2 Owner/Business Business managers Business model

3 Designer/Architect Solution architects Logical design

4 Builder/Engineer Developers, engineers Physical design

5 Subcontractor/Technician Implementers Detailed specs

6 User/Operations End users, operators Running system

Critical Limitation: Code Extraction Capabilities

IMPORTANT: Not all Zachman perspectives can be extracted from code analysis.

Row Perspective Code Extraction Notes

1 Planner Cannot extract Requires strategic context, executive input

2 Owner Cannot extract Requires business documentation, stakeholder interviews

3 Designer Partial Can infer structure; design rationale missing

4 Builder Strong Technologies, specs visible in code

5 Subcontractor Strong Configurations, implementations in code

6 User Limited Requires runtime data, deployment configs

What This Means

• Rows 4-5: This plugin can analyze code and extract useful information

• Rows 1-3: This plugin can guide structured interviews and documentation review, but cannot generate content from code alone

• Row 6: Requires access to running systems and operational data

Using the Matrix

For Coverage Checking

Use the matrix as a checklist to ensure documentation completeness:

     What  How   Where  Who   When  Why

Planner [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Owner [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Designer [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Builder [x] [x] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] Subcontr [x] [x] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] User [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

For Specific Analysis

To analyze a specific cell:

• Identify the row (stakeholder perspective)

• Identify the column (interrogative)

• Determine if code extraction is possible

• If rows 1-3: Guide human input gathering

• If rows 4-6: Analyze codebase for relevant information

Cell Examples

Row 4 (Builder) Examples

Column Question Code Analysis Can Find

What What data structures? Models, schemas, types

How How is it built? Algorithms, patterns

Where Where does it run? Deployment configs

Who Who maintains it? Git history, CODEOWNERS

When When does it execute? Schedulers, triggers

Why Why this approach? ADRs, comments

Row 1 (Planner) Examples - Require Human Input

Column Question Requires

What What are business entities? Business glossary

How What are core processes? Process documentation

Where Where do we operate? Business geography

Who What is the org structure? Org chart

When What are business cycles? Business calendar

Why What are strategic goals? Strategy documents

Wizard Mode

If you're unsure which row/column to use:

Step 1: Who's the audience?

• Executives → Row 1 (Planner)

• Business managers → Row 2 (Owner)

• Architects → Row 3 (Designer)

• Developers → Row 4 (Builder)

• Implementers → Row 5 (Subcontractor)

• Operations → Row 6 (User)

Step 2: What question?

• About data/things → Column 1 (What)

• About processes → Column 2 (How)

• About locations → Column 3 (Where)

• About people/roles → Column 4 (Who)

• About timing/events → Column 5 (When)

• About goals/rules → Column 6 (Why)

Practical Application

Minimum Viable Coverage

For most projects, ensure at least:

• Row 3, Column 1-2 (Designer: What & How) - Architecture diagrams

• Row 4, Column 1-2 (Builder: What & How) - Technical specs

• Row 4, Column 6 (Builder: Why) - ADRs

Comprehensive Coverage

For enterprise-scale work:

• All cells for rows 3-5

• Key cells for rows 1-2 (with stakeholder input)

Memory References

For detailed limitations, see references/zachman-limitations.md . For the complete matrix, see references/zachman-overview.md .

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-05): Initial release

• Zachman Framework 3.0 matrix documentation

• Critical limitation: code extraction capabilities by row

• Wizard mode for row/column selection

• Practical application and minimum viable coverage

Last Updated

Date: 2025-12-05 Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101