Hi Everyone,
Are there any options in ARIS to consider environmental concern (for example specific "environmental" attributes or elements)?
Basically, my goal is to specify for the functions I created if they have an environmental component. For example if they involve a release to water, a generation of waste, an high use of energy, emissions to air, ...
If there are no option available, could someone tell me how to create a new customized attribute?
Thanks a lot for your support,
Pietro
Hello Pietro,
I would recommend to model this as consumption of a resource, preferable as an object connected to the function, not as an attribute. Suitable object type can be "operating resource" (cf. Aris online help <yourserver>/abs/help/en/method/index.htm#HELPID_OT_OP_RES.html ) or "general resource".
Or on a more abstract level: the "Product/Service" object type (OT_PERF), in the sense of emissions as by-products of a value creating process. This can be visualized and broken down in model types like Product allocation diagram or Product/Service exchange diagram.
If you consider the Aris concept of functions as occurrence copies in several models, the occurrences' attribute would have the same value everywhere.
Regards, Martin
Hi Martin,
thank you for that valuable input. I agree with all your recommendations.
Your last remark about occurrences of functions in several models seems a bit strange to me. It's true the attributes would have the same value everywhere, if you used occurrence copies of the functions, but I would discourage to use occurrence copies of functions in the first place. (I'm not talking about process interfaces here, other story)
Rationale: The process is the place where all other resources meet at the functions. Hence you cannot reuse the function in 2 processes, because it would be 1 process then. On the definition level of the components of the process you would not be able to recognize the process any more and you would need the process model graphics to interpret the process model. Also from a governance perspective you may end up with two different owners of processes reusing the same functions. They would start fighting on who decides on the function description, while they should recognize that each of them is talking about his own function and they only have a collision of short names. Also they are in trouble, if one process is going to be released, while the other remains work in progress. On release of the second one the first one would be impacted.
If you want to maintain a functional architecture (or library) of functional assets, use "Capability" (OT_IS_FUNC) object as a resource at the function or maybe "Service type" (OT_FUNC_CLUSTER).
Regards, M. Zschuckelt
M. Zschuckelt on
Hi Pietro,
you can review all available attribute types in ARIS Architect in the "Administration" module under "Configuration" -> "Method" -> "Attribute types". There you also can create new attribute types. To use them you have to add your custom attribute types to a model type, connection type or object type that it shall describe. And finally you have to enable the new attribute types in the method filter you use (unless you use "Entire method"). Don't worry: Every ARIS user finds use cases for custom attributes.
Hint: The attribute value type "Value" allows for value lists like "yes, no, perhaps", which you can translate if you use the method in multiple languages. Do not choose "language dependent" for such attribute types, because you want a "yes" to be a "sí" at all times. "Language dependent" is for text attributes where the content needs to be translated.