ZORBA — Zontally Reference Business Architecture¶
The open reference architecture for the agentic enterprise.
ZORBA defines how organisations operate when humans and AI agents work as one — from corporate structure to individual units of work, with agents as first-class workforce participants at every level.
Zorba — from Greek, meaning "to live each day with passion."
What's Inside¶
Framework Documents¶
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Manifesto | Why enterprise architecture must be redesigned for the agentic era |
| Architecture | The structural hierarchy: OU → Domain → Capability → Process → |
| Workforce Model | How humans and AI agents collaborate — agent types, trust levels, autonomy |
| Domain Reference | 12 enterprise domains with Value Chain / Management Function classification |
| Agentic Patterns | Reusable patterns for agent participation in enterprise operations |
| Governance | Trust framework for governing a blended human-agent workforce |
| Information Model | Framework-agnostic meta-model — object types, relationships, composition rules |
| Industry Editions | Vertical-specific configurations: Technology Service Providers, Healthcare, etc. |
| <<<<<<< HEAD | |
| Glossary | Key terms — traditional enterprise architecture + agentic vocabulary |
| ======= | |
| Evolution Mapping | Wardley-style evolution tracking for capability and workforce-composition decisions |
| Industry Taxonomy | Machine-readable industry, sub-industry, business model, and operational-signal classification |
| Usage Guide | How to use ZORBA — platform embeds, practitioner forks, YAML → JSON → docs |
| Contributing | How to report issues, propose changes, and extend Industry Editions |
| Glossary | Key terms — traditional enterprise architecture + agentic vocabulary |
| >>>>>>> main |
Domain Taxonomy¶
Detailed capability and process definitions for all 12 domains, with ~550 processes each carrying a unique 6-digit ID and agentic profile:
| # | Domain | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strategy & Governance | Management Function |
| 2 | Product & Innovation | Value Chain |
| 3 | Marketing | Value Chain |
| 4 | Sales | Value Chain |
| 5 | Customer Success & Service | Value Chain |
| 6 | Operations & Delivery | Value Chain |
| 7 | Supply Chain | Value Chain |
| 8 | Finance | Management Function |
| 9 | People & Talent | Management Function |
| 10 | Technology & Data | Management Function |
| 11 | Risk, Legal & Compliance | Management Function |
| 12 | Corporate Services | Management Function |
Key Concepts¶
- Organisational Unit is the root of the architecture — recursive, flexible, models any corporate structure
- Strategy is a cross-cutting overlay, not the top of the hierarchy — it connects to structural layers at any level
- Workforce composition (human vs. agent) is an explicit architectural decision at every layer
- Framework-agnostic information model — supports ZORBA, APQC/PCF, or custom taxonomies
- Industry Editions tailor the framework for specific verticals
- Machine-readable by design — agents can traverse the architecture at runtime
Published By¶
ZORBA is published by Zontally as an open reference architecture.
While ZORBA can be adopted independently, it also serves as the foundational model within the Zontally strategy-to-execution platform.
Licence¶
ZORBA is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. You are free to use, share, and adapt it — including commercially — with attribution to Zontally. Derivative works must be shared under the same licence.
Version¶
See CHANGELOG.md for release history.