• Home
  • Product
  • 100 Tips for Making A Choice of Workflow Product

100 Tips for Making A Choice of Workflow Product

Comparing Workflow Products

workflow my task

There are a lot of Workflow Products. It is not easy to pick one.

  1. Functional aspects
  2. Non-functional aspects (Usability / Reliability / Performance / Supportability)
  3. Constraints (current environment/budget/operator's skill)

The Following is a collection of "Summary of Questetra BPM Suite" about 'Points of product comparison' Please make them help for selecting Workflow.（And to compare BPM product, refer them as 'Workflow Feature comparison'）

 

 

1-1: Workflow Designing（Workflow Definition）

  1. A+ Template : Only to import from Workflow samples (over 400) to define Workflow.
  2. A+ Diagram : Workflows are displayed in diagram (chart)
  3. A+ Data Type : Numeric (calculation), Select, File type as general, Table, Discussion (bbs) type as moreover.
  4. A+ Automatic calculation : Automatic arithmetic operations can be set to the data between numeric type and in table type.
  5. A+ Initial value : Initial value of each data can be set. Dynamic initial value can be as well.
  6. A+ Permission : read and write level (permission) can be set on each data item.
  7. A Input form generation : Automatically created along 'Data type' and 'Permission'
  8. A Form Customize : Notes can be added. Column setting can be changed. CSS can be applied.
  9. A Version management : Can manage all generations of the workflow.
  10. A Save / Print Workflow Chart : Workflow chart can be printed. Can be saved as image.
  11. A Editing in operation : You can edit workflow in operation. The processing operations are not influenced.
  12. A Duplication : New Workflow can be created by duplicating Workflow in operating or of the past.
  13. A Backup : Workflow definition can be exported.
  14. B Documents Output : To generate documents automatically needs coordination to GoogleDocs or Document creation system.
  15. C Papers Output : To generate documents automatically needs coordination to GoogleDocs or Document creation system.
  16. C Authentication / Encryption : It doesn't have mechanism for electronic signatures, only stores electronic signature file.
  17. A+ Timer Start : Can allocated to people at 'the first day of the month' or 'specific day of the week' or so.
  18. A+ External Collaboration Start : Can start from external system. (process model connection API)
  19. B Email Start : Can start by receiving email (currently optional)
  20. A Relative Designation : Relative allocation rule such as "applicant's supervisor" can be set.
  21. A Group Allocation : A Task can be allocated to Group (team) instead to a person.
  22. A The whole group allocation : A Task can be allocated to Group as Cooperative work.
  23. A Automatic Deadline Notification / Reminder : Can send notification (Email) automatically.
  24. A Automatic Abortion : Can automatically abort the task expired.
  25. A Conditional Split : Can Change the procedure according to the condition in the middle of the Workflow. (Exclusive Choice)
  26. A Concurrent Processing : Can split a process in the middle of processing and processing concurrently. (Parallel Split)
  27. A Looping Send Back : Can loop a task. Determines whether the token does not grow infinitely.
  28. A+ Consensus-building / Intermediate Email : Can send any message in the middle of the workflow.
  29. A+ Intermediate External Integration : Can transmit data between other system in the middle of the workflow.
  30. A+ Workflow collaboration : For example, can collaborate 'Delivery Inspection Flow' and 'Billing Flow'
  31. A+ Workflow Expansion : You can use the API to create business-focused applications that work with workflow.

 

1-2.Executing Workflow　(Task Processing)

  1. A+ Task List : Can be displayed grouping by Workflows or sort by task name and deadline date.
  2. A+ Notification : Can receive email notification about the allocation and deadline.
  3. A+ Smartphone Access : Can handle tasks from a Web browser for smartphones.
  4. A Smartphone Apps : Can handle tasks from an application for smartphones.
  5. A Multiple languages : Can configure Operation screen languages for each user (Ja. or ko.en.es.pt.fr.etc.)
  6. C Collective processing : To process multiple tasks at once, additional API apps need to be developed.
  7. A Returning Group allocation : User can return a task undertaken actively to the group.
  8. A Task Deletion : User can reallocate a task undertaken actively to other member of the group.
  9. A Reallocation / Substitute Approval : Can reallocate forced any user only by control authority.
  10. A+ Team Communication : Micro-blogging like Facebook are standard equipped and able to attach files and mark "Good!".
  11. A+ Supporting Other Departments : User can place a advice and support in real time for the follower in microblogging.
  12. A Knowledge Management : Can mark "Knowledge!" as well as "Good!". The company's tacit knowledge is visualized.
  13. A Sharing Trouble Detection : Can mark "Trouble!" as well as "Good!". A trouble is visualized since that moment.
  14. A Approver Change : User can specify the approver for application within the rules prescribed in the workflow definition.
  15. C Rerouting when applying : A workflow definition (business rules) cannot be changed when process started. (on the fly)
  16. C Rerouting of the processing applications : A workflow definition (business rules) can not be changed during processing.
  17. A+ Reuse Start : User can apply with duplicated application info of the past.

 

1-3.Monitoring Workflow (Business Progress / Result Totalization)

  1. A Current situation : Can display situation of progress and retention on the diagram in real-time.
  2. A Automatic Aggregation : Automatically aggregates and displays the number of business operations.
  3. A Business Data Export : Data can be exported according to the data access authorization.
  4. A+ Performance Analysis : The number of transactions in any period of time, can be displayed in graph by group or by person.
  5. A+ Cost analysis : The average or maximum processing time, etc. for each operation can be displayed in a line graph.

 

2-1.Usability

  1. A+ Web Apps : Can operate everything on Web Browser, from creating workflow to Task processing.
  2. A+ Mouse Designing : Can create and modify workflows with drag and drop.
  3. A+ Data Search : Can search past data. Can detailed search specified range of data items.
  4. A Criteria Save : Can save the criteria. Can be shared within the organization as needed.
  5. A Paging Display : Large amounts of data are displayed by splitting page in specified page size.
  6. A Display Filter : Large amounts of data can be displayed partially by filtering.
  7. B Sort Display : Can sort each column view. Can not sort by column the processing load is high.
  8. A Export : Can download as CSV file or Excel file of search result for example, also can output to GoogleDocs.
  9. A Time Display : Can switch display format of time even relative time expression like "50 minutes before".
  10. A Gadgets : Can be refer business data or allocation information from the outside securely.

 

2-2.Reliability

  1. A Service Level : SaaS operation results is about 99.9%. (Include Platform Amazon fault)
  2. C SLA : There is no configurationon SLA in the current status "Terms SaaS Edition". (Improvement Plan item)
  3. B Planned Shutdown with advance notice : Shutdown due to version upgrade (about 1h) occur about 10 times a year.
  4. A Bug Publishing : Product bug reports are published on the Web site and also a RSS feed.
  5. A+ Awards Winning : Gartner Cool Vendor, Google Mashup Award etc.
  6. A Introduced : Downloaded over 12000 companies in 170 countries, over 1000 companies in 80 countries on SaaS (Include free trial)
  7. A Customers : Introducing our customers on our web site. Kyoto University, RECRUIT co., ltd. and others.

 

2-3.Performance

  1. A+ Workflow Engine : The unique engine natively processes BPMN 2.0 compliant the subset.
  2. A Disk limit : You can check the status of the file repository. (Changing only on file data)
  3. A+ Response : A page is displayed with in a second in almost all functions even large amounts of data.

 

2-4.Supportability

  1. A Server Maintenance Free : Because SaaS based, no server engineer or server operating expenses required.
  2. A Automatic Version Update : New feature will be added at any time.
  3. A Process Owner Control : Manager (Process Owner) on each individual business process can be designated.
  4. A Automatic Pausing : A new application (Start) will be paused automatically in case such as a staff is transferred.
  5. A Error Task Detection : Tasks allocated to nobody will be detected as "Error Task".
  6. A+ Groupware Integration : Operation integrating Google Apps account is available.
  7. A SAML SSO: Authentication : Can build single sign-on system with SAML2.0 or Google OpenID or else.
  8. A Password-Login Blockade : Can block password-login on single sign-on.
  9. A Organizational Change : Can move account on GUI, and bulk move with CSV.
  10. A Audit Trail : Every access time and processing time will be logged.
  11. B Manuals : There is no printed manual provided. Please see the online manual.
  12. B Support : Basically limited to Email query. (Query telephone are busy in many time) (Improvement Plan Item)
  13. A System Time Configuration : Any standard time zone of the world can be set as system time.
  14. A+ Online Trial : Demo system is available to experience just by accessing it.
  15. A+ Free License : Your own system is available only to sign up on our Web page.
  16. A Download Trial : Free Web apps are provided to install on Windows / Linux.
  17. A+ API Development : Application development / System collaboration is available for progression check or organization change.
  18. A Online payment : Payments through PayPal (ViSA, MasterCard, American Express etc.) is available.
  19. A Consulting : Experts are ready to help business process designing or organization changing.

 

3.Constraints

  1. Non-programming : Can modify your own Workflow in about 30 minutes without knowledge about Java or Linux etc.
  2. Google Apps Collaboration : Workflow Functions which are not on Google Apps are complemented by collaborating with Google Calendar, Docs,iGoogle.
  3. Migration : Each Workflow application can be moved efficiently on 'Google Apps Migration' from Lotus Notes.
  4. High-end Workflow : Supports complex flow which options of groupware do not support.
  5. Non BPEL BPMS : Provides true field-driven BPM for who do not possess an application server or who does not need coordination.
  6. Price : Available for a month. $10 USD/user ($5 over 201 user). No extra initial cost needed.
  7. Suggested Browser : Newest versions of Chrome、Firefox、Safari. Specific version of IE. (Unexpected behaviors are reported on IE v.6)
  8. Line Speed : Operation may be detrimental in environment of less than 1Mbps or HTTP1.0 proxies.
  • (Current environment, budget, operator's skill, user's skill,etc. can be valuating points.)