Making AI work starts with process – and with the ARIS community

The Dutch ARIS User Group meeting and ARIS Roadshow in Amsterdam brought process owners, ARIS practitioners, customers, partners and ARIS experts together for a full day of discussion, learning and community connection. 

For a great recap of the day itself, Sylvia Groenbos, President of the Dutch ARIS User Group, has shared her reflections here: Looking back at a great day in Amsterdam. Her post captures the energy of the morning User Group session and the afternoon Roadshow discussions on AI and agentic AI.  

Photo: Rabobank presentation at the ARIS User Group meeting in Amsterdam. Photo credit @Lana Ginns

But Amsterdam was not only a moment to look back on. It was also a signal of where the ARIS community is heading next. 

Process context becomes essential 

As organisations move from AI experimentation to operational execution, process owners and practitioners have a critical role to play. The ARIS Roadshow 2026 theme, Let’s Get AI Working, reflects a shift many businesses are experiencing now: AI has moved from possibility to priority. The challenge is no longer simply whether AI can do something useful, but whether organisations can make AI work safely, consistently and at scale. 

That is where process becomes essential. 

AI needs context. It needs to understand how work happens, where decisions are made, which rules apply, where risks exist, and how people, systems and data connect. For process professionals, this creates a major opportunity. The work you do to document, govern, improve and analyse processes is becoming a foundation for the next wave of transformation. 

Process owners, practitioners and local user groups matter now more than ever 

The takeaway from Amsterdam was clear: AI does not replace process work. It makes strong process foundations even more important. 

Photo: Rabobank presentation at the ARIS Roadshow Amsterdam. Photo credit @Ricardo Passchier

For process owners, this means helping organisations identify which processes are ready for automation or AI support, where stronger governance is needed, and how process knowledge can support better decisions. For ARIS practitioners, it means continuing to turn ARIS capabilities into business impact: Supporting adoption, maintaining quality, connecting business users with process knowledge, and helping teams make the most of new features. 

This is why user groups matter. 

Local ARIS User Groups create space for practical, peer-led conversations that are difficult to have anywhere else. They bring together people who understand the reality of process work: governance questions, modelling challenges, adoption barriers, release decisions, reporting needs, and the pressure to demonstrate business value. 

The conversation continues 

As process becomes more central to AI, transformation, risk and operational resilience, these conversations will only become more valuable. No organisation has all the answers. But by bringing process owners and practitioners together, user groups help everyone move faster, avoid common pitfalls and learn from real experience. 

The conversation continues beyond Amsterdam. The ARIS Roadshow continues in Frankfurt on 16 September 2026, focused on making AI operational and turning AI ambition into controlled execution: ARIS Roadshow Frankfurt 2026 - Let’s Get AI Working! 

For the Dutch ARIS community, the next AGNL theme session takes place on 24 September 2026 at UniePlaza, Culemborg, focusing on Risk, Control and Operational Resilience: AGNL Theme session: Risk, Control and Operational Resilience 

There will also be a Super User Group meeting in November, with more details coming soon. 

Join your local user group now. If you are not already involved in your local ARIS User Group, now is a great time to join the conversation. Attend an upcoming event, share your experience, ask questions, learn from peers, and bring ideas back to your organisation. 

Because making AI work does not start with technology alone. 

It starts with understanding how your business works and with a community of people committed to making it work better.