ZORBA is an open business architecture framework that defines how organisations operate when humans and AI agents work as one. From strategy to execution, across every domain, for any industry.
Published by Zontally — Strategy to Execution for the Agentic Era
The Problem
The frameworks we've relied on for decades — APQC, TOGAF, COBIT — were designed for organisations staffed entirely by humans. They describe processes, capabilities, and governance as if every participant is a person.
That world is over.
AI agents are now part of the workforce. They execute processes, make decisions within defined boundaries, monitor performance, and collaborate with human colleagues. Yet no reference architecture accounts for this reality. Organisations are building blended workforces on frameworks that don't acknowledge half the workforce exists.
Agents deployed without architectural context — no shared understanding of where they fit, what they own, or how they connect to strategy.
No trust framework, no authority boundaries, no escalation protocols. Agents operating without the governance that human workers take for granted.
Executives, architects, and engineers have no shared vocabulary for describing how humans and AI agents work together across the enterprise.
The most significant operating model shift in a generation — built on frameworks that were never designed for it.
The Framework
ZORBA — the Zontally Reference Business Architecture — is an open framework that defines how enterprises structure themselves from corporate entity to individual unit of work, with AI agents as first-class participants at every level.
The name Zorba comes from Greek, meaning "to live each day with passion." Enterprise architecture should be designed with energy and purpose — not filed away and forgotten.
A six-layer model — Organisational Unit → Domain → Capability → Process → Activity → Work — that describes how any enterprise operates. Flexible enough for a 50-person company or a multinational conglomerate with dozens of business units.
Strategy and objectives exist as a cross-cutting overlay, connecting to the structural hierarchy at any level. Trace any piece of work back to the strategic intent that initiated it — through both structural and strategic paths.
Every layer defines what humans do, what agents do, how they collaborate, and what governance applies. Workforce composition — the balance of human and agent participation — is an explicit architectural decision, not an afterthought.
Why ZORBA
ZORBA doesn't treat AI as a technology layer or an automation add-on. Agents are workforce participants with defined roles, autonomy levels, trust profiles, and governance requirements — woven into every layer of the architecture.
Organisational Units nest recursively — holding companies, subsidiaries, business units, brands, divisions, regions. Each unit can adopt a different industry edition. No forced symmetry. No artificial constraints.
Twelve reference domains classified as either Value Chain (industry-specific, differentiating) or Management Functions (industry-agnostic, enabling). Customise your value chain heavily. Adopt management functions closer to the reference.
ZORBA Core is universal. Industry Editions pre-configure the framework for specific verticals — technology service providers, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and more. Same underlying model, tailored for your reality.
The architecture isn't a PDF for a shelf. It's a queryable information model that agents use at runtime to understand their context, authority, and boundaries. Architecture becomes the operating system of the enterprise.
Already using APQC? ITIL? A custom taxonomy? ZORBA's information model supports any classification scheme. Adopt ZORBA's 12 domains, map your existing framework, or run them side by side.
Who It's For
Understand how your organisation actually operates. Make deliberate decisions about where humans lead and where agents deliver. Govern a blended workforce with confidence.
A modern reference architecture that reflects how organisations work today — not twenty years ago. Interoperable with TOGAF, APQC, and existing EA frameworks.
The business architecture that your agent platforms need. Machine-readable, traversable, and designed for agents to query their own context and authority at runtime.
A structured model for understanding workforce composition, identifying automation opportunities, and designing processes where humans and agents collaborate effectively.
A governance framework for the blended workforce — agent accountability, decision authority, escalation protocols, and audit trails built into the architecture itself.
Yes, seriously. ZORBA is designed to be interpreted by agents — giving them the architectural context they need to understand what they're doing, why, and within what boundaries.
Open Standard
ZORBA is published by Zontally as an open reference architecture. The challenge of the agentic enterprise is too important and too cross-cutting to be solved by any single vendor.
For architects, leaders, and teams who want to understand and adopt ZORBA independently. The full framework is open and free to use.
Access the documentationFor organisations ready to implement ZORBA on a platform purpose-built for strategy-to-execution in the agentic era. Machine-readable business object graph, agent governance, and strategic traceability out of the box.
Explore the platformThe question is whether it's rewritten deliberately — or by accident.
Read the ZORBA FrameworkZORBA is published by Zontally. © 2026 Zontally. All rights reserved.