Individual objects or areas of consideration are modeled within the ARIS architecture (views and levels) based on the initial business situation, that is, the business management problem. The description mentions the weak points that information systems currently used do have in terms of the support they provide for existing business processes and also includes the main content of the target concept for the system to be developed. The target concept in turn reflects the objectives pursued by using new information systems.

Thus, the model used for describing the business management problem must have the ability of recording as many facts as possible from the data, function, and organization views, including their interrelationships. Moreover, the model must allow for the target concept to be specified to such an extent that this specification can serve as a starting point for the remaining steps of the modeling process. It is only at the stage of creating the requirements definition that the business problem is broken down into the views stipulated by the ARIS concept.

Due to the claim that the initial business management situation be described coherently and that the weak points of existing information systems be displayed concisely, the use of common modeling methods is restricted. Given their focus of representation, the common modeling methods are appropriate only when it comes to modeling individual views.

Using process chain diagrams (PCDs) is a good means of concisely describing the business problem and, at the same time, providing an overview of the information system under consideration (see Scheer, 'EDV-orientierte Betriebswirtschaftslehre' [EDP-oriented business management], 1990, p.39 et sqq.).