With different features, pricing, details, and more to evaluate, finding the right Business Process Management for your company is challenging.
Let’s go into more detail.
What is IBM BPM?
IBM BPM is a full-featured, consumable business process management platform. It is specifically designed to enable process owners and business users to engage directly in the benefit of their business processes.
It is available in on-premises and cloud configurations and it is designed to support mobile devices, featuring case management capabilities across its product editions. It operates with a single process server or in a federated topology, depending on the environment setup. It also includes the tooling and run time for process design and execution, along with the capabilities for monitoring and optimizing work that is executed within the platform.
What is Appian BPM?
Appian BPM is considered as the market leader in modern Business Process Management (BPM) and Case Management software, as this enterprise application integrates seamlessly work automation with data management, native mobility, and social capabilities.
All the data, processes, and documents, as well as the collaborations, are in one environment, on any device, and are integrated through a simple social interface. Appian helps organizations deliver the best customer experience for clients, modernize critical business processes, create new market opportunities, and gain competitive advantage. On-premise and in the cloud, Appian provides the fastest way to deliver innovative business applications to its users when they need it.
All products come in various shapes and sizes and BPM products are not unique to this. When faced with a decision it is always good to have an overview of the main features and benefits. Let’s consider the features:
IBM Business Process Management Features
- IBM BPM comes with third party platform integration support, workflow optimization, real-time collaboration, BPM mobile capability, and full visibility features.
- The software is absolute for handling both complex and simple approval workflows. The software can help users to automate, measure, and standardize business processes.
- The solution offers built-in support for case handling and business processes based on IBM Enterprise Content Management, Business Process Management technologies for advanced edition users.
- The software can be also used for storing process assets which can be reused for other designs. All the processes of IBM BPM can be deployed to new installations easily and users will have complete control and visibility over the process activities.
Appian BPM Features
- Appian BPM comes with real-time reporting, business process automation, native-mobile apps support, easy data recovery and navigation, a complete platform available in both on-premise and cloud, and social capabilities.
- The end-user feature of this solution includes reports and analytics, mobile access, case management, social collaboration, records, news and alerts, social profile, document management, and SharePoint. It’s easy for business users to work from anywhere, anytime with these features.
- Users can manage all the documents, all the collaborations, and all the processes from one single solution from any internet-enabled device using a simple, user-friendly social interface.
- The solution can enable the developers and designers to create powerful enterprise applications with its modern framework that offers mobile development, enterprise records, intelligent analytics, user-interface design, content management, complex event processing, process management, business rules, SOA & integration, and cloud BPM deployment features.
Let’s highlight some benefits for an overview of both products.
Overview of IBM BPM Benefits
- IBM BPM is a platform designed to optimize business processes using real-time analytics. It allows users to streamline, manage tasks and track performance using a federated view virtually in real-time, enabling continuous process improvement.
- It helps to manage change through a unified model-driven environment, giving team visibility of the same process version. Also there is an integration design tooling included for visually constructing services, data transformations, and Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) orchestrations.
- More importantly, the platform enables the business users to access and execute processes, cases, activities, and dashboards from a single user interface (UI) without impacting the business user experience.
- It also identifies and contacts a subject matter expert in real-time to accelerate the completion of work while providing continuous process improvement. And with the new Process Portal, users are provided a highly collaborative work environment with increased social capabilities.
Overview of Appian Benefits
- Appian business process management (BPM) software offers the solutions that are rapidly built through a simple drag-and-drop functionality that is convenient for its users. It’s native process repository captures and stores the process models for rapid reuse.
- Business rules to define your critical policies and procedures while the Forms interface design enables the fast creation of task forms and dashboards. Complex event processing is also available for tracking, analyzing, and responding to business events.
- Appian BPM also provides instant deployment of newly built solutions set up in your workplace on a scalable, flexible platform while providing out-of-the-box Integration with diverse systems. It offers built-in enterprise mobility that delivers responsive. Mobile user experiences with no extra work.
- Real-time management tools monitor in-flight processes, re-assign tasks, and view the performance of your company, while task management increases worker efficiency and reduces costs.
- There is also real-time visibility that provides granular tracking of process and task progress. Skills-based routing ensures the right worker gets the right task while at the same time, social collaboration across people, processes, and systems drives awareness.
Let’s discuss some key pros of each:
IBM BPM 5 Pros
- IBM Business Process Manager Offers Software as a Service deployment option for users that don’t require additional hardware
- IBM Business Process Manager provides complete visibility to over all the process activities
- The technical support of IBM BPM offers ticket-based support and support portal
- The business process management solution supports integration with a wide range of third-party platforms
- The business process management platform supports saving and reusing process assets for users
Appian BPM 5 Pros
- Appian BPM offers cloud-based SaaS or PaaS and on-premise deployment options for the users
- Appian BPM is best for companies of all shapes and sizes starting from small companies to large enterprises
- Customer support of Appian BPM offering phone and online support for users
- The BPM solution offers a user community where users can share their problems with each other
- The process modeling feature of this IBM BPM solution is highly intuitive and user-friendly
Let’s discuss some key cons of each:
IBM Business Process Management 2 Cons
- IBM Business Process Manager’s process designer IDE works very slowly according to some users
- IBM BPM doesn’t offer an on-premise deployment option which can be a problem for some users
Appian BPM 2 Cons
- Appian BPM’s reporting feature doesn’t offer much flexibility in printing and configuring reports
- Appian BPM doesn’t work properly in all browsers which can be a problem for some users
It is crucial to keep in mind that almost no Business Process Management Software is going to be an ideal solution that can fulfill all the requirements of all company types, sizes, and industries. Each enterprise has different wants and requires software that can be personalized for their size, type of workers and buyers, and the specific industry they are in.
When you try to find a BPM software product, first be sure what you need it for. Read some BPM reviews and ask yourself do you desire basic tools or do you want sophisticated features? Are there any industry-specific tools that you are looking for? Find the answers to these questions to assist your search. There are plenty of aspects that you need to reflect on and these include your budget, specific business requirements, organization size, integration needs, etc. Take your time, try out a few free trials, and finally select the BPM product that offers all that you want to enhance your firm efficiency and productivity.
If you or your organization wants to learn more about IBM BPM or Appian BPM. GoLogica is offering instructor-led IBM BPM Training and Appian Training by industry experts having 20+ years of real-time experience.