As companies grow in size, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to handle their operations. Their workflows become complex, making manually managing them a challenging task. In this regard, to optimize their operations, using business process management software can be a viable solution. Such software streamlines and automates repetitive tasks, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall efficiency.
Additionally, it provides valuable insights through data analytics, helping in strategic decision-making. I will take you through the in-depth guide of process management software, its type, pros and cons.
What is Process Management?
Business process management (BPM) is a procedure that helps companies streamline their overall workflow and operations. It is implemented by businesses via various process management software, which facilitates end-to-end automation of business processes.
Organizations of any size can utilize this software in order to streamline their operations. It helps them design, edit, and scrutinize predictable business processes and create a reusable workflow template that they use for repetitive operations. This software is also applicable for one-time projects that do not match their existing workflow.
Additionally, such applications can be very useful for industries with heavy regulations like healthcare and finance. It can help them optimize operations so that they can adhere to regulatory compliances. ITSM certification programs will help you develop world-class IT service management skills and launch your career as an ITSM leader.
Types of Process Management
Now, business process management can be of 5 types. They are defined below:
1. Strategic Process Management
Strategic process management involves setting the long-term goals of an organization, aligning resources, and developing long-term strategies to meet them. It is a continuous procedure that a business adopts in order to get a competitive edge over its rival companies and establish its dominance in the market.
2. Tactical Process Management
Tactical process management takes into account all day-to-day operations of an organization. It involves selecting the most appropriate ways of achieving a strategic objective depending on the situation.
3. Operational Process Management
Operational process management refers to methodologies that help execute a company’s strategies on the operational level. This entails altering, managing, and implementing business practices in order to maximize profits and boost productivity.
4. Continuous Process Improvement
As the name suggests, continuous process improvement is the sustained enhancement and fine-tuning of operations over a specific time period. It includes performance analysis, locating bottlenecks, and executing solutions to optimize workflows.
5. Change Management
Change management is a procedure used by companies to bring about changes in their internal and external processes. This involves communication with employees, providing training, and addressing any hurdles in the transition process.
Using the right process management software, businesses can implement all these above-mentioned tactics in a systematic and streamlined manner. However, to ensure that employees can make just use of such platforms, going for the best ITIL course will help you gain optimal value from IT and digital services.
Top Process Management Software
Check out the top process management software and their details below:
When it comes to speed and usability, beSlick’s simple and easy-to-use interface has no match.
- Features
- Powerful, intuitive, and visually appealing.
- Users can build flowcharts using a drag-and-drop flowchart builder.
- They can also create loops, variables, decisions, dependencies and forms.
- Cost
For 30 users, beSlick Pro will cost just $4,200 or £3,360 yearly, making it the ideal process management software for small businesses.
- Pros
- User-centric design makes it a suitable platform for beginners.
- Forms builder and task management capabilities integrated into the platform.
- Highly customizable process workflow builder with multiple configuration options.
- Cons
As of now, this application does not have a public API. However, it is on the company’s roadmap.
For organizations using other Zoho products, Zoho Creator can be an excellent choice. It is a low-code application platform which businesses can use to develop apps for their internal processes.
- Features
- Companies can develop customized apps for desktops, mobile, internal online portals, integrated process flows and more.
- Can be deployed both on-cloud and on-premise.
- Usable as a progressive web app (PWA), mobile device management (MDM) app or an intranet portal web app.
- Cost
Zoho Creator Professional costs around $7,200 or £5,760/annum for 30 users.
- Pros
- Highly customizable and scalable.
- Facilitates visual modeling and process blueprinting.
- Extensive third-party integration support.
- High data security and privacy.
- Syncs well with other Zoho apps.
- Cons
- Organizations need proper technical staff to effectively manage the platform.
- Substantial configuration is necessary before applications can go live.
- This platform is more suitable for building apps rather than business process development.
- Can be expensive in the long run.
Kissflow is another low-code app development platform that allows businesses to design both simple and complex process flows.
- Features
- Businesses can build customized applications.
- Offers a drag-and-drop workflow builder, analytics, and full reports, along with advanced user controls.
- Users can create process workflows for both repetitive and one-time projects.
- Cost
Kissflow Small Business usage cost for 30 users will be around $9,000 per year.
- Pros
- It supports Office 365, Google Apps, Android Mobile Apps, and native iOS.
- Enables submission of public forms without login.
- It has an automatic escalation management system.
- Cons
- The user interface can be a bit complex.
- Technical dev resources are required to implement solutions.
- Comparatively expensive to other similar tools.
monday.com is one of the most popular process management software in the market. It is customizable, robust and enables businesses of all sizes to simplify, streamline and track their workflows.
- Features
- 200+ pre-made customizable templates.
- Real-time notifications for effective communication between team members.
- Over 72 available integrations reducing the need to switch between different platforms.
- Cost
For 30 users, Monday Pro will cost around $5,760 or £5,040 yearly.
- Pros
- Offers multiple views like Kanban, Gantt, etc.
- Agile methodology support.
- Timesheet tracking.
- Resource management.
- Document management.
- 14-day trial period without the requirement for a credit card.
This makes Monday.com a viable choice for companies looking for process management software free.
- Cons
- Lacks a process flowchart library.
- Managing tasks from a single point of view can be difficult.
- Recurring schedule options are limited.
- User interface can be a bit complex for light users.
Pipedrive is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform which has a customer base of over 1,00,000 companies globally. It helps sales teams keep track of client relations and monitor the progress of a deal as it moves towards completion.
- Features
- Enables forecasting revenue and sales volume.
- Supports integration with e-mail clients Gmail or Outlook.
- Contains APIs for custom integrations.
- Facilitates lead segmentation for targeting prospective clients.
- Offers automated e-mail reminders, sales pipeline tracking and calendar sync to help teams stay on track.
- Cost
Pipedrive Professional usage costs are around $49.90 per month.
- Pros
- Flexible pricing structure benefiting businesses of all sizes.
- Sales pipelines are unlimited and customizable.
- Availability of workflow automation and telephone features for most plans.
- High-tier plans have an auto-fill contract feature.
- Cons
- No free plans are available.
- Telephone support is only available for the highest plans.
- Most plans have limited reports and custom fields.
Creatio is a business process management software which helps companies develop no-code applications. It is an excellent platform for businesses that are new to using such software and helps automate existing workflow processes wherever possible.
- Features
- Simple, intuitive and easy to use.
- Via DCM, firms can easily manage unstructured processes.
- AI-powered process step prediction.
- Integrated process library for hassle-free design and execution.
- Analysis of business performance via continuous process monitoring.
- Cost
Creatio on-premise enterprise pack costs around $55/month for each user.
- Pros
- Multiple subscription plans benefitting all types of businesses.
- Drag-and-drop interfaces facilitate ease of use.
- High-level security features to prevent data breaches, malware, etc.
- Availability of visual modeling features.
- Cons
- User interface can be a bit tricky to navigate for non-technical employees.
- Using the enterprise version can be a bit pricey in the long run.
FlowForma is another platform which can be beneficial for new businesses. It contains essential software modules like workflow, forms and doc gen, helping them digitize business operations without having the need for coding.
- Features
- Seamless integration with Office 365 and Microsoft SharePoint.
- End-to-end automation solutions which incorporate business logic, data capture and document assembly.
- Flow designer allows companies to configure all aspects of their business operations like business rules, process steps, etc.
- Users can monitor business process performance by drawing a comparison between actual process durations and benchmarks.
- Cost
FlowForma pricing starts from €6/month for each user.
- Pros
- Fast and easy to set up.
- Reusable entity groups facilitate quicker form building.
- Platform runs on both desktops and smartphones.
- Enables various departments to collaborate with each other, thus optimizing workflows.
- FlowForma reports allow employees to easily create actionable reports.
For businesses that need a highly scalable process management platform, ARIS Cloud can be an excellent choice. It is also suitable for small and medium-sized firms that provide services on a contractual basis.
- Features
- Role-based permission systems allow ease of operation.
- Customizable forms, templates and reports.
- Data import/export and third-party integrations facilitate cross-platform activities.
- Single sign-on reduces login to one set of credentials thereby reducing the chances of data breaches.
- Cost
ARIS Cloud Advanced costs €200 per month for each user.
- Pros
- Businesses can opt for a 30-day free trial before going for paid subscriptions.
- No-code interface makes it easy to use for non-technical employees.
- Presence of SAP Business One and Microsoft SharePoint integrations.
- Flexible meta model with more than 100 diagram types.
ProWorkflow is a process management software that allows organizations to assign employees, track time, reschedule activities, and scale their operations when needed.
- Features
- The platform runs smoothly on desktops (Mac or PC), smartphones and tablets.
- The presence of both monthly and yearly plans allows businesses to scale as per their needs.
- High-level 128-bit encryption along with daily backups to prevent data loss.
- Active Staff Views to keep track of employee workflow.
- Cost
ProWorkflow Pro costs $18 per user annually.
- Pros
- For the professional version, there are no user limits.
- In-built time tracking feature makes tracking workloads easy.
- Businesses can customize platform design to match their brand and logo.
- Facilities to add clients and contractors without any additional costs.
- Cons
- Very few integration and project board options.
- Platform focuses more on project management than on repeatable workflow processes.
Tallyfy is a platform which aims to eliminate flowcharts and enable companies to track and execute workflow processes in the easiest way possible.
- Activity dashboards, standard and custom reports to continuously analyze operational workflows.
- Powerful process engine featuring process designer, SOA support and form builder.
- Social collaboration tools to help teams seamlessly connect with one another.
Tallyfy Professional will cost $30 monthly for each user.
- Supports multiple languages.
- Integration to more than 500 cloud platforms.
- Additional option for Power BI integration.
- Platform does not support flowcharts.
- Processes do not have folder organization.
Mentioned above are some of the best BPM software examples in the current market. However, each company has unique needs. Therefore, choosing the right process management software is a must.
How do you Choose the Right Process Management Software?
Here are some of the best ways to choose a suitable process management software for your business:
1. Pay Attention to Details
Now, different process management software will come with a variety of features. Thus, you need to analyze its capabilities, layout and design in order to determine whether it will meet your business’s needs.
Look for BPM systems that have simple and intuitive interfaces. This will make it easier for you to train new employees.
2. Decide on the Must-Have Features
Before setting out to choose the perfect process management software, you need to decide what features you expect it to have. List them down along with your budget and use them as a filtering mechanism to find out the most suitable ones.
3. Check the Pros and Cons
Every platform will have its own set of pros and cons. Thus, from your selected list of BPM systems, you need to list their benefits and drawbacks in order to decide which software suits your business needs and which ones should be eliminated.
4. Involve the Team in Software Adoption
When you choose process management software for your company, it's your employees who are going to be using it the most. Thus, involving them while selecting a platform can be a smart move.
Individuals in your organization who have previously opted for TOGAF certification training will have the required technical knowledge to help you in this regard. Furthermore, they can provide input on their own and their peers' day-to-day needs, helping you choose the right BPM system.
Conclusion
Whether you are a business owner or a candidate looking for a high-flying IT career, having basic information technology service management skills is a must. It will provide a deep insight into how process management software works, along with the proficiency to handle it with ease.
Furthermore, these skills are crucial for adapting to rapidly changing technology trends and effectively implementing IT strategies. They also enhance your ability to troubleshoot and optimize systems, ensuring smoother operations and improved customer satisfaction.
