What Features are Essential for Your BPM Platform?
The process of searching and evaluating Business Process Management (BPM) software is no easy task, with so many options available today, it’s hard to set apart which features and capabilities you actually need and which are just talked up by software vendors. Don’t worry, we are here to help. We’ve compiled the must-have features you should expect to see when examining any BPM platform.
In such a dynamic marketplace, business leaders are feeling the pressure to remain competitive, while decreasing costs and increasing productivity by improving business processes. In order to defeat these challenges, many organizations are looking to the benefits that BPM software can provide, such as enhanced operational efficiency, improved customer service, and increased service innovation.
Drag and Drop
Every business process needs a way to carry the data through the actual process itself. Most BPM solutions do this by using a form as a way to capture, track and edit data along the way. This is where a drag and drop form designer can really come in handy. It allows every end-user to easily manage process information and send it to the appropriate destination.
Mobile Support
Almost all BPM solutions will have mobile support and access for at least Android and iOS. Business processes will increasingly become more mobile as technology develops and becomes more innovative. Your users will have a short tolerance for applications they can only access at their desks/desktops. Cloud BPM solutions that support and offer complete functionality for mobile users is definitely the way to go.
Single Sign-On
SSO allows a user to log in with one set of credentials across multiple independent software platforms. This helps IT teams grant access easier and track user activity. If you’re from an enterprise-level company, SSO may already be a mandatory feature for any new software.
Easy Integration
Having a BPM solution that cannot communicate with other core software systems completely kills the point of a BPM system. Without the ability to integrate with existing software systems, you will be stuck doing a lot of manual data transfers back and forth, which effectively crushes the net gain of automation. With powerful integrations, however, your BPM system can thrive and successfully carry out all your organizations’ important daily operations.
Reporting and Analytics
Reports should be a no-brainer for any BPM platform, however, some BPM software doesn’t offer ready-to-use process stats or metrics. It’s important to check for yourself and do some research on the BPM software before taking the vendor’s word for it. Choosing a BPM solution that is able to generate reports that tell you the average time it takes to complete an individual step, a snapshot of all open items, and how often an item gets rejected or rerouted.
Process Performance Metrics
All business processes have deadlines, but not all of them meet the timely benchmark expectations. Situations like those require business leaders to identify what is causing the lag and how it can be improved. Enter process performance metrics – it is a tool that helps enterprises spot issues with a process in order to make meaningful and data-driven decisions to improve ineffective processes.
Looking for more? Download our Business Process Management Buyer’s Guide for free to compare the top-24 products available on the market with full page vendor profiles. The guide includes four key capabilities to look for in a BPM platform, plus questions to ask before purchasing. It’s truly the perfect resource for anyone looking to find the right BPM for their business/organization, or those looking to replace an existing one.
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