ARIS has been recognized as a Leader in process intelligence software, receiving the highest score in the “Current Offering” category

“Software AG pioneered and still leads with process intelligence,” is the Forrester report’s conclusion on our offering. I think this is an excellent testament of our 20+ year journey in the process intelligence market (see Figure 1), which we pioneered in early 2000 when terms like “process mining” were only known in academia.

Figure 1 ARIS pioneered the commercial Process Intelligence market 

In their report, Forrester evaluated 14 vendors against 28 criteria, which they grouped into three categories: “Current Offering,” “Strategy,” and “Market Presence.” 

We were recognized as a Leader with  

• the highest possible scores in 21 of the 28 criteria,  
• the highest score in the category “Current Offering” among all 14 evaluated vendors.

What do I think sets our offering as a Leader in the Wave?

In the Forrester report, the analyst firm defines the category as “Software products that provide analytics about an organization’s processes that are operated by humans as well as implemented in IT systems. Process analytics is mainly (but not wholly) based on task and process mining capabilities. Process intelligence software helps users decide how to improve process performance.“  

Not only is it important to combine process mining and task mining to merge data from front-end systems (i.e., task mining) with data from transactional back-end systems (i.e., process mining), “…process intelligence software customers should look for vendors that… “[s]upport process transformation beyond preparation for automation” as the Forrester Wave, authored by analyst Bernhard Schaffrik, states.  

In my opinion, many of the vendors analyzed use the insights gained through process mining exclusively for automation purposes, neglecting the enormous potential they offer as an opportunity for process transformation and redesign. That’s why I believe the report by Bernhard Schaffrik emphasizes, “Customers should look for vendors that provide a wide variety of process analysis functionalities, such as simulation, that enable process improvement beyond just automating manual tasks.“ 

I consider Forrester giving us the highest rating in the “Current Offering“ category confirmation that Software AG is best suited to support the digital transformation of enterprises by offering ARIS, an integrated suite that fully supports the entire transformation lifecycle and enables organizations to gain an end-to-end view of their business processes, driving greater operational visibility and efficiency across their organizations. 

According to the Forrester report, “Software AG provides integrated tools for process improvement roundtrips, moving from process discovery through mining to insights, process improvement detection, realization, improvement monitoring, and back to discovery.” 

Unlike vendors that focus only on process mining, we offer ARIS as an all-in-one suite (see Figure 2) that provides superior capabilities to  

1. generate data-driven insights from process mining,  

2. plan, manage and support the process change lifecycle, including simulation capabilities,  

3. implement operational and transformational actions, and  

4. ensure and verify transformation results.

Figure 2 ARIS supports you from Insights generation to achieving sustainable Transformation results 

Our independence from ERP or automation vendors prevents lock-in effects and enables equal support for all business applications and data sources.

The Forrester report notes that our software embeds proven process improvement content into its technologies, enabling both novices and business process experts to identify areas of improvement. A seamless experience for both business subject matter experts (SMEs) and developers speeds adoption and scaling; reference customers confirmed this.” 

By the report stating, “Software AG’s platform is the right choice for clients that put processes front and center in their digital transformation journey…”, I believe this underpins our decades of experience in process mining and business process management. ARIS was the first commercial process mining tool over 20 years ago, which has given us the experience to develop software that meets our customers’ needs. Our proximity to customers is ensured not only by Software AG employees, but also by our extensive, dense, and long-standing network of partners who support customers all over the world.

What are some of Forrester’s criteria for rating the process intelligence software vendors?

In my opinion, realizing the full potential of process intelligence requires a broad range of capabilities that organizations should keep in mind when selecting process intelligence software (some of Forrester’s evaluation criteria with selected subcriteria and my take on each): 

1. Setup and Preparation. Any process intelligence journey begins with an appropriate “setup and preparation” phase that defines the “scope” of the project or initiative and undertakes the technical “configuration” of process and task mining that leads to “data collection and curation” based on which appropriate “process metrics” can be defined. In general, not only the breadth and depth of this phase is important, but especially the “time to value” marks an important aspect. 

2. Process improvement. Based on the calculated process metrics and the performed process discovery, which reconstructs the actual process execution flow based on the extracted data traces, “analytics” capabilities help analysts with “improvement detection“, such as reducing long waiting times or eliminating loops and wasteful activities, and “process comparisons“, for example, to identify problems in complying with defined process standards and general business rules. 

3. Process standardization. As a result of the resulting insights, an improved process standard can be defined, which also serves as a basis for tracking human and system-related deviations in the later execution phase that often lead to process friction. 

4. Process simulation. Before a new process standard is finally approved and implemented, simulations can inform decision makers with what-if scenarios of how the changed process design will impact business performance. This enables better data-driven decision making, rather than relying solely on gut feelings.  

5. Prepare for automation. Once the modified process has been approved for implementation, it should be used as an automation design in an RPA application, a workflow description in a DPA solution, or an implementation design in an ALM solution. This will ensure a smooth process orchestration between all stakeholders involved, involving IT applications and people alike! 

6. Process documentation. Not only must the new way of working be considered in change requests for IT system implementations, but its “documentation” must also serve as the basis for user training, compliance determination, and further improvement ideations. To best express the reality in which organizations operate, a wide range of “modeling” notations and capabilities is required. 

Only with this broad range of process intelligence capabilities you can ensure that the insights gained from the data lead to sustainable improvements and changes in the way applications and people work. In addition, a strong user experience is a necessity to accelerate the adoption and scaling of process intelligence initiatives in enterprises.

How does ARIS leverage our integrated set of capabilities for achieving transformational success?

I believe that all of the above capabilities are well covered by ARIS, since we were assessed by Forrester, and received the highest score in the “Current Offering” category. 

Unveiling Insights with Process Discovery and Task Mining: ARIS offers powerful Process Discovery and Task Mining capabilities that provide invaluable insights into your organization’s business reality. By leveraging Software AG’s integration stack, ARIS seamlessly connects with over 550 application systems, ensuring comprehensive coverage and access to crucial data. 

Defining Your New Way of Working: With the process design and standardization capabilities of ARIS, you have the freedom to define your organization’s new way of working. Whether you prefer specific modeling notations or seek flexibility in your approach, ARIS empowers you to shape your processes to align with your unique requirements. In-tool governance and process simulations further enhance your control, enabling process owners to stay in control of transformational changes. 

Converting Plans into Actions with the ARIS Portal: ARIS allows you to seamlessly convert your transformation plans into corresponding actions. The ARIS Portal becomes the single source of truth for your entire operating model by rolling out relevant changes to respective process stakeholders. Through this portal, stakeholders gain visibility into the changes impacting them, ensuring transparency, and facilitating smoother transitions. Leverage ARIS to integrate business blueprints for IT implementations, including automation through ARIS RPA, application integration via Software AG’s iPaaS platform, and guidance for ERP implementation programs using ARIS for SAP® Solutions. 

Verification and Compliance for Transformational Success: To ensure the success of your transformation, ARIS provides comprehensive Confirmation Management capabilities. This enables you to track the change process that your impacted employees undergo, ensuring everyone stays on track. Additionally, ARIS offers a comprehensive compliance framework that automatically verifies process compliance, leveraging new business rules and triggering alerts through our Risk & Compliance capability. With ARIS, you can rest assured that your transformation remains secure and aligned with best practices. 

Convince yourself today, take a deeper look at The Forrester Wave™: Process Intelligence Software, Q3 2023 report and test our free Basic Edition.