UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA

FACULTY OF ECONOMICS

PROJECT WORK

ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF BPM SOFTWARE

Ljubljana, February 2015 MATEJ DOMADOVNIK

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1

1. BONITASOFT PRESENTATION ..................................................................................... 2

1.1 Bonita BPM 6.4 ................................................................................................................ 2

2. BIZAGI PRESENTATION ................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Bizagi BPM Suite 10.6.1 .................................................................................................. 4

3. SOFTWARE COMPARISON ........................................................................................... 6

3.1 Budget comparison ........................................................................................................... 6

3.2 Modeling environment .................................................................................................... 6

3.3 Support and documentation .............................................................................................. 7

3.4 Publishing ......................................................................................................................... 7

3.5 Ease of use ........................................................................................................................ 8

3.6 Security ............................................................................................................................. 9

4. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 10

5. SOURCES ........................................................................................................................... 11

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TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Bonita BPM Studio .....................................................................................................................2

Figure 2: Bonita BPM Portal .....................................................................................................................3

Figure 3: Bizagi Modeler 2.9.0.4 ...............................................................................................................4

Figure 4: Wizard View ...............................................................................................................................5

Table 1: Bizagi Pricing ...............................................................................................................................6

Table 2: Bonita Pricing ..............................................................................................................................7

Table 3: Ease of use comparison ..............................................................................................................8

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INTRODUCTION

Business process management (BPM) has in the last two decades earned its position in almost

every company worldwide. It has become very important since the companies are competing

globally more and more therefore the software which can improve our efficiency is representing

a huge competitive advantage. Since the demand for BPM software is on the raise, the software

developing companies had been competing for the market share and the number of new

software companies is on the raise as well. Nowadays the costumers are put in front of huge

variety of software which tends to cover the area of BPM. Therefore the costumer has to choose

the most appropriate software for its own needs. The detailed analysis and comparison has to

be done before making the final decision. In my project work I have chosen to deeply analyze

Bonita BPM 6.4 and Bizagi BPM Suite 10.6.1. These software are used mostly by small and

medium enterprise and both have free versions to try out. My comparison will be based on the

data that can be found on web and the one that I will experience myself from the usage of these

software. Firstly I will present the vendors and then I will give a brief description of both

software where we will see the basic idea of each one. Furthermore I will compare the value of

each package they offer and I will try to point out the one which seems to have higher value for

consumers. In addition I will do a deeper analysis of software itself and see which features they

offer and what are the advantages and disadvantages.

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1 BONITASOFT PRESENTATION

The company was founded in 2001 by bunch of computer engineers in France. The company

only focus on software development and they are mostly specified in BPM software. Their main

product is Bonita which has been developing all since 2001. Since the release of Bonita 1 and

all up to Bonita BPM 6.4 they have recorded constant growth in open source downloads.

Nowadays they have reached 3mil downloads and they have about 1000 loyal customers in

more than 60 countries. The company is privately held and has four offices in Paris, Grenoble,

New York and San Francisco. All together they have about 100 employees. Their main vision

is to deliver a software to every organization, which will help to improve operational efficiency.

They are not only targeting the multinationals here but all the companies independent of size

or industry. Bonitasoft has open source code since they believe that this will encourage the

further education and development of new technologies in BPM software. (LinkedIn, 2015)

1.1 Bonita BPM 6.4

Bonita BPM consists two parts: Bonita BPM studio and Bonita BPM platform.

Bonita BPM studio is a graphical environment which allows us to create process and it contains

two major tools. The whiteboard which is used for drawing process flow diagram and making

definition of each step. In the details panel you can edit things from the whiteboard such as add

actors connectors, select a task type or just general information. Within the details panel you

can also find form builder which represent second mayor tool.

Figure 1: Bonita BPM Studio

Once the process is ready in Bonita BPM studio you can then build it on Bonita platform.

Bonita BPM platform is made of a visible part and invisible part to the users. The invisible part

is Bonita BPM Engine which is the process execution engine of Bonita BPM.

The Bonita BPM portal is a visible one, which allows us to view tasks and take actions since it

is very interactive. The tool is also used by the administrator to install, deploy and manage

processes.

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Figure 2: Bonita BPM Portal

As mentioned before Bonitasoft is really trying to adopt the needs for any organization in the

world no matter its size or industry. Therefore they have released four different editions:

- Community

- Teamwork

- Efficiency

- Performance

Each of them is made for a specific users for instance I am using Bonita BPM Community

which is a free edition with restrains. (Bonitasoft, 2014)

Here are well known costumers that are currently using Bonita BPM:

Bouygues (telecommunications)

Konica Minolota (electronics)

Orange (telecommunications)

SNCF (rail transportation)

Société Générale (financial services)

2 BIZAGI PRESENTATION

Bizagi was founded in 1989 in Colombia, as Vision Software by five innovative people who

are still working in a company today. The company's main area is development of BPM tools.

Therefore Bizagi has been involved BPM solutions since the start. Bizagi is privately held

company just as Bonitasoft and currently employs 320 people who are mostly employed in

software development sector and their head office is located in London in addition they have 4

other offices in San Francisco, Bogotá, Sao Paulo and Madrid. In total 350 companies in 57

countries uses Bizagi BPM Suite, from many different sectors and wide variety of users ranging

from 150 to 14.000 users. The core product is Bizagi BPM Suite current version is 10.6.1 and

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it represents the main part of their total revenue which was in 2014 about US$ 45 million. Bizagi

has experienced a huge growth in 2014. The growth was about 60% comparing it to the previous

year and the growth was based on a growing demand of companies who tend to higher business

agility in a fast changing market. And business agility is what BizAgi stands for. (Adam, 2014,

page 7-8; Holloway, 2014)

2.1 Bizagi BPM Suite 10.6.1

Very similar to the Bonita 6.4, Bizagi is also build out of 3 different products. In their Bizagi

BPM Suite they offer Bizagi Modeler, Bizagi Studio and Bizagi Engine. So the main idea in

these three software is to follow the life cycle of a business process: Model, Build and Execute.

So the first step to create Bizagi solution is to start designing process flow in Bizagi modeler.

This product is specifically made for modeling and documentation. It allows us to visually

design and simulate business process in an easy way. Bizagi modeler is using international

standards for notation and modeling called BPMN, which really makes it even more easier for

users to change from any different software to Bizagi solutions. Current version of Bizagi

Modeler is 2.9.0.4 and the photo bellow shows the interface of the software, which is basically

very similar to any BPM modeling software.

Figure 3: Bizagi Modeler 2.9.0.4

The modeler can be used to design any kinds of business process in Figure 3 I have made a

simple process which would be a request to go on vacation.

Next software that comes with Bizagi Suite is Bizagi Studio. After you finish the design with

Bizagi Modeler, you have to move to the next step and this is automation of the process. Bizagi

Studio will allow us to transform process maps into real running application. Bizagi Studio

provides multi collaborative environment, which allows us to use flow diagrams, process data,

user interface, business rules, etc.

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The software itself in design is very similar to the previous Bizagi Modeler since there idea is

to make it look as close as possible so that the user does not need extra effort to adopt to the

visual appearance of another software. Great tool in Bizagi Studio is Wizard View which

guides our process through 7 steps and after completing those steps it will result in a working

application which can be ready for lunch in real time. Figure 4 shows the Wizard View

interface.

Figure 4: Wizard View

The steps to be done are:

- Model process (create a new process)

- Model data (model the entities that describe your business)

- Define forms (create the user interface required by the process)

- Business rules (define statements and ads conditions)

- Performers (define participants)

- Integrate (integrate Bizagi with the rest of the organization)

- Execute (open the end user work portal)

The last step is the execution of the application. When the last model of construction phase is

stored in the server it is time for Bizagi Engine who executes the model. The engine is based

on collection of components that offers all necessary functionalities, such as:

- Work portal (Create new cases and have access to the existing ones )

- BAM (Graphically view information of ongoing cases)

- Business rules (Allows to enter certain rules to Bizagi, which leads to reducing errors)

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The engine itself also controls that tasks and activities are performed by the right people in the

company and according to companies business polices, objectives and so on. The engine allows

you also to explore the data that is happening in your company. With its help you can analyze

business processes, evaluate productivity, and identify bottle necks and their causes. (Bizagi,

2014, page 5)

Here are well known costumers that are currently using Bizagi BPM suite:

Generali (insurance)

Adidas (manufacturing and retail)

Audi (manufacturing and retail)

Petrobras (utility and energy)

Air France (logistics and airspace)

3 SOFTWARE COMPARISON

3.1 Budget comparison

For most of the small companies the budget is very important. Those companies are still under

development and are more careful when it comes to new investments. They have to find the

right equilibrium between expenses and gains.

Bizagi Modeler and Bizagi Studio are free of charge, which is great news for any company.

However there are always tricks hidden inside any free software, since even Bizagi has to make

money. From my research I have found out that Bizagi Modeler has all features and has no

limitations of use even if you are not a subscriber. However free version of Bizagi Studio has

certain limitations, for instance it is restricted to 20 participants in a process. After you become

a subscriber you can have unlimited. The previously described Bizagi Engine is completely

payable and this is where it becomes expensive. The pricing is set on a number of individual

users. So basically every user in the process has to pay for the license. The pricing of it is show

in Table 1.

Table 1: Bizagi Pricing

Bizagi engine License per user

Maintenance Price for 50 users

Perpetual license 615€ per user

103€ per user/per year

30 750€+5 150€(each year)

1 year license (subscription) 239€ per user

included 11 950€(each year)

Adapted from: Bizagi (2015)

Bonitasoft has a bit different approach than Bizagi but both tend to the same strategic approach.

Both of the companies promote themselves as free to use and then if you demand for more you

should subscribe. Bonitasoft does not sell licenses per user like Bizagi but they have different

editions which vary in pricing. I believe that team work edition of Bonita BPM is sufficient for

any enterprise which define itself as SME. The restrictions in using Bonita BPM free version

or so called community version is mostly in features which are not available. For instance,

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profile management is disabled, which defines what information and actions are presented to

end users. Basic things missing are generating documentation in .doc, .ppt, .pdf, .html. You

cannot customize look and reuse it after. You cannot customize how to visualize your data,

create costume reports or get clear indicators how to optimize your process and so on. The free

version will not result in optimum process improvement for the companies and those who want

more would be forced to subscribe.

Table 2: Bonita Pricing

Bonita BPM 6.4 License Hardware cost and maintenance

Number of users Total price per year

Teamwork edition 9 500€ per year

400€ per month Unlimited 14 300 €

Adapted from: Grootenboer G. (2013)

3.2 Modeling environment

Both of the software are designed to run locally and they must be installed on local drive before

we are able to use them. First difference that can be important for certain users is that for

instance Bonitasoft can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems (OS) while Bizagi

is available only for Mac and Windows. Both of them are supported for 32bit and 64bit

Windows OS. Both of the software use BPMN which means our model will be generalized and

understandable in global environment. I will mention at this place one big difference between

Bizagi and Bonita which I believe that I important as well. Bonita BPM is an open source code

while Bizagi is closed. For some users this fact might be important mostly for the users who

have high skill and time, which will allow them to view into each aspect of how the software

works and this is only available in open source.

From my own experience in both of the software I would say I prefer the Bizagi look, which

seems to be more organized and very simplified. Bizagi offers many presets already and the

wizards who guide you through processes. The software itself is more responsive as well, while

Bonita has certain spikes.

3.3 Support and documentation

The publication from Bonitasoft on Bonita BPM is posted on their website and is able to give

you an answer to any problem you might have in particular situation. There are loads of

professional tutorials offered on their website and they organize training in local environments

or webinars to maintain their costumer relationship. The webinars are in most of the cases free,

however the trainings are payable. For the subscribers they are available to answer your

questions regarding the software by email and telephone 24/7. Which is just another proof of

how developed is their support.

On the other hand Bizagi does not have specific documentation on each of the software which

would guide us outside of the software. Most of their tutorials are implemented in the software

and are mostly basic information. However they do offer online course with virtual instructor

who helps you understand main idea of the software.

3.4 Publishing

Export in Bonita BPM is very limited. I have to say I am disappointed here. The only available

export of our model is as .img. Which is completely insufficient. However the final process

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documentation can be exported in all different formats such as pdf. .doc… But as mentioned

above this does not come within the community version of Bonita. (Bonitasoft, 2014a)

On the other hand Bizagi offers model export in .pdf, .doc, .html. The good side of Bizagi is as

well that even in the free version you can use all of the export formats without any restriction.

Both of the software also support BPMN 2.0 export.

3.5 Ease of use

Having a long learning curve in certain software is definitely not welcome. Therefore

companies tend to simplify their products. In the table below I have included indicators which

I believe are important to bring software to a level at which users will experience less

difficulties.

First indicator is interface and from my own experience I believe that interface is much more

user friendly at Bizagi. Here I was looking mostly at the design of menus and white board.

At model design I have decided to design in both software the same models and I have seen

many similarities between them. Maybe I could give small advantage to Bonita since they

integrated in their interface the detail panel and you can quickly change the description of each

action.

Features offered in the software itself is important step to satisfy the needs of user. Bizagi is

clearly focusing on supplying these features and bringing them close to the end users. Wizards

and in integrated on screen tips and tutorials are clearly an advantage over Bonita.

I found it important that certain processes are available at any time and on any device. Also

both of the software providers believe that, therefore both have very good support on tablets

and phones, however Bonita is only allowing this to the subscribers.

Process execution I meant here the speed how fast can a user reach its goal. So basically from

the start where we design the model and to the actual use in real time. Bonita scored better since

once model is complete the execution itself does not have to be exported to another software

like in Bizagi you have to model first and the use Bizagi Studio to create application. In Bonita

you do it simply in one software and then run it in the portal where you can access the business

process.

Table 3: Ease of use comparison

Bonita Bizagi

Interface 3 5

Model design 4 4

Features (Wizards, drag and drop, presets, take a tour, smart align)

4 5

Support (publications, forums, tutorials, training)

5 4

Accessibility (phone, tablets) 5 5

Process Execution 5 4

Total score: 4,333333 4,5

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3.6 Security

For most of the companies information leaking is a serious problem. Not only that information

could be leaking to outer borders of our company but also within our company. For instance

we have certain information that can be shared only with certain employees in the company.

The example can be raise request model. Only the users involved in this process should be

available to access the information in the model.

Bizagi has tackled this problem from two different levels of security. First one is authentication

to the work portal and second is authorization. Authentication can be done via Windows

Authentication method or Bizagi authentication method. Main idea here is that you have to

login with certain username and password, the login can be also linked to Microsoft account

which will automatically allow you to access Bizagi. You only need to be part of Bizagi user

base. Authorization is where we give certain permissions to users involved in the process and

may also use different model depending on their role and level of clearance. Authorization is

done in Bizagi Studio. (Bizagi, 2014, page 29-30)

In a similar way Bonita has it solved as well. When a user opens Bonita BPM portal the user

will be asked for user name and password, however there is not synchronization like in Bizagi

who is connected to Windows account which I believe is a very good advantage for Bizagi. By

the default no password policy is set so it is recommended to do one. However authorization is

set by default once you make a user profile Bonita will assign the right of access automatically

to that profile. This mechanize ensures that users have access to relevant resources only.

Authorization can be modified in Bonita BPM Studio.

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4 CONCLUSION

Having a BPM software is huge asset for companies. In my research project I analyzed Bonita

BPM 6.4 and Bizagi BPM suite 10.6.1. Both of the software are using very similar sales

strategies and the products they do not distinguish much from each other. I can easily say that

Bonitasoft and Bizagi are very hard competitors and most of their target customers are the same.

Therefore many customers are put under difficult decision, which are trying to choose the right

software for their needs. From my personal experience and the publications, which I found on

the web. I can say that functionality is much more advanced at Bizagi and their idea to have

modeler and studio in separated software is contributing to that, since we can now clearly

distinguish from drawing a process and automating it. This has helped them to remain very easy

to use since the interface itself is not overcrowded with tools. According to Table Bizagi scores

4.5/ and Bonita 4.3 on scale 1 to 5, which is another prove that Bizagi is easier to use. According

to my research the pricing can be interesting as well. If we are the company who has more than

40 users in the process than I believe that Bonita BPM would become cheaper solution for us.

Since they offer unlimited participants in their process. However Bizagi pricing is based on user

license, which is good for a smaller companies up to 30 users since after it can become very

pricey. Therefore, this can be an important indicator for companies in their decision making

process. In addition the free version of Bonita is more restraining than Bizagi, which should be

considered by users who do not wish to invest in payable edition.

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5 SOURCES

1. Adam, S. (2014). Bizagi Report. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from

http://www.bizagi.com/docs/Fraunhofer_IESE_Report_Bizagi_2014_EN.pdf?_cldee=cXF

2aWRzQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ%3d%3d

2. Bizagi (2014). Bizagi BPM Suite Functional Description. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from

https://www.bizagi.com/docs/BizAgi%20Functional%20Description.pdf

3. Bizagi (2015). Engine Pricing. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from

http://www.bizagi.com/en/bpm-suite/bpm-products/engine/pricing

4. Bonitasoft (2014). Bonita BPM overview. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from

http://documentation.bonitasoft.com/bonita-bpm-overview

5. Bonitasoft (2014a). Import and Export. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from

http://documentation.bonitasoft.com/import-and-export-process-0

6. Grootenboer, G. (2013) Pricing of Bonita BPM. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from

http://bpmknowhow.blogspot.com/2012/09/bpmns-needs-sme.html

7. Holloway, S. (2014). Bizagi overview. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from

http://www.bloorresearch.com/company/bizagi/

8. LinkedIn (2015). Company overview. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from

https://www.linkedin.com/company/546771?trk=vsrp_companies_res_name&trkInfo=VS

RPsearchId%3A3375887511423490867826%2CVSRPtargetId%3A546771%2CVSRPcm

pt%3Aprimary