Digital Integrated Management System (IMS) with ARIS and Business Flows

Shorten the Time for Digitizing Your Integrated Management System by 50%

Regardless of the size or sector of your company, the increasing challenge of implementing extensive regulatory requirements of various origins in ever-faster cycles and ensuring compliance is becoming an almost insurmountable task. The introduction of a digital Integrated Management System (IMS) achieves this through efficient coordination of organization, roles, and management processes based on a unified methodology and technological platform.

Integrated Management Systems (IMS) consolidate various management systems and processes, such as quality management, environmental management, and occupational health and safety management, into a single, unified framework. Well-designed IMS provide clear advantages within a company, including:

  • Improved Efficiency: Redundancy is avoided, and processes are streamlined, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.  

  • Enhanced Regulatory Compliance: Transparency is established over all relevant regulations and standards, reducing the risk of fines or other penalties.  

  • Increased Competitiveness: Transparent commitment to continuous improvement and sustainability helps differentiate from competitors.  

  • Enhanced Stakeholder Relationships: Transparency regarding engagement in responsible business practices supports building trust and relationships with stakeholders like customers, investors, and regulatory bodies. 

However, the implementation of an IMS can also present significant challenges for companies, including:  

  • Change Management: Integrating different management systems may require substantial and challenging changes to organizational structures, processes, and culture. This necessitates strong management support and a mature change management strategy.  

  • Resource Constraints: Implementing an IMS can tie up significant resources, including time, money, and expertise. Companies may need to carefully prioritize and allocate their resources.  

  • System Integration: Integrating different management systems may require integrating various IT systems and processes, which can be a challenge and may require specialized expertise.  

  • Communication and Training: Ensuring that all employees are aware of and understand the requirements and associated changes related to an IMS can be a considerable challenge. This might involve extensive communication and training efforts. 

To overcome these challenges and ensure the success of an IMS initiative, we have partnered with Software AG to create a package for digitizing your IMS. The key components are:

Technical IMS Platform

ARIS, a cloud-based comprehensive platform, offers all necessary IMS functions in one system:

  • Business Process Management  

  • Requirements and Risk Management 

  • Document Management  

  • Deviation Management  

  • Confirmation Management 

Business Flows Reference processes

At the core of an integrated management system is the mapping/documentation of all core processes of the company. Business Flows serves as a template for process architecture, offering a comprehensive collection of reference processes (approximately 500) that significantly accelerate the mapping of your business processes. The process architecture enables a consistent depiction of all end-to-end business processes based on a functional process library (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Functional Process Map and the Process Groups contained therein

Integrated Management system processes

The heart of the IMS consists of the management processes to be implemented in your organization:

Figure 2: Integrated Management System

These processes are already defined as templates in our system and will be adjusted according to your organization. The necessary roles are linked to an organizational chart depicted in the system. This results in a fully coherent digital "Company Manual." The processes consider the special functions of the ARIS system and are geared towards a "paperless," digital approach.

 

Manage-to-Quality Business scenarios

To truly fulfill the "integrated" claim of an IMS, it is essential for the functional areas and their processes to work closely together as a whole. This is ensured through the design of "Manage-to-Quality" business scenarios. These are organized into the scenario clusters

  • Quality Management scenarios

  • Improvement scenarios

  • Strategic Management scenarios

  • Process Management scenarios

  • Document Management scenarios

  • Risk Management scenarios

  • Audit Management scenarios

  • Test Equipment scenarios

  • Control and Continous improvement scenarios

Figure 3 shows the Improvement Scenarios.  

Each business scenario describes a specific use case and how the processes interconnect as a value chain. Our Business Flows reference model depicts the following scenarios for improvement:  

Each business scenario comprises a description and a value chain, which in turn references a process from the library. 

 

Figure 3: Szenario Manage-to-Quality

Each business scenario comprises a description and a value chain, which in turn references a process from the library:

Figure 4: Manage-to-Quality

Standard Libraries as Object Libraries

Integrated management systems unify various management system focuses, such as quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001), energy (ISO 50001), and other certifiable management systems (ISO 27001, ISO 45001, GDPR), into a central overarching system. When considering the overlaps of these systems, they can be leveraged to connect different thematic focuses.  

Business Flows offers a unique process- and model-driven approach that combines the use of end-to-end business processes (scenarios) and operating models as the main blueprint for an organization's transformation.

Companies that use Business Flows for their transformation gain a comprehensive toolkit (Business Transformation Cookbook) to support their strategy, process design, and way of working.

 
 

Figure 6: ISO 9001 Qualitymanagement

Approach model and Implementation Methodology

Our approach model for introducing an IMS is based on a process-oriented approach, aligned with the 4 phases of discovery, preparation, implementation, and application (see Figure 7). The implementation methodology ensures that normative requirements are pragmatically embedded and implemented in business processes. The result is an efficient management system in which processes and regulations integrate all the requirements of the included standards coherently and without redundancies, thus combining performance and compliance in day-to-day operations. 

Figure 7: IMS Roadmap

True to our motto "We care, we act, we deliver!" we are here to support you as a professional partner.  

We care and provide personalized advice for the introduction or optimization of an integrated management system.  

We act and actively support you in the transformation and optimization of your business processes.  

We deliver Business Flows with Cookbook, Process Repository, Templates, Tools, and more.

Discover how an IMS can optimize your company. Utilize our years of experience and expertise for your business transformation and schedule a free appointment today. We are also happy to welcome you in person at our facilities in Offenbach.

Get in touch with us.