Features to look for in process management software for enterprises

Controlled user access

In an environment with multiple users, it is imperative to have controlled access to sensitive information. The forms, data, and documents you use regularly are more than likely confidential, so your BPM software should include features that ensure access is controlled or restricted. Your software should offer features similar to the hidden or read-only options in a Google document, but its capabilities should be far more advanced. There may be times when you want to limit certain form fields for particular users on specific occasions. The right business process management software can help you with a variety of access combinations and give you total control over who has access to your most sensitive data.

Software integration capability

Simply put, BPM automation tools that are incapable of integrating with your core software or essential external software will be useless. You need important integration features such as API, CRM, RPA, and webhooks to ensure your BPM system can sequence a set of activities together to create a complete process. Also, if you do not choose to manually supply data, you will have little to gain from the process automation you decided to implement. Your BPMS should allow important software integration methodologies to keep up with the interconnected nature of your framework process.

Visual workflow modeling

One of the most important elements of business process creation software is the ability to create an intuitive visual representation of the process flow. Businesses should utilize a workflow engine to design and capture the flow of a process. A considerable number of tools require coding, and although it may seem to give you total control over your process flow, coding is often unnecessary. A graphical or visual workflow feature allows you to create your processes and implement them quickly. Users do not need to be completely tech-savvy to operate the tool, so there is no need to worry about additional burdens.

Simple change management

Mistakes can happen, even with the best process management tools on your side. Your software must-have features that allow you to quickly respond to situations and alter the course of a process if needed. There may even be times when you need to alter a process itself, and if this occurs, you don’t want to have to rely on a technical expert every time an alteration is needed. Your high-level users or administrators should be capable of managing such situations with a minimal amount of effort.

Scalability

One of the key features your BPMS should possess is the ability to accommodate a large number of users. Whether you are tasked with managing 10 or a thousand users, your software’s enterprise framework modeling should help you do it with efficiency. Any automation tool that behaves differently when presented with a large number of users will inevitably get stuck at some point, typically when growth is involved. Ensure your business process management software is not susceptible to change in regard to organizational size. It should also be capable of automating and streamlining new processes with ease.

Collaboration between departments

Business teams typically don’t operate in silos. It is common for various departments within companies to collaborate and share data regularly. Since this collaboration is imperative to your company’s success, one of the most important things you can do is to connect the ends of every process and offer total transparency by facilitating collaboration where the work actually happens. From issue and approval management to document sharing, the process of collaboration between stakeholders and end business processes should be enabled through Microsoft SharePoint training. Your team should be immediately notified when their participation is called for and be allowed to collaborate promptly.

Data management

Without data, your process is just a collection of guidelines. Your ability to manage workflow requires a constant supply of digital data at each stage of the process to produce the desired outcome. In other words, you need customized, easy-to-use, visual forms to depict or acquire data that will flesh out the framework when a specific business rule is triggered. Each process is a component of the entire BPM life cycle, so they are related. Your BPMS must connect the data flow across the full process, tools, teams, and departments seamlessly. The processing of the end result data will help you to derive important business insights which will in turn help you evaluate current process performance versus ideal business objectives.

Unique case management

The ability to incorporate project management or non-recurring case management can undoubtedly improve your BPMS capabilities. In process management, exceptions are not rare, and you will always have to deal with processes that are different from the usual ones you have created workflows for. Your BPM system must be capable of quickly adapting to situations that are not structured enough for a run-of-the-mill BPM use case.

Intuitive and simplified user experience

If you don’t want your users to exhaust themselves when utilizing your BPM software, you will need to find software that helps your team reach optimal process efficiency levels while benefiting from user-friendly features. No matter how strong your technology is, it should always make your team’s work easier at the end of the day. Seek out a BPM suite that empowers end users and requires a minimal amount of code. Your team should be able to create and run their processes without having to constantly consult service desk agents.

Mobile responsiveness

If your process management is flexible, it should not be restricted to a single user interface. Simply put, your team of professionals should expect your BPM software to support them anywhere at any moment. Solutions that leave individuals tied to their desktop computers or laptops may not be well-received in a tech-savvy user setting. Utilizing a solution with mobile compatibility will promote increased accessibility and process improvement. Modern BPM solutions typically feature robotic process automation, high-end digital transformations, and integration capabilities. You can leverage such technologies to support your BPM system.

Powerful administrator features

At times, even the most effective business process management software can get stuck, often because of some strange user action. To combat such issues, you must have the ability to administer and edit the process in a way that doesn’t require you to reach out to an expensive consultant every time. An in-house administrator should have the ability to bulk reassign tasks, delete items, reassign individual tasks, edit forms, and move items to a completed state as needed. Without the ability to carry out these actions, you will be stuck at the mercy of your software and the actions of your users.

Analytics and reports

Without exceptional reporting, a BPM system will simply function as a workflow tool. Unfortunately, many BPM tools do not feature ready-to-use process metrics or statistics. You should avoid such tools and choose software that reports on form data in a customizable and powerful manner. In other words, you should be capable of creating reports that provide you with the following information:

• A snapshot of all open items
• The average amount of time it takes to complete entire items and individual steps
• How often is an item rerouted or rejected

Your reports should be more than exported CSV files. Effective BPM tools feature custom chart generators that allow you to utilize a wide range of heat maps and graphs.