iARIS – Supporting Enterprise Transformation Using An Iterative ISD Method

Steinhorst Matthias

Abstract

Enterprise architecture frameworks can be used to guide the development process of an information system (IS). While these frameworks cover a comprehensive approach to IS development, most of them essentially proclaim a linear, stepwise development process. In the field of computer science, such linear, waterfall-based approaches have been replaced by so-called agile methods proclaiming an iterative development process. As these approaches are naturally only concerned with software engineering, they do not consider the business processes the software is supposed to support or the organizational structures the software is supposed to be employed in. The purpose of this paper is to propose an iterative information systems development method called iARIS. It combines the "best of both worlds" in joining the comprehensive approach to IS development of common EA frameworks with the iterative software engineering paradigm. The paper contributes to the research on enterprise transformation in proposing a method tailored to support IS development in a rapidly changing environment. The paper furthermore reports on an on-going IS development project providing insights into how iARIS can be applied. The paper thus contributes to the research on enterprise transformation in suggesting how an IS development method can be used in practice.