Enterprise
ARIS
An architectural framework and platform for describing business processes, created by August-Wilhelm Scheer. It includes EPC as its key notation.
The ARIS concept
ARIS (Architecture of Integrated Information Systems) is not just a notation but an architectural framework that describes an enterprise through five integrated views:
- Organizational view — the company structure, roles and responsibilities
- Functional view — what is done, the hierarchy of functions
- Data view — the data and its structure
- Control view — the processes (via EPC) that tie everything else together
- Product/service view — the company’s products and services
These five views form the “ARIS House”, where the control view is the roof that binds the rest together.
The ARIS platform
Beyond the methodology, ARIS is a commercial platform from Software AG (formerly IDS Scheer):
- ARIS Designer — modeling
- ARIS Connect — publishing and navigating models
- ARIS Process Performance Manager — monitoring process execution
- ARIS Risk and Compliance Manager — risk and compliance management
By the late 1990s the platform had become the corporate standard at many large companies — especially among SAP customers.
Strengths
- A coherent, multi-perspective architecture
- A mature, capable commercial platform
- Deep integration with SAP
- A large library of templates and reference models
Limitations
- Lock-in to an expensive commercial platform
- A steep learning curve — mastery takes months
- Gradual displacement by BPMN tools in new projects