Zachman Certified - Tool

The Zachman Certified™ - Tool designation is virtually identical to the Zachman Certified™ - Methodology designation because in essence, a Tool is the automation of some methodology, whether it is in storing artifacts or facilitating the creation of artifacts. The Zachman Certified™ - Tool designation is based upon a mapping of the meta model of the Tool to the metamodel of The Zachman Framework™, essentially answering the following questions:

• Does the Tool facilitate the production of and retrieval of primitive models that conform to The Zachman Framework™ which are used in the Tool’s composite implementations?
• Which primitive models (Cells) does the Tool produce and/or store?
• Which horizontal integrations are supported in the creation of the implementation composites?
• Which vertical transformations are supported in the realization of the business alignment and the instances?
• Does the Tool enforce the implicit understanding of diagonal composites from horizontally and vertically integrated primitives?
• Certification fees are assessed per cell.

There are two parts to this certification. In the first part, the requester identifies which cells are to be considered for certification. The cells considered are evaluated and objectively given a numerical rating (Coverage Index) based on the primitive models and the components in relation to the entire Framework set. If a cell wins the designation as "Zachman Certified™ it will be so marked. If only some portion of the cell is formalized, the cell may be considered "authorized" and a portion of the certification fees assessed proportionately.

Zachman International is responsible for the second part. Additionally, as part of the certification process and fees, we will then perform an analysis on the capacity and robustness of the integrations across each row and transformations down each column for each "certified" cell. An objective, numerical rating will be assigned based upon the percentage of the total possible integrations and transformations (Capacity Index) and their degree of association (Robustness Index) which will be reported and posted on the Zachman.com site.

However, despite the fact that there are numerical ratings, the important thing about this certification is that it confirms that Enterprise Engineering work is being addressed by the Tool as opposed to merely Systems Building work. In part 1, the evaluation of the quality and appropriateness of the Tool is based upon the Enterprise Engineering design objectives... which Primitives does the Enterprise need to get under control and from which "architected" Primitives must the Enterprise’s implementations and realizations be composed.

If a Tool is, in fact, Zachman Certified™, it, by definition, could be enhanced to support important Enterprise-critical applications including impact analysis, configuration management and versioning. Furthermore, these applications could conceivably be employed to support simulations of changes to any Cell that is formalized and stored and determine the impacts on any other Cell that was integrated or transformed from the changed Cell, including the Row 6 Instantiated Cells. This would be a very powerful capability for General Management in responding to or initiating changes in the Enterprise’s environment.

To submit your tool for review, please contact our Standards Department.