IAF

The Integrated Architecture Framework (IAF) is Capgemini's own Enterprise Architecture framework.

The IAF can be seen to be a simplified version of the Zachman Framework.

This EA framework shows four Architecture Domains instead of Zachman's six interrogative columns:

  • Business Architecture (people and process) (including Organisational Architecture) - (combining Zachman's How and Who columns)
  • Information Architecture (including knowledge) - (Zachman's What column)
  • Information Systems (or Application Architecture) - (Zachman's when and how columns)
  • Technology Infrastructure (infrastructure Architecture) (Zachman's Where column)

In this EA Framework Zachman's Why column is not represented an Architecture Domain but visualised more pragmatically as a Layer of Abstraction.

For each of these Architecture Domains, this EA framework shows four Levels of Abstraction:

  • Why - Contextual - The strategies, motivation, scope, constraints, principles that apply to the business, information, application and infrastructure domains.
  • What - Conceptual - The vision of services (Business Services, Information Services, Application Services and Infrastructure Services)
  • How - Logical - The components and connections that provide the services (Organisation structure, Information Components, Application Components and Infrastructure Components)
  • With What - Physical - The physical implementation, deployment and hosting of all these Components.

The Why - Contextual layer is associated with strategic planners and 'c'-level executives.
The What - Conceptual layer is associated with a service oriented architecture reference model
The How - Logical layer is associated with a service development model/solution development model
The With What - Physical layer is associated with a service delivery model/Operational Model

In addition there are two extra parallel domains of Governance and Security, that presumably are also distinguished by the four levels of Abstraction.

SOA5_IAF.png

The models in each layer would typically be developed in a top down fashion, with traceability and dependencies between the layers.

The Why/Contextual layer will include the strategy and principles for each of the Business, Information Application and infrastructure domains.
The What/Conceptual layer will include concepts for each of the Business, Information Application and infrastructure domains, that result from the strategies and principles in the contextual layer.
The How/Logical layer will include the logical analysis view of services and components for each concept in the Business, Information Application and infrastructure domains
The With What/Physical layer will include the physical implementation and deployment view for each concept in the Business, Information Application and infrastructure domains.

These layers of abstraction reflect the typical phases in a solution development process such as RUP (Inception, Elaboration, Construction, Transition)

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