Dependent questions/sections

You can create dependencies between an answer option and additional questions/sections. In this case, interviewees must answer additional questions or edit additional sections depending on the/their given answers. You can only create additional questions for Single choice and Multiple choice question types. An answer option can simultaneously activate additional questions and sections. The dependencies are modeled in a Survey Management model. Make sure not to model cycles in dependencies.

Example

Question: How do you assess the performance of managers to ensure that processes are continuously improved and adjusted?

Answer option 1: Good (there are no additional questions to be answered)

Answer option 2: Moderate (there are no additional questions to be answered)

Answer option 3: Poor (activates the additional question: What could be improved?)

Object relationships in a Survey Management model

Object

Connection

Object

Notes

Answer option

activates

Question

An answer option can activate one or more questions.

Answer option

activates

Section

An answer option can activate one or more sections.

Dependency between an answer option and a question

Activation of dependent questions/sections

Answer option always activates the same questions/sections

An answer option is often used multiple times in a questionnaire template, especially if it belongs to an option set. If an answer, for example, Poor, must always activate the same question, for example, What could be improved?, the question must be connected to the option. The same applies to sections.

Example

s_answer

Answer option activates different questions/sections in the context of a specific question

An answer option, for example, Poor, can activate different questions depending on the context. To do so, the connection is valid in context of must be used to define in which context which dependent question must be activated. The same applies to sections.

Object

Connection

Object

Notes

Question

is valid in context of

Question

A question is only activated by an answer option in the context of a particular question.

Section

is valid in context of

Question

A section is only activated by an answer option in the context of a particular question.

Example

Answer option activates different questions in different contexts

Position of dependent questions/sections in ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager

Once the questionnaire template is modeled in an ARIS modeling environment, you can transfer it to ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager (Synchronize ARCM). There are two possibilities to define the position of the dependent question/section in the questionnaire template of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager.

Dependent question/section directly beneath the activating question

If the dependent question/section can be displayed below the activating question in the questionnaire template structure of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager, use the activates connection to connect the question/section to the answer option in an ARIS modeling environment.

Standard case

If the triggering answer option is connected to multiple questions in an ARIS modeling environment, the synchronization of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager generates the corresponding number of copies of the activated question/section. In the questionnaire template structure of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager, each copy of the activated question/section is displayed directly beneath the activating question. An answer option always triggers only the depending question/section that is displayed beneath the activating question.

Special cases

Multiple answer options trigger the same depending question

If multiple answer options of one question trigger the same depending question, the depending question is displayed only once beneath the question.

Multiple questions activate the same depending section

Multiple questions activate the same depending question

If multiple questions of one section activate the same depending question, the depending question is displayed only once within the section.

Dependent question/section at a defined position

If you want to specify the position of the dependent question/section in the questionnaire template structure of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager, you must model this explicitly in an ARIS modeling environment. To do so, use the activates connection to connect the question/section to the answer option. Additionally, use the contains connection to specify the position of the question/section in the section/the questionnaire template.

If the answer option (which activates the dependent question/section) is connected to multiple questions in an ARIS modeling environment, the synchronization with ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager only generates one question/section. In the questionnaire template structure of ARIS Risk & Compliance Manager, the dependent section/question is displayed at the same position as in the ARIS modeling environment model. Each answer option activates the same depending question/section. Example:

Section at a defined position in the structure