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UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA

FACULTY OF ECONOMICS

PROJECT WORK

ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF BPM SOFTWARE

Ljubljana, February 2015

MATEJ DOMADOVNIK

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

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.

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.

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)

Socit Gnrale (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, Bogot, 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.

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)

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
Perpetual license
1 year license (subscription)

License per
user
615 per
user
239 per
user

Maintenance

Price for 50 users

103 per user/per


year
included

30 750+5 150(each
year)
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

Teamwork edition

9 500 per
year

Hardware cost and


maintenance
400 per month

Number of users
Unlimited

Total price per


year
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

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

Model design

Features (Wizards, drag and drop,


presets, take a tour, smart align)

Support (publications, forums,


tutorials, training)

Accessibility (phone, tablets)

Process Execution

4,333333

4,5

Total score:

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.

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


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

11,

2015,

from

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


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

8. LinkedIn

February

4,

2015,

from

(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

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