Free BPM Modeling Tools

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I was recently asked by a customer if I know of any free process modeling and automation tools. This got me thinking of how many vendors provide a free edition of their software for unlimited use i.e. no trial basis or try before you buy editions. After some research I came up with the following short list.

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 Free BPM and Process Modeling Tools:

• BizAgi Process Modeler
• Questetra BPM Suite
• Tibco Business Studio
• Aris Express (soon to be released)
• Process Maker
• Open ModelSphere
• Visual Paradigm – Smart Development Environment (Community Edition)
• Visual Paradigm for UML (Community Edition)

I have not evaluated each application so could not comment on their strengths and weaknesses but would be interested to hear about other free BPM and/or Enterprise Architecture tools so I can add them to my resource list. 

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BPM and SOA – Leading Modernisation Initiatives during the Downturn

In a recent article from CBR it states that research shows evidence that many organisations are focussing their modernisation initiatives around BPM and SOA technologies and approaches.

CIOs are abandoning the rip-and-replace culture in favour of modernising existing systems, research from Software AG has revealed. 

The research, which quizzed over 150 IT directors, revealed an appetite for implementation of BPM and SOA initiatives as organisations try to cut costs and improve service delivery in the tough economic climate. “Strategic investment in modernisation will deliver cost cuts and free-up talented IT staff to concentrate on business critical projects and fight the downturn,” Jim Close of Software AG said. 

A priority in ensuring success with modernisation is to choose a preferred set of common tools. In cases where organisations have many disparate data integration tools, rationalisation is required to esure a fit for purpose toolset. Not doing so increases maintenance costs, licensing and having to have a diverse and often specialist skills and resource pool.

Software AG found that 21% of respondents to its poll see application modernisation as a top priority with some 24% of the sites surveyed viewing business process management initiatives as the top choice to fight the downturn.  They said that sloppy process management damaged customer service delivery. 

In further research from Software AG, it found that in Germany companies report that business flexibility supported by IT is a key concern.