DoDAF 2.02 is composed of a set of deliverables, called viewpoints, which address different parts of an enterprise. These viewpoints are grouped into models. Models that focus on the same perspective are placed in the same viewpoint.

DoDAF 2.02 organizes architectures into eight different viewpoints.

Each viewpoint portrays certain architecture features. Some features span several viewpoints and provide integrity, coherence, and consistency to architecture descriptions.

All the DoDAF-described models do not have to be created. DoDAF V2.0 is "Fit-for-Purpose", based on the decision-maker needs.

The DoDAF functional administrator decides which views need to be managed by whom. For more information, see HOPEX DoDAF Functional Administration.

There are some overarching aspects of an architecture that relate to all the viewpoints.

These overarching aspects are captured in the All Viewpoint (AV) models. The AV models provide information pertinent to the entire architecture, but do not represent a distinct viewpoint of the architecture. AV models provide an overview of the architecture, setting the scope and context of the architecture. The scope includes the subject area and time-frame for the architecture.

The setting in which the architecture exists comprises the interrelated conditions that compose the context for the architecture. These conditions include:

The AV models also include such things as the rules, constraints, assumptions and derived vocabulary that pertains to the architecture. It captures the intent of the architecture to help ensure its continuity in the face of leadership, organizational, and other changes that can occur over a long development effort.

The Capability Viewpoint (CV) supports the process of analyzing and optimizing the delivery of capabilities in line with DoD's strategic intent. The CV achieves this by capturing essential elements of DoD's strategic vision and concepts and other capability planning processes, and decomposing this data into a capability taxonomy. The taxonomy is augmented with schedule data and measures of effectiveness to enable the analysis of capability gaps and overlaps. The CV also details the dependencies between capabilities, enabling capability options to be built in a more coherent manner.

The Data and Information Viewpoint (DIV) portrays the operational and business information requirements and rules of the architecture. It describes the information that is associated with the information exchanges in the architecture, such as attributes, characteristics, and interrelationships.

Several levels of abstraction are necessary to accurately communicate the information needs of organizations and enterprises. The appropriate levels of abstraction for a given architecture depend on the use and the intended users of the architecture.

DoDAF V2.0 incorporates three levels of abstraction that correlate to the different levels associated with most data models developed in support of the operations or business. These levels are:

The Operational Viewpoint (OV) is a description of activities, operational elements, and information exchanges required to accomplish DoD missions. DoD missions include both war-fighting missions and business processes. The OV contains graphical and textual content that comprise an identification of the operational nodes and elements, assigned activities, and information flows required between nodes. It defines the types of information exchanged, the frequency of exchange, which activities are supported by the information exchanges, and the nature of information exchanges.

The Project Viewpoint (PV) describe the relationships between capability requirements and the various programmes and projects being implemented. More precisely they describe how the programmes and projects deliver the capabilities, the organizations that contribute to them, and the dependencies between them.

The Services Viewpoint (SvcV) describes services and their interconnections that provide or support DoD functions. The viewpoint also supports the description of service taxonomies, service orchestrations, a mapping of services to operational activities and a description of service behavior.

The Service Models associate service resources to the operational and capability requirements. These resources support the operational activities and facilitate the exchange of information. The relationship between architectural data elements across the Services Viewpoint to the Operational Viewpoint and Capability Viewpoint can be exemplified as services are procured and fielded to support the operations and capabilities of organizations.

A service within the SvcV is understood in its broadest sense, to be a unit of work through which a provider provides a useful result to a consumer. Services are not limited to internal system functions and can include Human Computer Interface (HCI) and Graphical User Interface (GUI) functions or functions that consume or produce service data to or from service functions. The external service data providers and consumers can be used to represent the human that interacts with the service.

The Standards Viewpoint (StdV) is the minimal set of rules governing the arrangement, interaction, and interdependence of system parts or elements. Its purpose is to ensure that a system satisfies a specified set of operational requirements. The StdV provides the technical systems implementation guidelines upon which engineering specifications are based, common building blocks are established, and product lines are developed. The StdV includes a collection of the technical standards, implementation conventions, standards options, rules, and criteria organized into profile(s) that govern systems and system elements for a given architecture.

The Systems Viewpoint (SV) is a set of graphical and textual models that describes systems and system interconnections that provide for or support operational activities. The SV associates system resources to the OV. These system resources support the operational activities and facilitate the exchange of information among operational nodes.