Understanding the Need for BPM Solutions for Successful Business Operations

Successful and smooth business operations are governed by business processes. Business processes are defined as the coordination of the behavior of people, things, and resources to produce pre-defined business outcomes. The manner in which business processes are managed determines the success of the business. The most effective way to manage business operations is to invest in the best BPM solution in the market.

Let us understand the need for BPM and why we believe it is important for businesses to consider BPM implementation. While we convince you to adopt BPM solutions for better business outcomes, we would also like to highlight the top BPM solutions ruling the market so you can choose the best BPM solution.

Introduction to BPM

Business process management (BPM) may be defined as the process of constant evaluation, improvement, and automation of business operations. The main aim of BPM is to streamline process workflows so that optimal outcomes are achieved.

The precursor to process streamlining is to first identify the repetitions, redundancies, and bottlenecks in the process. Once the problematic areas and areas that need improvement have been identified, the next step is to design ways to improve these areas. Various BPM methodologies can be applied to solve issues and improve processes.

Business process management solutions optimize and accelerate processes for better operational efficiencies. The goal of a business process management solution is to improve efficiency and minimize inconsistencies and errors in the process.

The main focus of BPM solutions is at the process level rather than at the task level. By implementing BPM solutions, processes throughout the organization are standardized so that human errors are reduced and process gaps are sealed.

However, BPM should not be considered as a project or operations management solutions. BPM is not software, but the tools used to implement BPM strategy are software tools. Software tools are used for designing, automating, testing, and implementing BPM solutions at department-wide and organization-wide scales.

The key processes in BPM include risk management, business process modeling, business process outsourcing, employee motivation, and product inventory management.

BPM solutions offer several advantages to the business, including,

* Guides management in making informed decisions
* Prioritizes and routes work automatically
* Standardizes resolutions across geographies
* Provides real-time visibility and control into process status and outcomes
* Improves forecasting and productivity
* Lowers process costs
* Accelerates process execution
* Improves customer experience
* Enables teams to handle exceptions faster with minimal errors
* Increases transparency and visibility
* Improves compliance with the process

There are, however, a few drawbacks of BPM that businesses must bear in mind before going for automating their business processes. Some of the BPM solutions are not capable of scaling up to the growing needs of businesses. Another drawback is that BPM solutions do not allow processes to be repeated.

Various BPM solutions can be implemented for business workflows as per the unique requirements of the organization. The benefits of implementing BPMN exercises and solutions can be applied across the organization. However, before implementing the BPM solution, it must first be determined if the process is suitable for BPM and whether the business can enjoy tangible benefits by implementing the solution.

Here are some of the business processes that can benefit from implementing BPM solutions.

* Accounts payable and accounts receivable
* CapEx approvals
* Finance approvals
* Enterprise integrations
* Human resource management processes
* Facilities management
* Compliance management
* Procurement management
* Supply chain and inventory management

Need for BPM

During the initial growing stage of a business, following old-fashioned ways of running a business may work well. However, as the business grows, the processes grow in their complexity. Archaic manual methods like exchanging business data via Excel sheets or passing clipboards to get approvals may not be effective.

Easy and simple as they may seem, manual methods are not effective at scale. Moreover, the lack of standardization makes it difficult to measure critical performance metrics.

Archaic methods are prone to human errors and bias. The errors and inconsistencies that occur in manual processes put the business at risk. Redundancy in business processes brings down the quality of customer service. To stay competitive, businesses need to improve their customer experience and adhere to compliance standards.

Businesses cannot deliver superior standards of customer experience by using manual processes. Old-fashioned methods to run a business are characterized by the exchange of information via emails and paperwork. The sheer volume of email exchanges between the stakeholders increases the chances of misplacement or missing information. The high volume of paperwork poses an issue in terms of storage and likely damage to important business data.

BPM solutions address all of the above shortcomings of manual processes. BPM methodologies complemented by low-code automation software like Cflow can improve business processes and bring about best practices in day-to-day work practices. When BPM solutions are properly implemented, the productivity of business processes improves significantly and errors, risks, and costs are minimized.

Key Features of BPM Software

Most of the BPM solutions available in the market offer a standard set of features for streamlining key business processes. Some of the common features of BPM software are:

1. Automation of processes

BPM software must help in managing the transfer of tasks between employees.

2. Business Rules

Preset business rules govern the sequence of business processes. For example: if event A occurs, then proceed as usual; and if event B occurs then end the process. Exception handling must be taken care of by the software.

3. Process monitoring and feedback

BPM software must provide visibility into all the tasks of the process. Users must get a top-down view of the performance of all processes, deadlines, and bottlenecks.

4. Drag-and-drop builder

The software must provide an easy-to-use drag-and-drop form builder. A visual form builder simplifies the task of creating forms.

5. Pricing

As with any investment, the purchase of BPM software must provide value for the money invested. The terms and conditions stipulated during software purchase must be clear and transparent. The break-up of installation, maintenance, and support costs must be clarified by the software provider.

6. Software integrations

The BPM solution will not operate as a stand-alone system. It must be able to seamlessly integrate with other business software already in use. Smooth integration with other systems ensures the easy exchange of information between the systems.

7. Admin features

The software must provide an in-house admin feature that allows the admin to adjust tasks, forms, and items as required. Role-based access control must be provided by the software so that information is protected from unauthorized usage or viewing.

8. Customized alerts and notifications

The automation software must issue alerts and notifications to appropriate stakeholders in the process to inform them of approaching approval deadlines or pending reviews or approvals.

How to Automate Business Processes

Implementing a BPM solution requires careful study of existing processes via process mapping. Mapping existing processes helps in identifying the bottlenecks and tasks that are ideal for automation.

The lifecycle of a BPM solution is described below:

Design

This step involves identifying existing processes and your to-be processes. The existing processes with the steps are mapped using visual flow diagrams or flow charts. The entire process is mapped along with factors like alerts, notifications, escalations, and SOPs. All types of processes, human-to-human, human-to-system, or system-to-system can be mapped using visual flow diagrams.

Modelling

Once the process is mapped, the next step is to create various models that explore how the process would operate under different circumstances. This can be done by varying the input and the conditions under which the process operates.

Execution

The process to be automated is mapped completely. The mapping includes details like which process to automate, where and to whom the tasks will be routed, and the possible outcomes of every task. The team will be ready to build the new automated process equipped with all these details. Workflow automation software like Cflow enables no-code mapping of process workflows. The visual workflow builder in Cflow enables even team members without technical backgrounds to create process workflows easily.

Monitoring

The workflow software provides a visual dashboard that enables team members and management to monitor and track the status of the process. The visual interface allows users to locate requests in real-time, detect process gaps, and analyze process bottlenecks.

Optimization

The newly automated process must be assessed continuously and performance must be measured in order to make improvements. Process performance must be retrieved with relevant reports to identify potential opportunities for further cost and time savings. Constant monitoring of process performance helps in optimizing the process.

Re-engineering

While monitoring the new process it is possible that the team realizes that there could be more efficient ways of executing the process or some unnecessary steps that need to be removed. The monitoring and optimization phase helps identify the extraneous steps that, when removed from the process improve its efficiency and productivity.

How to Choose the Right BPM Solution

The choice of the BPM software impacts the success of implementation. The success of various BPMN exercises and solutions has a direct bearing on the rate of ROI of the software. It is not enough if you choose a feature-rich BPM solution alone, it must also cater to the requirements of your business.

There are several BPM solutions providers in the market. Here are a few pointers that will help you choose the right BPM solution for your business.

What is the level of automation that the software provides?

The main intent of going for BPM solutions is to relieve human resources from mundane, admin tasks. The level of automation provided by the BPM solution determines the extent to which team members are relieved from such activities. When more steps/tasks are automated by the software, the time and cost savings for the business are proportionally greater.

The BPM software available in the market is specifically designed to suit the requirements of small–, mid-, and large-scale businesses. Choose the right one as per the nature and size of your business.

Does it provide the dynamic approval feature?

Most business workflows get stuck at the approval stage when the approver fails to notice the pending approval or misses the deadline for approval. By providing the dynamic approval feature, the need for manual review and approval is avoided. The request is reviewed based on preset business rules that are provided in the software and approved or rejected automatically without the intervention of the employees. The dynamic approval feature saves the team a lot of time and costs by approving requests on time.

Are electronic forms available for gathering data?

Gathering important customer data via electronic forms is very useful for the business. Updating and storing electronic forms is easy and effective. Customer data can be retrieved and referenced at any time conveniently by extracting relevant forms from the database. The BPM solution must provide electronic forms for gathering customer data.

How is business activity monitored?

The BPM solution must provide business activity monitoring (BAM) features that enable the entire team to stay updated on the status of process/project requests. A user-friendly interface must provide the business activity monitoring data in a clear and concise format that everyone can understand. The BAM dashboard must be devoid of complex abbreviations or notations that confuse the users.

Are there automated notifications and alerts issued?

BPM software must issue alerts and notifications automatically to garner the attention of the user. Any exception or unusual activity must be flagged off and notified to the user so that appropriate action is taken. Automated notifications and reminders to stakeholders in charge of request approvals ensure that invoices and other approvals happen on time and the process is not delayed or stuck due to delayed approvals.

Is the pricing policy transparent?

The business process management solution must be value for money. The pricing terms and conditions must be accurately declared to the customer prior to investment. There should be no hidden costs in the pricing of the software. If there are any discounts or rebates on the price of the software, they must be communicated duly to the customer. Similarly, any increase in the price of the software must be informed before the renewal of the purchase contract so that the customer can make an informed purchase decision.

Is the software customizable and flexible to suit specific business requirements?

One of the most important features of workflow automation software is customization and flexibility. The automation solution must be easily customizable according to the requirements of the business.

The rules engine of the workflow software must be customizable to accommodate preset business rules that run the processes. Also, as the business scales up, the software must be flexible enough to accommodate the new, upgraded business requirements.

Does the software support integrations?

BPM solutions operate along with other business systems that are already in use. Seamless integration with other business applications is a must for the BPM solution. When the solution coordinates and communicates seamlessly with other systems, data exchange and updation happen smoothly. The BPM solution must integrate with other systems via API interfaces.

Does it support on-premise and cloud installations?

While some organizations operate on the cloud, some organizations are still using on-premise applications. The BPM solution must be compatible with both on-premise and cloud installations. This flexibility in the working model increases the rate of adoption of the software. After-sales customer support also must be available for both on-premise and cloud installations.

How is the post-sales customer support?

Workflow automation is not a fit-and-forget kind of solution. Customer support after installing the software is a must for the service provider. Any user issues or change requests must be handled efficiently and immediately with the right customer support.

One of the most popular and trusted BPM software that provides all of the above features and many more useful features is Cflow. Cflow is a leading workflow no-code automation software that can automate key business processes within minutes.

The visual form builder in Cflow enables employees without any technical background to build workflows with ease. The workflows can be customized according to the unique requirements of the business.

Top 6 BPM Solutions for 2023

Is workflow automation on the cards? We have you covered. The top 6 BPM solutions in the market for 2023 have been listed below. We have prepared the list based on multiple online inputs from Gartner reviews, etc.

BPM Solution	Suitable for	Top Features	User Interface	Installation	Integration
Cflow	SMBs-to-Mid-to Large-sized organizations	* No-code * Easy changes to workflows, forms, and data * Unified data and document management * advanced analytics and reporting	Intuitive dashboards and e-portals for real-time tracking of users	Supports cloud and on-premise installations	Integrates with ERP, CRM, and Document management portals via API interfaces
Appian BPM Suite	Enterprise solution	* Complete suite of automation features * Robotic process automation for routine tasks * BPM for optimizing complex tasks * Case management for exception handling	Intuitive and easy-to-understand dashboards to track business activity	Supports cloud and on-premise installations	Manual integration done by Appian engineers
Nintex	SMBs and enterprise	* Web-based drag-and-drop interface * Automatic generation, signing, and storage of documents * Real-time alerts and notifications * Delegate tasks to RPA	The interactive user interface for planning, mapping, and governing	Cloud and on-premise deployment	Integrates with specific software solutions
IBM Blueworks	Enterprise solution	* automates process via business mapping * Process simulation for analysis of process performance and improvements	Intuitive and easily accessible web interface	Cloud and on-prem deployment	Integrations via Open REST API
Bizagi	SMBs and enterprises	* create applications on a global scale * enables collaboration in fusion teams * data-driven personalized, contextualized user experiences * Integrates disparate data, systems, and people	Custom contextualized UI for all Bizagi applications	Cloud and on-premise deployment support	Integrates with specific software solutions
Tallyfy	SMBs, Mid-Large enterprises	* web-based drag-and-drop user design * trackable approvals and task statuses * Real-time BI feed	Intuitive dashboard that captures the status of any process in real-time	Cloud-based deployment	Open REST API and 3rd party integration via Zapier

Conclusion

Superior customer experience and engagement are key to gaining a competitive edge. Following archaic manual business processes is an impediment in the path to providing quality customer service. Managing business processes using BPM solutions is a great way to improve business outcomes and maintain the quality of customer service.

The decision to automate business processes must be backed by the choice of the right BPM solution. Choose a solution that fits your business requirements and provides complete value for money. Organizations across the globe choose Cflow as their process automation partner.

A no-code BPM solution that is best suited for SMBs and enterprises, Cflow is the total value of your investment. Power up your decision to automate business processes by choosing a feature-rich workflow automation solution like Cflow. Sign up for the free trial to learn more about Cflow.