Checklist: What to evaluate when choosing a process automation platform (BPMS)

The adoption of a business process automation platform (BPMS) must be carefully planned, mainly to avoid its hasty adoption and facing future frustrations, but also to avoid getting stuck in a context of insecurity about which solution to choose, given so many in the market, delaying its adoption.

We have already mentioned in another context the 7 most common mistakes when adopting a BPMS solution, and that you should certainly keep them in mind during this process. But in this article we want to take a step before adoption and help you choose the ideal solution for your business.

Undoubtedly this is a somewhat difficult decision, since most companies have not yet adopted this type of solution. Therefore, we have created a checklist with some important points to be evaluated in BPMS platforms before their adoption. If you prefer, click here to download the complete list of criteria and perform your analyses in a more organized and objective way.

• Easy integration

One of the main points to be observed in a BPMS tool is that it allows not only the integration with other applications, but also that this integration is done easily.

• Contemplates ECM

It is essential that the tool has integration resources with the company document management, in order to facilitate its processing electronically and linked to the processes, or better yet, that it has its own ECM natively integrated with the BPMS.

Read more in: How can a ECM platform help your company?

• Contemplates BI/BPA

As with document management, it is essential that the platform contains graphical visualization capabilities that allow for the generation of process-related data analysis, especially for those who wish to continuously improve their processes.

• Openness for development

While the tool should be accessible and easy to configure for any business user, it should also allow code development by IT professionals if they want to develop more advanced or specific applications on top of the standard platform. In the best scenarios, the platform can include its own IDE for development.

• Product with continuous evolution

This is a very important point, since a solution with a stagnant evolution will not keep up with the market needs and the advance of technology, and may fail in aspects such as security, usability, among others.

• Multilanguage

If your company is a multinational or has internationalization plans, it is essential to adopt a tool that natively provides multilingual capabilities. A BPMS platform is even a great support tool in business expansion initiatives.

• Enables processes of any complexity

Although most platforms already include some processes ready to be used, we know that they do not always meet the particularities of the business. A purchasing process, for example, although present in every company, does not mean that it is executed in the same way in all of them. Each business has its specific needs and has to be supported by a tool that allows it to reflect these needs in the automation of its processes, regardless of the level of customization complexity.

• Collaborative platform (social BPM)

Social networking features facilitate communication related to business processes and documents, providing greater collaboration among those involved.

• Mobile application

In times of corporate mobility, adopting a tool that allows the remote execution of processes through a mobile app can be considered practically a minimum requirement, and no longer a differential.

• Customized POC for your business

When choosing a platform it is also essential to evaluate its provider and how its services are delivered. One way to see this in practice is through how it is presented. We know that a proof of concept is essential when choosing a solution, so be sure to request one customized for your business, it will be much easier to evaluate the platform already applied in your context.

Besides these points, we can list a few more that speak for themselves, such as:

• Traceability and auditing of forms, users, processes, and access;
• Native support for digital signature without the need for third-party components;
• Possibility of customization;
• Process documentation generated in an automatic and live way;
• BPM tasks with the possibility of using a timesheet;
• Standardized database structure with easy interpretation of structures;
• Presence of APIs that facilitate the development of customizations/applications that manipulate processes, forms and documents.

And that’s not all! It is essential to also list the points related to the particularities of your business that you seek to address with this type of tool. Not every company faces the same pains or difficulties (or at least not in the same way), so look for the solution that best suits your business.

In closing

But how do you evaluate all this in a practical and organized way? One suggestion is to gather all these points in a table that allows you to see side by side which criteria are met or not met by each of the solutions you are evaluating.

Lucky for you, we have already gathered these and other points in a table that you can access for free by clicking here. Take the opportunity to complement it with the specific needs of your business, and don’t forget to share your suggestions with us!

We hope this content has helped you! 🙂

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