BPM Tools Guide
Learn how Business Process Management (BPM) tools can help your business improve efficiency, accuracy, and productivity to be more competitive.
BPM Tools: How Do I Get Started?
BPM, or Business Process Management, has been around for a long time but the tools used to implement the practice have gone through a lot of changes, especially over the last few years. Once a fairly straightforward toolset that allowed technical business analysts or IT professionals to sequence work using complex software or code, BPM tools have become much easier to use while doing much more.
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What Are BPM Tools?
BPM tools allow organizations to rapidly build scalable, automated workflows and processes as part of a single departmental automation project or as part of a large-scale corporate initiative to implement a process management methodology across the enterprise. BPM tools are often confused with BPM itself, a discipline, not a software tool.
"BPM is a discipline, not a software tool."
These BPM (business process management) tools provide visual, low- or no-code functionality that allows business users (not just IT professionals) to define processes, automate tasks, design dynamic, mobile-friendly forms, and deploy portals that allow employees and customers the ability to use these processes as applications.
Businesses turn to BPM tools to address common headaches. These can include mistakes caused by human error, difficulties ensuring compliance with regulations and other laws, inefficiencies in the intake process, or a simple lack of productivity compared to what is expected. Business process management tools can address many of these issues. We will discuss the benefits of BPM tools later on this page.
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To see how quickly you can begin automating your business processes, request a demonstration or trial of Integrify.
What Features Are Included in Business Process Management Tools?
BPM tools typically include:
- A process builder is used to design and manage a series of linear or parallel human and machine tasks that constitute a process.
- A process engine that manages the coordination and execution of tasks.
- Tools to manually (forms) or automatically (integrations) manage data critical to the execution of the process.
- A reporting engine for monitoring activities and performance, including auditing of tasks.
The specific features of a given BPM toolset will vary depending on the provider. Some business process management tools may include using artificial intelligence (AI) or connecting to the Internet of Things (IoT). Others may offer sophisticated process modeling tools that predict outcomes based on the process design.
Regardless of the specific suite of BPM tools your business chooses to pursue, a competently executed toolset is guaranteed to bring value to your organization and its work. A good business process management toolset will eliminate headaches for your team, make the life of managers easier, and improve productivity and, thus, profit.
Let’s look at some expected benefits of business process management tools.
What Are the Benefits of Using BPM Software Tools?
We have an exhaustive list of benefits you can expect with process and workflow automation, but here are a few:
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Streamline and speed up internal processes by reducing manual entry and request handling.
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Provide a single, self-service catalog for staff.
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Eliminate circumvention of organizational business rules.
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Provide employees with reminders and alerts.
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Allow staff and management to focus on value-added projects and tasks.
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Improve compliance with audit trails.
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Increase output and increase productivity.
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Reduce the risk of improperly-approved requests, contracts, hires, etc.
Common Processes Automated with BPM
Here are some processes that can be automated using BPM tools by department. This is not an exhaustive list; they are merely some standard processes that your team can reduce time and effort by automating:
Finance
- Purchase Requests
- Expense Approvals
- Salary/Wage Changes
HR
- Benefit Enrollments/Changes
- New Hire Management
- Employee On/Off Boarding
- Vacation Requests
IT/IS
- IS Service Requests
- Security Access Requests
- Software Change Requests
- New Project Requests
- Security Incidents/Breaches
Marketing
- Marketing Campaign Approvals
- Print/Online Ad Requests
- Sponsorship Approvals
- Marketing Collateral Approvals
Facilities
- Office Relocations
- Resource Scheduling
- Facility Access
- Move and Expansion Requests
Sales
- Quote Approvals
- Contract Reviews
- Pricing Discounts
- Proposal Approvals
Purchasing
- General Procurement
- Capital Purchase Approvals
- Vendor Management
- Invoice Approvals
Legal
- Legal Holds
- Contract Reviews
- Client Intake
Download our List of Process Automation Use Cases (PDF)
Finding the Best Solution for BPM Tools
There are a number of software directories that list and review BPM Software Tools. These include:
But since you're already here, we'd love a chance to show you Integrify. You can find out more information about our product or request a demonstration anytime.
Get a Demo of Integrify's BPM Software Tools
To see how quickly you can begin automating your business processes, request a demonstration or trial of Integrify.