BPM tools

Business process management (BPM) is a key component of a company’s business intelligence. It can help companies be more efficient and help to provide real time solutions through the generation of important information and the identification of actionable steps. In most cases these insights are created through BPM tools.

The role of BPM tools

Technology has had a significant impact on business process management. New developments in technology have led to the rise of analysis, modelling, and management tools that can help Canadian companies maximize the efficiencies of current business processes and practices.

Companies use BPM and the related tools because they can assist them in a number of areas in their business. They include:

• Helping companies become more process-focused
  
• Optimizing internal and external business processes
  
• Assisting companies to integrate technology and digitize processes
  
• Help companies shift some of their processes to an automated format

BPM tools are used for a number of specific purposes. The primary areas include:

• Process analysis
  
• Process execution
  
• Process monitoring
  
• Company structure and architecture

Overall, companies turn to these tools because they want to better understand their processes and get a more detailed view of how they work. In this sense, BPM tools help to create a more standardized approach from the start to finish of all processes in order to facilitate change and develop more efficient practices.

The benefit of business process management tools

Implementing BPM tools into your business has a number of benefits when it comes to its role in process management. They include:

• Better management of customer-related processes
  
• The ability to track and manage process from end to end
  
• The ability to integrate current systems to leverage them in the business process
  
• The ability to create more uniformity between IT and business process
  
• The ability to use data in a more flexible way across the organization

BPM tool types

There are three main types of business process management tools that companies can use to improve their current practices:

1.  Process mapping and modelling tools
   
2.  Modeling tools that are embedded in business process management systems
   
3.  Modellers that are used for software development

Selection criteria for BPM tools

Since there is no shortage of tools to choose from, it is important to get the best possible tool for your company’s specific situation. Here are some criteria to consider when examining tool options:

• Collaboration capabilities
  
• The ability to assess the current state of process execution and management
  
• The ability to integrate other applications
  
• Business process modelling capabilities
  
• The ability to run simulations and optimize processes from the results
  
• The ability to integrate the tool with content management and customer relationship management tools
  
• Includes effective security features
  
• Includes administration functions
  
• Includes business rules and regulation engines to define specific process components
  
• Ease of use at all levels from developers to users
  
• The ability to provide long-term process solutions
  
• Cost of implementation and licensing
  
• Document management and reporting capabilities

BPM tools

Here are some of the most commonly used business process management tools:

• Proforma
  
• Telelogic
  
• IBM WebSphere
  
• IBM BPM Solution V6.0
  
• IDS Sheer
  
• Microsoft Visio
  
• Oracle Business Process Management Solution
  
• JBoss jBPM
  
• Apache ODE
  
• Intalio BPMS Community Edition
  
• Sun Java CAPS

Free BPM Tools

In addition to proprietary tools, there are a number of free and open source tools that companies can experiment with. They include:

• Process Maker
  
• Bonita Soft
  
• Activiti
• UEngine
  
• Open Model Sphere
  
• Visual Paradigm
  
•  Questetra BPM Suite
  
• Aris Express
  
• Cuteflow