ARIS is an approach to enterprise modeling. It offers methods for analyzing processes and taking a holistic view of process design, management, work flow, and application processing.

The ARIS-approach not only provides a generic and well documented methodological framework but also a powerful business process modeling

Business process modeling

Business Process Modeling in systems engineering is the activity of representing processes of an enterprise, so that the current process may be analyzed and improved. BPM is typically performed by business analysts and managers who are seeking to improve process efficiency and quality...

 tool.

ARIS started as the academic research of Prof August-Wilhelm Scheer

August-Wilhelm Scheer

August-Wilhelm Scheer is a German Professor business administration and business information at the Saarland University, and founder and director of IDS Scheer AG, a major IT service and software company...

 in the 1990s. It has an industrial background, and has sold very well, and in this way widespread.

ARIS techniques

ARIS varies three main perspectives of techniques. ARIS uses a modeling language known as Event-driven Process Chains (EPC), which is an important aspect of the ARIS-model. EPC is the center of the House of ARIS and connects all other views, as well as describes the dynamics of the business process

Business process

A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...

.
It differs from swimlane because it is process oriented and swim lane

Swim lane

A swim lane is a visual element used in process flow diagrams, or flowcharts, that visually distinguishes responsibilities for sub-processes of a business process. Swim lanes may be arranged either horizontally or vertically...

 is function oriented.On the other hand, based on the conceptual description, ARIS can model and structure Business Process Models.

Furthermore, ARIS House has been developed to implement business models in information system

Information system

An information system - or application landscape - is any combination of information technology and people's activities that support operations, management, and decision making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people,...

.

Applications

As one of the Enterprise Modeling methods,"Architecture of Integrated Information Systems" ARIS provides four different aspects of applications:

• The ARIS concept is the architecture
  Architecture
  Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
  
   for describing business process
  Business process
  A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...
  
  es.
• The ARIS concept provides modelling methods, the meta structures of which are comprised in information models.
• The ARIS concept is the foundation for the ARIS Toolset software system for the support of modelling.
• The ARIS house of Business Engineering (HOBE) represents a concept for comprehensive computer-aided Business Process Management
  Business process management
  Business process management is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. BPM attempts to...
  
  .

Further reading

• Ulrich Frank (2002) "Multi-Perspective Enterprise Modeling (MEMO) Conceptual Framework and Modeling Languages" Universität Koblenz-Landau; Rheinau 1, D-56075 Koblenz, Germany
• Thomas R. Gulledge and Rainer A. Sommer (1999) "Process Coupling in Business Process Engineering" George Mason University, USA. Knowledge and Process Management Volume 6 Number 3 pp 158–165
• Henk Jonkers, Marc Lankhorst, et al. (2004) "Concepts for Modeling Enterprise Architectures" Telematica Instituut, the Netherlands; University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science, Leiden, the Netherlands; CWI, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• August-Wilhelm Scheer
  August-Wilhelm Scheer
  August-Wilhelm Scheer is a German Professor business administration and business information at the Saarland University, and founder and director of IDS Scheer AG, a major IT service and software company...
  
  , Markus Nüttgens "ARIS Architecture and Reference Models for Business Process Management" Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik, Universität des Saarlandes, Im Stadtwald Geb. 14.1, D-66123 Saarbrücken
• August-Wilhelm Scheer (1996) "ARIS-Toolset:Von Forschungs-Prototypen zum Produkt" Informatik-Spektrum 19: 71–78 (1996) © Springer-Verlag 1996

External links

• ARIS Software homepage at IDS Scheer
• ARIS Community official ARIS community by IDS Scheer
• From Event-driven modeling to Process monitoring. Presentation by Helge Hess, IDS Scheer, 2006.