What is an Enterprise Architecture Framework? Before defining that, have a look at the post on Enterprise Architecture. Wikipedia defines an Enterprise Archtecture Framework in this way: “An enterprise architecture framework (EA framework) defines how to create and use an enterprise architecture. An architecture framework provides principles and practices for creating and using the architecture description of a system. It structures architects’ thinking by dividing the architecture description into domains, layers, or views, and offers models – typically matrices and diagrams – for documenting each view. This allows for making systemic design decisions on all the components of the system and making long-term decisions around new design requirements, sustainability, and support.”

Architecture Domains

It has been normal to divide enterprises architecture into four architecture domains. Business processes and activities use Data that must be collected, organized, safeguarded and distributed using Applications that are custom-made or off-the-shelf products that run on Technology such as computer systems and telephone systems.

• Business architecture
• Data architecture
• Applications architecture
• Technology architecture

Layers

Each layer contains components that execute processes and offer services to the layer above. Each layer delegates work to the layer below. With this in mind, we can add another layer above the Business layer. When we are analyzing an organization, we also need to look at the Environment of the organization. We have another post called Business Plans that discusses the SWOT and STEEPLE models for studying an organization’s environment.

There are dozens of EA frameworks.

An example of a framework is the Zachman Framework (like to Wikipedia). John Zachman uses why, how, what, who, where and when across the top of his matrix, and contextual, conceptual, logical, physical, and detailed down the left side. The columns have no order.

One example of an enterprise architecture framework is the Government of Canada Enterprise Architecture Framework.