IstErhebung

IstErhebung is a German term used in statistics, research, and business to denote the collection of data describing the actual, current state of a system, process, organization, or population. It emphasizes what is present or observed in reality, rather than what is planned or desired.

In practice, an IstErhebung involves gathering measurements, observations, or records to establish a baseline or snapshot at a specific point in time. Data can be cross-sectional (collected at one moment) or longitudinal (collected over a period). Methods include surveys, measurements, documentation reviews, and system log analysis. Key quality aspects are validity, reliability, sampling adequacy, and data governance.

Ist-Erhebungen are often contrasted with Soll-Erhebungen, which document target values, requirements, or intended states. The comparison of Ist- and Soll-Erhebungen (Soll-Ist-Vergleich) supports performance assessment, gap analysis, and improvement initiatives. In organizational contexts, IstErhebung helps map current processes, resources, capacities, costs, and performance metrics before designing changes. In statistics and market research, it provides empirical data on attributes, behaviors, or conditions as they exist now.

Etymology and usage: Ist means “actual” or “current,” and Erhebung means “survey” or “data collection.” The term is widely used in German-language administrative, scientific, and business discourse, sometimes written with or without hyphens, depending on style guides. The concept is a foundational step in data-driven analysis and decision making.