Business Process Management (BPM) has burst in to the business and technology management scene in recent years. With more and more process complexities in organizations today, optimizing workflow management has been a component to a successful business. BPM is a culmination of a disciplined approach to identifying, creating, executing, documenting and controlling the internal processes required to improve business efficiency and customer service. Investing in the right BPM platform can add significant value to an organization, its customers, and stakeholders. Providing business users a means to automating workflows ensures accountability, visibility and efficiency. Furthermore, it enables optimal collaboration among the stakeholders.

Potential buyers of a BPM solution face a challenge given that many vendors claim similar benefits. Vendors’ websites and high level demonstrations may not be informative to meet a buyer’s needs. How do you know which platform to choose?

A befitting analysis should answer the following questions:

Does this fit into your organization? Do you need a developer to implement the process? Do you need to learn how to program? How long will it take to implement a process? How much training is required? How easy will it be for the end user? How flexible is the platform and will it meet your specific process needs?

A very effective assessment strategy that has become a critical element in the evaluation phase and the final decision making process is to request a “technology bake-off.”This is where the client will provide the requirements for one of their processes to a list of vendors of interest. Each vendor then creates a custom demonstration of their process to present; a proof of concept. Once the process is configured the vendor will have the ability to demonstrate their BPM platform personalized to their organization. Not only will they have the ability to compare and contrast if one platform offers more flexibility that satisfies your organizational needs; it can also serve as an internal sales tool to build the case with the various stakeholders. For more information about technology bake-offs, see Webopedia.

Ask the following questions while making the final decision: Did the demo meet all the requirements; was the vendor able to understand and demonstrate them correctly? How difficult was it to build and run the process in their platform? Does the process seem simple to use by the end user? How long did the vendor need to build the process? Are there any other features and benefits that one platform offers more than the other?

Choosing a BPM/Workflow Management platform doesn’t have to be challenging. Proof of concept for one of the client’s processes may be the best way to determine the ideal solution for your organization. To learn more about Interneer’s BPM platform, visit us.