Introduction
Gone are the days when businesses could thrive without utilizing cutting-edge tools to enhance their processes.
Today, business process management software has become the core weapon for organizations seeking to turbocharge their operations and outpace their competition.
But with a seemingly endless array of BPM software options on the market, finding the one that best aligns with your organization's unique needs and goals can be daunting.
That's where the information revealed in this blog can simplify your search.
Considering multiple factors, we have meticulously analyzed and handpicked the top BPM software solutions.
Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to make an informed decision that will ultimately lead to increased efficiency, productivity and growth for your business.
Explore these leading options to determine the ideal fit for your organization's needs and goals.
A quick primer on business process management fundamentals
Before we delve into the top BPM software solutions available today, it's helpful to establish a solid understanding of business process management and the role software plays in enhancing organizational performance.
What is business process software?
Business process software comprises digital tools that can document, manage, automate or optimize an organization's business processes or workflows.
For example, with Scribe, you can seamlessly document any process in seconds, not hours.
What is a business process?
A business process involves a series of related tasks or activities performed by individuals or systems within an organization to accomplish a specific objective or produce a desired outcome.
Processes can range from routine daily tasks to complex, cross-functional operations crucial for smooth organizational functioning.
For example, onboarding a new customer after a deal you just closed.
What are some primary types of business process software?
Typically, BPMs can be classified into three distinct categories, each focusing on a specific function and the tasks they manage: These include:
- Integration-centric: Integration-focused BPM streamlines business processes using rule-based software to minimize human intervention.
- Human-centric: Human-driven BPM emphasizes decision-oriented processes involving human participants, including leave approvals and recruitment. This approach acknowledges the impact of employee decisions on process progression.
- Document-centric: Document-oriented business process software addresses processes concerning documentation, encompassing contracts, agreements and invoices. This approach outlines methods for generating, formatting, signing and verifying documents.
What are some core benefits of using business process software in your organization?
Harnessing the power of business process software can unlock several benefits for your organization, including the following key advantages:
- Cost reduction: Business process management (BPM) optimizes resource allocation and identifies areas of financial drain, helping organizations control expenses.
- Enhanced efficiency: A robust business process management practice can help identify time-consuming tasks, enabling employees to focus on priorities and increasing productivity.
- Increased visibility: BPM provides in-depth insights into processes, pinpointing inefficiencies and enabling targeted improvements.
- Improved agility: BPM allows organizations to quickly adapt to changes, implement solutions and enhance responsiveness to evolving needs.
10 Business process management (BPM) software solutions worth considering in 2023
1. Scribe — Best for process documentation
We start off our list with a tool that nails a fundamental step of any business process management cycle — "process documentation."
Documenting any process within a business process management cycle can be a complex and time-consuming task, as it requires capturing every step, interaction and decision point accurately. This level of detail is necessary to identify inefficiencies and potential improvements.
Therefore, a software solution that simplifies and streamlines the documentation process is crucial, allowing organizations to quickly and seamlessly capture vital information and better manage their workflows. That brings us to Scribe, the leading process documentation tool in the market today.
Key highlights:
- Works across platforms — browser, desktop and mobile.
- Easily redact/ blur sensitive information from process screens.
- Upto 93 percent reduction in time taken to create documentation.
- Customize any document with text, annotations and custom branding.
- Flexible sharing options via links, embeds, pdf exports and more.
- Create multi-process docs with Scribe Pages.
Scribe pricing: A very generous, always free plan to get you started with instant process documentation. Paid plans start from $12/seat/month.
G2 rating: 4.8/5 (62 ratings)
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Capterra rating: 4.9/5 (9 ratings)
2. Process Street — Best for running checklists
Process Street is a cloud-based process management platform that enables organizations to design and run workflows as checklists.
Key highlights:
- Intuitive checklist creation and management.
- Conditional logic and dynamic due dates.
- Integration with popular tools like Zapier, Salesforce and Slack.
- Role-based access control.
- Workflow template library for various use cases.
Process Street pricing: 14-day free trial. Paid plans start from $100/month.
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (350 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (582 ratings)
3. Monday.com — Best for complex project management
Monday.com is a cloud-based customizable work management platform with a suite of related products to cater to specific industries and use cases.
Key highlights:
- Highly configurable workflows.
- Numerous task view options like Kanban, Gantt and more.
- Multiple native automation presets for popular applications.
- Slack-like built-in chat capabilities.
Monday.com pricing: Free forever plan for up to 2 seats. Paid plans start from $8/seat/month with a minimum of 3 seats when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.7/5 (8019 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (3829 ratings)
4. Pipefy — Excels at workflow automation
Pipefy serves as a no-code business process management (BPM) solution, enabling users to initiate intricate, adaptable and automated operations effortlessly.
Key highlights:
- Kanban-style workflow management.
- Pre-configured process templates.
- Multiple alert options for efficient SLA tracking.
- Advanced reporting to monitor important process metrics.
Pipefy pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $19/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (207 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (300 ratings)
5. ClickUp — A strong all-rounder
ClickUp is a popular project management software that offers multiple modalities to plan, track and collaborate on projects.
Key highlights:
- Powerful search functionality.
- Custom task element definitions.
- Consolidated communications inbox.
- Native automation with many third-party applications.
- Flexible task list organization options.
ClickUp pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $5/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.7/5 (6659 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (3643 ratings)
6. Asana — Great project management tool for enterprises
Asana is one of the most well-known names in the project management software space with an enterprise-grade offering.
Key highlights:
- Powerful reporting capabilities.
- Workload view for every team member.
- Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) alignment and tracking with projects.
- Sophisticated admin controls.
Asana pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $10.99/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (9336 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (11999 ratings)
7. Airtable — Great for Excel nerds
Airtable has become a well-known low-code application development platform that combines the best of a spreadsheet and a database. You can configure it as a reliable business process management tool for multiple use cases.
Key highlights:
- Build custom interfaces to track business processes.
- Easy to set up automations.
- Integrated forms for work/data intake.
- Extensive template library.
Airtable pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $10/seat/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (2129 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (1777 ratings)
8. Notion — Great for note-taking UI lovers
You can think of Notion as a supercharged Google doc that can effectively host a central knowledge base for the entire organization.
Key highlights:
- Flexible interface to adapt uniquely to your organization's process needs.
- Numerous integrations with third-party applications.
- Database capabilities to hold all kinds of information in a structured manner.
- Extensive template library.
Notion pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $8/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.7/5 (2097 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (1542 ratings)
9. Kissflow — Wins at workflow design
Kissflow is a cloud-based process management and workflow automation platform for streamlining business operations. It empowers users to create, design and manage custom workflows with minimal need for coding knowledge.
Key highlights:
- External portals to collaborate with multiple stakeholders.
- Intuitive workflow designer.
- Dynamic task assignments.
- Conditional logics.
Kissflow pricing:`No free plan. Paid plans start from $15/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (502 ratings)
Capterra rating: 3.9/5 (36 ratings)
10. Smartsheet — Excel for project managers
Smartsheet is another spreadsheet-based project management tool that can streamline many of your business processes.
Key highlights:
- Familiar Excel-like user interface.
- IT-friendly admin controls.
- Extensive integrations.
- Build custom apps on top.
Smartsheet pricing: Freemium plan available. Paid plans start from $7/user/month when billed annually.
G2 rating: 4.4/5 (11238 ratings)
Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (2881 ratings)
Conclusion: Time to embrace software for operational excellency
We hope this article has provided an in-depth overview of the top BPM software solutions available in 2023, each excelling in different aspects of process management.
From Scribe, the best option for process documentation, to Smartsheet, an excellent choice for project managers who appreciate Excel-like functionalities, these solutions offer various features and benefits designed to enhance your organization's efficiency, productivity and growth.
Ultimately, business process excellence is iterative, with each software-driven workflow improvement contributing to this endeavor.
How about we drive one workflow improvement together?
