Aris – Architecture of Integrated Information Systems

What does ARIS stand for?
The word ARIS is an abbreviation for the term "Architecture of Integrated Information Systems." ARIS is software that helps companies to better plan and improve their workflows and processes. It was developed in the 1990s by Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer and is particularly popular today because it is easy to use and can be integrated into many other software programs, such as SAP. 

With ARIS, companies can graphically represent their workflows. For example, you can show who performs which tasks, which steps are carried out in sequence, and which machines or computer programs are used in the process. This helps to ensure the quality of the processes. 

To simplify process modeling, ARIS considers each process from five different perspectives: 

• Organizational perspective: Who is involved in the process? 

• Functional view: What tasks or activities need to be completed? 

• Data view: What information and data are used? 

• Process overview: How do the individual steps in the process work? 
• Performance perspective: What is the result of the process? 

These perspectives are specified with the help of three levels of description: 

• Technical concept: Comprehensible descriptive models for technical personnel. 

• IT concept: Models that are closely oriented towards data processing. 

• Implementation level: The practical implementation of the process components. 

ARIS is also used to create important documents that companies need for certain certifications or to ensure that they comply with rules and laws. 

There are different versions of ARIS—some programs run on the Internet (in the "cloud"), while others can be used directly on your computer. Since 2009, there has also been a free version called ARIS Express, which offers an easy introduction to the program.