iBPMS vs Low-Code Automation: Which One is Better for Your Enterprise?

For an enterprise to succeed, business process management (BPM) must be a core strategy. As technology changes with each passing day, new ways to discover, measure and optimize workflows and drive intelligent automation projects continue to emerge, so technology leaders need to have a keen sense of change in technology trends.

Some tasks may be beyond the scope of intelligent business process management suites (iBPMS), such as solving end-to-end business process management problems, promoting business and IT collaboration, and creating solutions using modern technologies. Today's enterprises cannot use iBPMS solutions to create autonomous customer-facing applications, nor can they manage processes using a consistent user interface across different types of devices. This article will focus on the advantages of low code in solving BPM problems.

What is iBPMS?

iBPMS is a business process management software whose functions are not limited to automating repeatable operations and recording business workflows, but can also solve highly complex process problems, such as relationship chains and processes involving multiple systems, applications, platforms, and personnel. By integrating modern technology trends such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), the iBPMS platform can meet the needs of process application combination and improvement, case management, and digital transformation projects.

Today's business process management philosophy is usually to put the output of digital transformation to the most beneficial use. New technologies in the fields of robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have changed the way we think about automation, workflows and other processes. iBPMS provides companies with recommendations on digital operations combinations by integrating analytical tools, advanced decision management tools, and situational and behavioral information to help improve processes across the enterprise.

Limitations of iBPMS

Many use cases for iBPMS overlap with low-code application solutions. For example, both use workflow automation technology to automate operational processes.

But for some companies, basic process automation is not enough. Companies want employees to interact with customers through multiple channels and technologies. In order to build customer-facing applications and flexibly deploy solutions to the selected cloud according to business needs, companies can choose process improvement solutions or software solutions. One of the main problems with business process solutions is the need to clarify the scope of automation based on the overlapping functions of each tool, but it is sometimes difficult for companies to clearly know which tools are applicable, especially when the process cannot be defined in advance. In addition, some tools have limited development capabilities and functions, such as version control. In other words, the deeper the company goes into the process and the more data it obtains, the more it needs to consider the data structure of software solutions or stand-alone applications.

In addition to accelerating time to market, low-code platforms can also deploy cloud-native solutions that integrate with core systems across various data sources and can be flexibly expanded. Although iBPMS is good at depicting complex, large-scale workflows across the entire enterprise, modern requirements around data, platform independence, and multi-channel configuration are no longer its use.

Advantages of low-code over iBPMS

Data Structure

In solutions developed on low-code application development platforms, end users interact with the application rather than the platform, but in iBPMS, end users interact with the platform itself. This is an important distinction for some user roles, such as end users, developers who repeatedly iterate and improve applications, QA personnel responsible for testing, and operations teams concerned with security and deployment.

Enterprises can drill down into process steps and automate custom solutions with iBPMS, but low-code enables IT to create custom logic within autonomous applications through microflows. Modular, containerized applications are more suitable as intelligent automation tools than process management solutions. For example, end-to-end process management and two-step approval processes are easier to model and modify when developed on low-code platforms.

User Interface and User Experience

When we peel back the layers, we can see that modern iBPMS solutions are centered around complex process automation rather than user experience. These platforms often prioritize integration over user experience and limit development efforts to improve the end-user experience. iBPMS solutions eventually hit a wall because they don’t prioritize user experience.

In contrast, low-code development platforms put the user experience at the center of the solution. However, if a low-code platform's user interface is confusing or difficult for business users and customers to operate (which is not the case with iBPMS solutions), then it will be difficult for the platform to succeed. For many companies, the appeal of low-code solutions lies in lowering the development threshold. Low-code application platforms horizontally expand the company's developer team through a powerful but easy-to-use user interface.

Suitable use cases for iBPMS

iBPMS excels at executing and monitoring repeatable, form-driven, automated workflows.

iBPMS also include technology to help companies identify and orchestrate these process workflows, but they cannot deploy autonomous software. Due to limited UI capabilities, customer-facing use cases are equally limited, and iBPMS solutions are not a good fit when companies need a tool that can solve problems that are not process-centric.

Use cases suitable for low-code

In contrast, the application possibilities and cloud deployment options provided by low-code development platforms are significantly broader, and their development interfaces are more conducive to collaboration between business and IT.

The Siemens low-code platform is suitable for developers of all abilities, creating a rich and intuitive development experience through low-code and no-code IDEs, data hubs for data integration, and simple and flexible deployment options. For example, Atlas UI is a simple, coordinated, flexible and easy-to-use UI framework. AtlasUI provides a consistent experience on the web, mobile devices, wearable devices, conversational UIs, and other modern modes and touchpoints. These experiences meet the consumer-grade requirements of today's end users and keep employees and customers highly engaged as processes are automated. Through platforms like Siemens low-code, companies can flexibly create applications for a variety of business scenarios.