Categories   >   Workflow Software
Last Reviewed: November 14th, 2024

Best Workflow Software Of 2024

What is Workflow Software?

Workflow Software is essentially a system designed to streamline routine business procedures. Its primary function is simplifying, automating, and coordinating different tasks across a team or organization, tackling issues like inefficiencies, miscommunication, and oversight in task transition. This innovative tool provides numerous benefits such as increased productivity, improved compliance, and reduction of manual, error-prone activities. Key functionalities include automated process mapping, real-time monitoring, and integrations with existing software. Emerging features like AI-enhanced process improvement are revolutionizing workflow software. For industries with repetitive and complex tasks like healthcare, finance, or manufacturing, such software is invaluable. However, its implementation can be time-consuming, and businesses may struggle to adapt existing processes to a new system. Despite these limitations, workflow software remains an indispensable tool for operational efficiency, providing an overall value proposition of streamlined processes, reduced errors, and increased productivity. Such benefits reaffirm its importance in the modern business landscape.

What Are The Key Benefits of Workflow Software?

  • Increased operational efficiency
  • Reduced process errors
  • Improved team collaboration
  • Automated task processing
  • Real-time performance tracking
  • Enhanced compliance adherence
  • Better resource allocation
  • Efficient report generation
  • Facilitates digital transformation
  • Improved customer experience
Read more

Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 89 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Workflow Software overall:

Wrike
Wrike
Start Price
$9.80
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Wrike

Wrike, a cloud-based project management platform, has attracted significant attention for its comprehensive features and ability to streamline workflows. Users frequently highlight its intuitive interface, robust functionality, and scalability as key strengths. The platform's customizability empowers teams to tailor their project management processes to their specific needs, enhancing efficiency and productivity. Wrike's Gantt charts, for instance, provide a clear visual representation of project timelines and dependencies, enabling project managers to track progress and identify potential bottlenecks. Additionally, Wrike's automation capabilities, such as automated workflows and custom request forms, free up valuable time for teams to focus on high-impact tasks.

However, some users note that Wrike's extensive features can lead to a steeper learning curve compared to simpler project management tools. Navigating the interface and discovering all the functionalities may require some initial investment of time and effort. Additionally, while Wrike offers various pricing plans to accommodate different team sizes and requirements, some users find the cost to be relatively high compared to other options in the market. Despite these considerations, Wrike remains a popular choice for teams seeking a powerful and versatile project management solution. Its ability to adapt to diverse workflows, coupled with its robust features and scalability, makes it particularly well-suited for larger teams and organizations with complex project requirements. Wrike's comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities further enhance its value proposition, providing valuable insights into team performance and project progress.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly Interface: Approximately 60% of users mention Wrike’s user-friendly interface and features in addition to easy installation.
  • Collaboration: According to 90% of users, it's easy to share files and collaborate with internal and external team members, stakeholders and business partners.
  • Support and Learning Materials: Wrike offers helpful customer support to help with implementation questions and any other concerns that arise as stated by 65% of users.
  • Customizable and Flexible: Approximately 75% of users say Wrike has a customizable and flexible system to fit their business needs.
  • Organization: There are plenty of folders and labels to keep files and projects organized, as reported by 85% of users.
  • Notifications: Wrike delivers various project notifications and alerts as stated by 61% of users.
  • Helpful Tools: Approximately 71% of users appreciate Wrike's various dashboards, Gantt charts, reports and other distinct modules.
  • Steep Learning Curve: Of the users who describe Wrike's user interface, 39% say the interface has a steep learning curve and is hard to understand.
  • Training: Approximately 35% of users iterate that implementation training and support is available but is difficult to learn.
  • Alerts: Of the users who discuss Wrike's alerts and notifications, 38% of them say there's no way to adjust how many they receive.

Key Features

  • Gantt Charts: Zoom out to see the full view of a project’s tasks, dependencies, timeline and scope. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to adjust task dates and add dependencies. It’s also easy to toggle between different views (day, week, month, etc.). Wrike facilitates data transfer for users switching from Microsoft Project, ensuring all elements are imported for MPP, MPX and XML formats. 
  • Task Management: Wrike brings together all aspects of your project — tasks, schedules and team communications — into a single location for more efficient project management. The platform connects with Gmail, Apple Mail and Outlook, allowing you to manage tasks directly from your inbox. It also facilitates time tracking and reporting. 
  • Project Templates: A range of pre-built templates allow teams to start with key elements already in place. Specific template types include agile teamwork, project scheduling, event management, product launches, Kanban projects, ticketing and helpdesk, sprint planning, and product roadmaps. 
  • Reports: Wrike offers reporting capabilities to users with business and enterprise accounts. The report builder takes you through the four-stage process of creating a report, with inputs for type, source data, filters and layout (table or column). Report topics include weekly project status, unassigned tasks, active tasks by assignee and others. 
  • Wrike Resource (premium add-on): This feature provides resource management and is available with Business, Wrike for Marketers and Enterprise plans. A visual, intuitive interface facilitates workload planning and changes, providing full visibility of team performance. You can also customize resource utilization analytics tools to track KPIs for better insight. 
  • Wrike Proof (premium add-on): Streamline feedback processes and review cycles with visual tools and a centralized system that keeps version control in check. You can assign approvers internally as well as invite external reviewers. The software also connects with Adobe Creative Cloud tools, letting creatives review feedback and make updates from the app they work in. 
  • Wrike Lock (premium add-on): Wrike provides cloud security and privacy with encryption keys. Both your data and the keys are encrypted, letting you determine who can access and edit the information stored on the platform. You have full control over the individual keys via a master key that’s stored by the Key Management Service from AWS. 
  • Wrike Publish (premium add-on): This feature enables digital asset management (DAM). Integrations with DAM platforms provide a range of capabilities, including stakeholder collaboration and file proofing. You can also attach files to tasks, quickly search your workspace for the right asset and gain brand consistency across campaigns. 
Asana
Asana
Start Price
$10.99
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Asana

Asana is a work management platform designed to help users organize and streamline operations with a user-friendly, customizable interface, automation and AI. Key features include the ability to create custom fields, deadlines, and subtasks, utilize various project views like Kanban boards and timelines, and leverage AI for summarizing tasks and drafting workflows. During my test of the software, I liked how easy it was to create a task by email and create project and task summaries using their AI tool.

Customization was also a win. I built a task template for my Content Creation project with custom fields, relative due dates, assignees and a bulleted checklist. However, head’s up, adding task templates to existing tasks requires creating a new task with the template and merging it. Hands down, workflow management was one of my favorite parts of testing Asana. Adding in new sections (without having to go to the list view) and creating custom rules for transitions with a little help from their version of prompts was a breeze.

Collaboration is another plus, with in-card comments and mentions, an inbox, group and individual messaging in platform and guest accounts with custom permissions for external users.

On the downside, if you don’t have access to a free trial of the paid version (like I did), the free version may not be as effective. You won’t be able to access AI features, certain project views and resource management. The setup also isn’t exactly intuitive, and you may need training plus multiple visits to the help center to conceptualize your project and pick the right template.

Overall, Asana is a fantastic all-in-one project management solution for users looking for a flexible tool with AI assistance and don’t mind springing for one of the paid plans.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: Reviewers appreciated that the system is easy to use and intuitive with a clean UI, even if you’re new to projects.
  • Overall Functionality: Workflows and automation, task management and collaboration are everything you’d look for in a project management system, according to users.
  • Customization: Users liked the customization options for unique team needs, projects and workflows.
  • >Cost: Users mentioned Asana’s paid plans were too expensive for smaller businesses making it difficult to upgrade from the limited free version.
  • Set-Up: Getting started can be overwhelming with so many customizations and task options. Users said you may need extra time to implement it effectively.
  • Advanced Features: Reviewers noted some features like AI, advanced project views, resource management and multiple task assignees require expensive plan upgrades.

Key Features

  • Task Management: Create tasks with custom fields, deadlines, tags, subtasks, dependencies and descriptions during setup, adding tasks to the section you want when you create your first project or forwarding an email to [email protected]. Save time by converting your custom tasks into a template you can apply to new tasks and using AI to summarize tasks and draft subtasks. Switch between list, board, timeline, calendar and Gantt views to optimize visualization and drag-and-drop tasks between sections.
  • Project Planning and Scheduling: Kick your projects off with a plethora of templates ranging from product rollouts to hiring pipelines, or import your project from a spreadsheet. Convert tasks into milestones on the card and add details about why it’s a milestone. Add tasks to multiple projects and organize strategic initiatives by creating a portfolio where you can track the updates of all your projects.
  • Resource Management: Keep track of what’s on everyone’s plate by switching to the workload view. Drag and drop tasks to manage timelines and assignees and assign custom values like hours or points to tasks to accurately factor in employee effort.
  • Sprint Management: Hit the ground running by applying the sprint template to a new project. Add custom fields, use the timeline tab to map out sprint tasks and deadlines and set start and finish dates in the project view.
  • Collaboration Features: Add updates, questions and notes into the description. Comment on cards with mentions, files, lists, code blocks and even AI assists. Send messages directly to individuals or teams using the inbox. Keep your clients in the loop by creating guest accounts and sharing specific tasks and projects with them.
  • Reports and Insights: Tap into a bird’s eye view of your project by clicking on the dashboard tab where you can monitor overdue, complete and incomplete tasks and burnup charts and create custom charts with their AI tool. Visit the reporting tab to view trends, progress, resourcing and work health.
  • Custom Automations and Workflows: Build a workflow that’s a perfect fit for your project in the workflow tab by adding sections for each step in the process with custom transitions and rules when tasks are moved. Add custom automations and rules from scratch, use the options provided as a starting point or get a helping hand from the AI studio. Check out the automations we built in depth below.
Jira
Jira
Start Price
$10
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Jira

Jira is an agile-based project management platform that caters to a vast range of industries thanks to its all-in-one functionality, customization and flexibility. It allows users to fully customize workflows, issue types, fields and automations.

After watching a few tutorials, I personally found it quite simple to create my own projects using the templates and modifying it to meet my needs. Although some of the automation actions and issues have some programming language involved, it’s not a huge roadblock and I created and tested multiple automations successfully.

Task (or issue) management was on point, with multiple views, custom workflows, task assignment, in-card collaboration and time tracking and custom fields. It offered comprehensive (but not overly advanced) reports and a helpful summary dashboard.

Sprints were intuitive and easy to execute, and I especially appreciated the drag-and-drop feature for planning. Some users mentioned a learning curve, and I would agree, as I relied on videos to guide me through some parts of the setup lest this test take weeks not days.

Overall, Jira is a match made in heaven for agile enthusiasts and users who want a flexible, customizable project management platform and don’t mind getting into the weeds with learning courses and tutorials.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: Users appreciated the ability to customize workflows, issue types and fields and the flexibility to navigate complex projects and problem-solve.
  • Collaborative: The system helps users collaborate with other teams, projects, and stakeholders and efficiently bridges gaps between remote teams, noted reviewers.
  • Integrations: Reviewers liked the extensive integrations with most third-party modules like Slack, Bitbucket and more to complete workflows and processes.

What Users Like

  • Customization: “We were able to tailor the workflow to fit our specific needs, which greatly enhanced our efficiency. For instance, we created custom issue types that aligned with our unique project phases, making it easier for team members to understand their tasks at a glance.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx
  • Project Visualization: “[Jira’s robust roadmapping and dependency tracking capabilities are] invaluable for coordinating multiple product launches. Also, the premium version's Advanced Roadmaps feature lets us visualize our entire product pipeline so that's from sourcing to launch, but you've got to invest time in learning the system, and I think for smaller operations, it might be overkill.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
  • Task Management: “Jira has given us the structure to break down our complex workflows into clear, manageable steps, which was exactly what we needed as we expanded our customer base. With Jira, we can create specific 'boards' for each client’s SEO campaign, where every task is detailed and assigned to the right team member. Each board has phases, like keyword research, content writing, and on-page optimization, with clear deadlines. Having this setup has helped us catch any bottlenecks early. If the content team takes longer to deliver, for instance, we can adjust the timeline for the next steps right away instead of rushing it.” - Mushfiq Sarker, CEO of LaGrande Marketing
  • Lags: Reviewers noted that the system sometimes lags and takes time to load, especially for multiple projects and large data sets.
  • Learning Curve: Its UX can feel complex, and it takes time to set up, customize and use to its full ability. An internal Jira expert may be required, according to some users.
  • Administration: Users mentioned that the system is difficult to administer, and its back-end is hard to manage.

What Users Dislike

  • Slow Loading Time: “Its interface moves like molasses.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
  • Learning Curve: “We had some initial challenges with team members who were not familiar with the platform, which required additional training sessions to ensure everyone was on the same page. However, once they became accustomed to the interface, the benefits outweighed the initial hurdles.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx

Key Features

  • Agile Boards: Manage your tasks, or issues using Scrum and Kanban boards with custom statuses, fields and transitions. Create new issues using the button below each status. You can view projects using a list, board or timeline view.
  • Reports and Insights: Get insights into where your team is at throughout every stage of the project by generating custom reports like the average age report, created vs. resolved issues report and sprint report. Manage workloads with the time tracking report, user workload report and version workload report. Use the summary view to monitor activity, status overview, priority breakdown and related projects.
  • Collaboration Features: Communicate with team members and assignees directly on the issue card with comments and mentions. Attach files, view card activity and add descriptions for additional instructions. Integrate with Outlook, Slack and other communication tools.
  • Custom Automations: Build custom automation rules by setting a trigger with the option to add an action, a condition or a branch. Get a helping hand by searching for triggers related to what you want to automate and selecting recommended actions and conditions.
  • Sprint Management: Use the Scrum option to run sprints. Fill in project details like name, duration and scope and add tasks and drag and drop them to your sprint using the backlog. Complete your sprints and auto-add pending tasks to the backlog or to a new sprint and run a sprint report for insights.
  • Task Management: Manage tasks by creating customizable issue cards under each status or by importing issues from CSV files. Add assignees, due dates, time tracking, comments, descriptions, teams, labels, status and priority to issues. Move tasks from status to status using transitions and workflow automation.
  • Customizable Workflows: Create custom workflows for your tasks and subtasks by going to project settings and clicking on issue types. Set statuses based on the type of task you’re completing or from the project template you select. Automate actions by setting rules for transitions from one status to another.
monday.com
monday.com
Start Price
$9
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked monday.com

monday.com is a cloud-based project management platform that caters to a wide range of industries thanks to its customization, user-friendly interface and templates. It allows users to build boards from templates or from scratch and view projects through multiple views like list, calendar, Ganntt and Kanban. During our test, we enjoyed using the platform's pre-built templates and drag-and-drop feature to set up projects and reorganize tasks.

Its task management features are stellar. We liked how easy it is to custom groups for tasks, assign them to specific team members, and leverage various communication tools like comments, mentions and board discussions. The updates feature means everyone is on the same page and the view option boosts accountability. On the automation front, we successfully used the built-in automation engine, which comes with both pre-made templates and no-code customization options, to build a custom automation for status changes with little to no difficulty.

On the flip side, monday.com may have a slight learning curve for users who aren’t familiar with project management tools. Additionally, some advanced features, such as custom notifications and time tracking, require upgrading to a higher pricing tier, which could become expensive for larger teams.

All in all, we thought monday’s intuitive interface, customization options and no-code automations make it a great option for users without a ton of technical expertise and a flexible budget.

Pros & Cons

  • Task Management: Users appreciated how easy it is to monitor tasks with customized views, an activity feed and task updates.
  • Collaboration: Instant messaging, integrations, board discussions and easy scheduling and planning were a plus for reviewers.
  • User-Friendly: Reviewers said it was simple to set up and use for less tech-savvy users, and liked the attractive, colorful interface with helpful templates.

What Users Like

  • Project Tracking: "The ability to customize columns and task dependencies lets us create a clear, tailored workflow." - Jeffery Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans
  • Interface: "The timeline and calendar views were particularly useful when we had multiple projects running alongside each other, helping everyone stay aligned without a lot of back-and-forth." - Rob Stevenson, Founder of BackupVault
  • Notifications: “The automation features were especially useful in notifying different people responsible at different steps of the journey while maintaining transparency and accountability with the rest of the team and building a frictionless and trust-based culture.” - Alok Jain, CEO of Reveal
  • Cost: Reviewers noted that advanced features like customized notifications or time tracking required a plan upgrade which could become expensive.
  • Learning Curve: It takes time to get used to the navigation and features according to users.
  • Mobile App: Some users said the mobile app doesn’t have all the features available.

What Users Dislike

  • Complexity: “[monday.com] lacked some flexibility in handling complex, multi-step tasks that needed a lot of customization, which sometimes left us manually tracking those details elsewhere.” - Rob Stevenson, Founder of BackupVault
  • Time-Based Automations: “Creating an automation to notify a user three days after a certain date, for example, was more complex than it needed to be. We had to set up custom date columns to drive these instead of just being able to calculate it as a part of automation.” - Alok Jain, CEO of Reveal

Key Features

  • Custom Dashboard: Build your own custom dashboard using built-in widgets and third-party integrations. Get a bird’s eye view of your boards and teams along with individual team member and board views. Monitor workload, timelines, feed activity and custom charts, like in-progress tasks, from a central location.
  • Multiple Views: Toggle between different views to track your projects using Gantt charts, Kanban boards, calendar views, project reports and custom filters like task owner, status and timeline.
  • Task Management: Create tasks under custom groups like To-Do, In-Progress, On-Hold, and Complete and add personalized fields, assignees, due dates, labels, statuses and priorities. Mention assignees, add comments, files, links and tables directly in the tasks using the Updates tab. Drag and drop tasks and groups to reorganize things.
  • Automations: Streamline workflows with no-code automations using templates or building custom automations from scratch using conditions and actions. Apply automations to specific boards and save your custom automations as a template to use on other boards.
  • Templates: Create boards suited to your project needs by accessing the template center and choosing from a range of templates, including marketing, project management, sales and CRM, design, software development, and HR.
  • Workflow Management: Organize your processes by creating custom workflows. Search for the trigger you’re looking for and add it as a starting block. Build on those blocks by choosing from several options: action, if or else or delay. Select the board where you want the action to happen, add conditions and edit blocks. View active workflows and pause or edit workflows as processes change.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet
Start Price
$9
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that helps users streamline and organize processes with a spreadsheet-esque interface, flexible templates, multiple views and team collaboration. Apart from the grid view, you can visualize projects using a Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar view, card view or timeline view. No-code automations are another note-worthy feature, where you can build from templates or scratch.

It streamlines project creation with templates suited to different industries and end goals, so you have a jumping-off point instead of going in blind. Team collaboration is another area where Smartsheet shines, with comments, conversations and file and sheet sharing (even with people outside your organization). It also offers a customizable dashboard view, although I did find some of the chart widgets a little tricky to work, without training.

Highlights for me were definitely the familiarity of spreadsheet formatting (but with more views and automations), robust collaboration capabilities and guided explainers throughout the setup. However, user reviews noted limited filters and integrations, lags and expensive add-ons as downsides.

Overall, Smartsheet is a great option for teams familiar with spreadsheets but are on the lookout for more visualization and collaboration, along with the budget to spend on advanced features.

Pros & Cons

  • Automation: Reviewers appreciated the no-code automation and said that it helps to eliminate productivity killers and saves time.
  • Collaboration: Users liked the sharing option with level-based permissions that allow collaboration with non-users and help coworkers and external stakeholders stay up-to-date on projects and processes.
  • Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and templates make it easy to set up, customize and access multiple views, according to reviewers.

What Users Like

  • Customization: “We can customize it to fit various projects, whether we’re tracking client cases, managing document revisions, or planning team tasks. For instance, I created a project tracker for a major client contract negotiation. The ability to set deadlines, assign tasks, and update statuses in real time has streamlined our communication and kept everyone on the same page.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
  • Collaboration: “We had this one job in a high-rise condo that put Smartsheet to the test. The sliding door system was an older model with custom-sized panels that aren’t easy to source, and it needed specific adjustments due to the unique structure of the frame. Typically, coordinating the right parts, tools, and technician experience for something like this would require several phone calls and a lot of back-and-forth. With Smartsheet, we were able to set up the job details to track not only the special parts needed but also assign a technician who was experienced with that model. When the parts came in, the technician was notified directly through Smartsheet, so he knew the moment everything was ready. It saved us from potential delays and kept the customer fully updated on when the work could be done.” - Gal Cohen, Business Development Leader and Field Area Manager JDM Sliding Doors
  • System Integration: Limited integrations and complex configurations were an issue for reviewers.
  • Premium Add-Ons: Reviewers noted that advanced features come with a price tag that can be prohibitive for some businesses.
  • Slow Loading Time: Users reported it takes time to display screens export formats occasionally.

What Users Dislike

  • Integration: “Despite its many benefits, integrating Smartsheet with other systems posed some challenges. Initially, we experienced issues with data syncing between Smartsheet and our CRM software, leading to discrepancies in our financial reporting. Recognizing this, I allocated specific time for thorough testing before our full implementation, allowing us to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.” - Austin Rulfs, Founder of Zanda Wealth Mortgage Brokers
  • Learning Curve: “While Smartsheet is powerful, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. I found that investing time in training sessions helped bridge that gap, making it easier for everyone to adapt and use the tool effectively.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal

Key Features

  • Dashboards and Reports: Customize your dashboard by adding widgets like reports, project-specific charts, shortcuts, images and text. Consolidate data from multiple sheets into a summary view using system reports. Track sheet changes using bi-directional functionality. Send reports via collaborative tools and change statuses to recur.
  • Multiple Views: View your tasks using the grid view, akin to a spreadsheet, a Gantt view as an add-on to your grid view, a Kanban board where you can drag and drop tasks and group them by assignee or status, a timeline view, a card view with customizable lanes and a calendar view that displays your tasks across its duration or by start dates only.
  • Task Management: Add your tasks and subtasks into each cell and use the indent and outdent buttons to divide tasks into groups that can be minimized to provide a project overview. Create or modify custom fields with your own text, dropdown lists and symbols to show status, assignees, priority, dates and latest comment. Attach files and proofs, write comments and mention users and set reminders for tasks.
  • Automations and Workflows: Save time with custom processes and workflows you can build by modifying templates for reminders and alerts, document generation, row changes, sheet changes and updates, and approval requests. Build your own workflow automations from scratch by choosing your trigger, setting conditions and adding actions. Manage automations by deactivating, deleting, duplicating or unsubscribing.
  • Templates: Use pre-built templates ranging from event management to HR workflows and marketing to streamline project creation. View complexity, task management and process before you apply a template. Build and save your own templates by customizing pre-built templates or creating them from scratch.
  • Integrations: Drive productivity with integrations like Office 365, Dropbox, DocuSign and Google Workspace and use iCal or Google Calendar to track project statuses.
  • Team Collaboration: Communicate with team members by commenting and mentioning users in individual tasks, adding files for additional information and chatting via the conversations tool where everyone with access to the sheet can see your comments. Integrate with Slack or Microsoft Teams to receive updates about your sheet and send messages to channels.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project
Start Price
$10
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project remains a robust project management software, praised for its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set. Users appreciate its Gantt charts, resource management capabilities, and integration with other Microsoft products. However, some find its advanced features overwhelming and its reporting capabilities limited compared to specialized project management tools.

Project differentiates itself with its ease of use and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible to users of all skill levels, while its integration with tools like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint streamlines collaboration. These strengths make it an excellent choice for teams heavily reliant on Microsoft products.

Microsoft Project is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses and teams that prioritize ease of use and Microsoft integration. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable tool for managing projects effectively, while its integration with other Microsoft products enhances collaboration and productivity.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The platform’s functionalities are intuitive and easy to use, as noted by approximately 80% of users who mention the system’s usability.
  • Project Scheduling: Approximately 81% of the users find its project scheduling capabilities helpful.
  • Feature-Rich: Approximately 81% of the users who mentioned features said the system provides everything required for proper project handling. It can handle complex projects, create Gantt charts, project timelines and reports.
  • Customization: Nearly 61% of users who mentioned customization said its customization options were helpful. It integrates with ClearQuest seamlessly and 67% of users find its integrations helpful.
  • Support: Support is responsive, knowledgeable and helpful, as reported by 100% of reviewers who mention support.
  • Templates: Approximately 80% of users who mentioned templates find them to be helpful as they display data in an organized manner.
  • Learning Curve: Nearly 96% of the users that mentioned accessibility think that the software has a steep learning curve.
  • Efficiency: About 72% of users that mentioned efficiency said the software improved their process optimization.
  • Collaboration: Close to 83% of the users who mention collaboration said that Project does not facilitate collaborative processes well.
  • Cost: Approximately 94% of the users who mention cost think that its price is prohibitive and that the software is very expensive for the features it offers.

Key Features

  • Resource Management: Set up teams for success by requesting resources. Heat maps help identify overworked or underused resources. Lets managers project usage, monitor progress and address issues using analytics.  
  • Portfolio Optimization: Models different scenarios using tools like analysis scatter charts. Weigh project proposals against strategic business drivers with organizational cost and resource constraints in mind. 
  • Reports: Offers a number of reports that include a dashboard, progress and cost that provide insight into project metrics. Individual reports include burndowns, project overviews, critical tasks, cash flow, earned value, late tasks and more. Create a customized report from four template types: blank, chart, table and comparison.  
  • BI Capability: Connect with business intelligence apps like Power BI Pro to gain visibility across portfolios. Supports data aggregation to gain comprehensive insights. 
  • Proposal Evaluation: Gather project ideas, use standardized processes to evaluate them and funnel project charters and business cases to management for review and approval.
OpenAir
OpenAir
Start Price
$399
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked OpenAir

OpenAir, a project management software solution, has received positive feedback from users for its ability to streamline project management processes. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, flexibility, and comprehensive features that enhance efficiency and organization. The software's task management, resource management, collaboration tools, and reporting capabilities have significantly improved project outcomes for many businesses.

Compared to similar products, OpenAir stands out due to its ease of use and adaptability to various project types and sizes. Users have highlighted its intuitive design, which allows for quick adoption and minimal training time. Additionally, OpenAir's flexibility enables businesses to customize workflows, dashboards, and reports to align with their specific needs. This adaptability is crucial for organizations with diverse project requirements and evolving processes.

OpenAir is well-suited for businesses of all sizes seeking to enhance their project management practices. Its scalability and comprehensive features make it an ideal choice for small teams, large enterprises, and everything in between. The software's ability to centralize project information, facilitate collaboration, and provide real-time insights empowers teams to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and deliver projects on time and within budget.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 86% of users who mention the system’s usability.
  • Time Tracking and Expense Reports: Approximately 90% of the users reviewed think this feature increases their productivity and effectiveness.
  • Customization: Nearly 75% of the users reviewed find this feature to be quite robust.
  • Reporting: About 57% of the users reviewed find its reporting capabilities to be helpful and informative.
  • Support: Nearly 67% of the users reviewed think the support offered by OpenAir is helpful.
  • Cost: Nearly 100% of users who mentioned cost reported that OpenAir’s offerings were too expensive for smaller businesses or prohibitive.
  • Implementation: The physical implementation process misses the mark, and can be difficult according to 70% of reviewers who mention implementation.
  • Intuitive Interface: Nearly 65% of the users reviewed think that the interface is not intuitive and that administrative tools are limited.
  • Bugs: Approximately 100% of users that mentioned bugs or slowdowns think that the system is clunky and disrupts work.
  • Integration: Nearly 60% of the users who mention integration think that integration between OpenAir and NetSuite is not seamless. Also, Microsoft Projects importing is not smooth.

Key Features

  • Time Tracking: Customizes timesheet approvals by client and project, supports multi-level and project-based approvals and lets users track leave and vacation time. View who is in or out of the office to schedule meetings and appointments. Add notes and descriptions to each input, and sort time by billable and non-billable hours.  
  • Project Management: Users can view the complete status of a project to keep tasks on-track and reduce the potential for errors or incomplete deliverables. Develop “what if” project planning scenarios to adjust margins, billing rates, pricing and staffing. Also supports Gantt charts, project status summaries and exceptions reports.  
  • Reporting/Dashboard: Dashboards reflect KPIs on initial login. Present profit margins, resource utilization and projected vs. actual budgets as graphs to make development of actionable insights faster and easier. Build reports using drag-and-drop tools. 
  • Resource Management: View labor resource allocation and deploy staff members to different projects based on experience, skills, availability and more. using the resource management tool. Deploy labor resources from across the globe, attribute work back to the correct project teams and bill labor resources in the appropriate currency.  
  • Expense Tracking: Integrates with workflows like project accounting and invoicing to expedite the expense management cycle, including expense submission, approval and reporting. Expenses are tied directly to projects, eliminating confusion regarding where an expense came from and who should be billed.  
  • Invoicing: Supports multi-currency and multi-taxation requirements such as PST, VAT and GST. Manages finances from the time a bid is prepared to the time an internal charge-back is issued. Project profitability is tracked on a case-by-case basis due to the complexity of measuring ROI for diverse projects. Revenue recognition is conducted separately from project billing. 
Trello
Trello
Start Price
$5
Per User, Monthly
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Platform
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Why We Picked Trello

Trello includes robust workflow management and organizational capabilities for users to efficiently manage a project lifecycle. Its intuitive UI and clean dashboards simplify task delegation and monitoring, along with streamlining workflows. Its collaborative tools foster team communication and information sharing, while flexible integration capabilities help complete workflows. However, it lacks enterprise-grade project management abilities and is not suitable to handle large projects that require bulk movements. Additionally, the system provides limited features in its basic plan, and its mobile application lacks several functionalities offered by the desktop version.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: Trello offers robust organizational tools that simplify task delegation and streamline workflows, as reported by nearly 88% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
  • Easy to Use: The system is intuitive, user friendly and doesn’t require a steep learning curve to understand its features, as noted by approximately 82% of users who referred to its usability.
  • Collaborative: Approximately 79% of users who talked about collaboration noted that project collaborations are a breeze with Trello as it shares information with team members and clients in an organized manner while adding specific members to project cards.
  • Customizable: The system is highly customizable with numerous display choices and features to adapt to users’ requirements, as reported by nearly 74% of reviewers who referred to customization.
  • Scalability: Nearly 75% of reviewers who mention scalability note that it is cumbersome to scale the system to a company’s growing needs and cannot manage complex projects.
  • Cost: Trello offers limited functional and storage capabilities in its basic version, and advanced version requires per-user licensing, making it expensive for large teams, reported nearly 83% of users who mentioned cost.
  • Mobile Application: The system doesn’t perform well on mobile platforms, and its mobile application cannot perform all the functions of the desktop version, as reported by nearly 71% of users who mentioned mobile accessibility.
  • Installation: Trello is challenging to install and can overwhelm new users with its host of features, as reported by nearly 69% of users who talked about product set-up.

Key Features

  • Boards: Create multiple boards for different projects, workflows or other needs. Keep all related information organized in a single location. 
  • Cards: Build processes, follow progress and manage all aspects of a project. Foster collaboration and organization within teams. 
  • Task Management: Represent tasks on each card and move them through the workflow. Set up and manage task dependencies by creating checklists and linking associated cards to one another. 
  • Templates: Create real-world boards from the inspiration section for teams. Use pre-built or custom templates to create boards, lists or cards. 
  • Power-Ups: Integrate it with apps like Slack, Zapier, Google Drive, MailChimp, Salesforce, Dropbox, SurveyMonkey and Zendesk to complete workflows. Choose from over 130 modules for file management, reporting, automation and developer tools.
  • Mobile Apps: Access it through iOS and Android devices, including smartphones, iPads, smart watches and Kindle fire tablets. 
Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects
Start Price
$4
Per User, Monthly
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Deployment
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Why We Picked Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects offers comprehensive solutions for its customers to tackle multiple business needs with ease. Users have full control of their projects as they can manage every stage of project progress, allocate resources, manage tasks, record timesheets and automate workflow processes for standardization. It offers an extensive knowledge base and fosters team collaboration for efficient project completion. However, its UI is clunky and difficult to use, it requires a steep learning curve to make optimal use of its full capabilities, comes with limited features in its basic version and offers sluggish customer support.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: Zoho Projects offers robust tools to manage multiple business needs, including project management, resource allocation, efficient collaboration and timesheets, as reported by approximately 90% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
  • Flexible: The system is highly flexible and can be configured for different purposes like marketing and other business requirements, noted nearly 85% of customers who talked about its flexibility.
  • Integrations: Approximately 75% of the reviewers who mentioned integrations observed that the solution offers multiple APIs and seamless integration with other Zoho suite products and popular external modules for project planning and implementation.
  • Centralized Communication: The system centralizes all project communication between teams, which makes it easy to search and fix issues, noted nearly 72% of the users who talked about its communication capabilities.
  • Not Intuitive: The system is not user-friendly with a clunky and unintuitive UI compared to its competitors, reported 88% of reviewers who mentioned the system’s usability.
  • Cost: Nearly 92% of the users who mentioned cost remarked that Zoho Projects is expensive for small teams looking for more features on a limited budget, doesn’t offer options to customize functionality and its package price is a costly investment for bigger teams with more users.
  • Data and Reporting: Data generated by the system is difficult to comprehend, and it doesn’t allow report customization using different fields and visuals, observed by about 86% of customers who mentioned reporting.
  • Support: Customer support is slow and doesn’t offer enough support documentation or tutorial videos to exploit the system’s capabilities fully, noted 80% of reviewers who talked about support.

Key Features

  • Task Management: Control important task details, add important information such as priority or duration with tasks and subtasks. Link tasks to create dependencies. Highlight each project phase with milestones. Organize tasks using drag-and-drop Kanban boards and custom layouts. 
  • Social Project Management: Communicate and collaborate for effective project management. Create public or private chat rooms, pages for team knowledge base and forums to engage in discussion. Centralize project updates with feeds. Create new posts while adding comments to existing posts. 
  • Charts and Reports: View project details and metrics using a variety of charts. Get a high-level view of project tasks and dependencies through Gantt charts while resource utilization charts break down each team member’s workload by day. Gain insights into project performance across a wide range of KPIs with over 50 out-of-the-box reports and dashboards. 
  • Time Tracking: Let employees log their hours on a timesheet automatically or manually while allowing managers to view reports based on personnel, time or project. Transform a timesheet to an invoice with a few simple steps. Compare the expected task duration with the actual time spent on a task. Track each member’s availability, issues and milestones using calendar views. 
  • Issue Tracking: Report issues with all the relevant details and assign them for attention. Importing issues in bulk keeps them all in one place, and you can then export them as an XLS or CSV file. Track all issues according to criteria using filtered views. View committed changes with all changeset details included. 

COMPARE THE BEST Workflow Software

Select up to 2 Products from the list below to compare

 
Product
Score
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SelectHub’s Analyst Rating is based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Workflow Software, user reviews, and our own crowd-sourced data from our free software selection platform. Scores are periodically updated via ongoing selection projects and user activity within our platform.
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Wrike
$9.80
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Wrike
Asana
$10.99
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Asana
Jira
$10
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Jira
monday.com
$9
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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monday.com
Smartsheet
$9
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Smartsheet
Microsoft Project
$10
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Microsoft Project
OpenAir
$399
Per User, Monthly
No
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OpenAir
Trello
$5
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Trello
Zoho Projects
$4
Per User, Monthly
Yes
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Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Zoho Projects
Mavenlink
$45
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Yes
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Mavenlink

All Workflow Software (89 found)

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Oracle Ambulatory EHR

by Cerner Corporation
Oracle Ambulatory EHR
Oracle Ambulatory EHR (formerly Cerner Ambulatory) is an electronic health record system designed specifically for outpatient care settings such as physician practices, clinics and ambulatory surgery centers. It excels in digitizing clinical workflows like patient registration, appointment scheduling, billing, claims management and ePrescribing.It’s particularly strong in clinical documentation, scoring higher than competitors like AdvancedMD and eClinicalWorks, thanks to features that facilitate tasks such as scanning paper documents, electronic signatures and patient reminders?.Since the platform lacks a substantial volume of user reviews, there isn't enough detailed feedback on user satisfaction or specific experiences. Potential users may need to rely more on case studies, analyst insights and demos to understand how it fits their requirements.Pricing is customized based on your practice's size and requirements, with no free trial available. Prospective buyers must contact the vendor for a personalized quote.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: good
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
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Lytho Workflow

by Sabern
Lytho Workflow
Lytho Workflow is a rising platform that ranks 82 among all Workflow Software according to our research analysts and 43 crowd-sourced reviews from 1 source. Starting from $0, Lytho Workflow is priced initially at no cost and is most advisable for businesses with hundreds or thousands of employees. Lytho Workflow can be deployed in the cloud and on-premise and is accessible from a handful of platforms including Windows devices. Similar alternatives to Lytho Workflow include BaseLinker, Rindle and mediaSuite.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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BaseLinker

by BaseLinker
BaseLinker
BaseLinker is a promising application that ranks 189 among all eCommerce Platforms according to our research analysts and 3 crowd-sourced reviews from 1 source. Starting from $9, BaseLinker is priced economically, has offered a free trial in the past and is most advisable for small or medium sized businesses. BaseLinker can be deployed in the cloud and on-premise and is accessible from a few platforms including Windows devices. Similar alternatives to BaseLinker include Aimeos, eWards and Giosg.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Legito

by Legito
Legito
Legito is a rising software platform that ranks 88 among all Document Management Software according to our research analysts and 62 crowd-sourced reviews from 2 sources. Starting from $1200, Legito is priced on the high end, offers a free trial on occasion and is most advisable for all company sizes. Legito can be deployed in the cloud and on-premise and is accessible from a limited number of platforms including Windows and Linux devices. Similar alternatives to Legito include ALERE ERP, OmniDocs and DocuXplorer.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
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AFAS Software

by AFAS Software
AFAS Software
AFAS Software is a promising application that ranks 219 among all ERP Software according to our research analysts. Starting from $350, AFAS Software is priced fairly and is most suitable for all business sizes. AFAS Software can be deployed in the cloud and on-premise and is accessible from a few platforms including Windows devices. Similar alternatives to AFAS Software include Infor Cloudsuite Industrial (Syteline), SAP Business ByDesign and Dynamics 365.
Cost Breakdown
$100 - $500
Company Size
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Deployment
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Pega Infinity

by Pegasystems
Pega Infinity
Pega Infinity is a comprehensive software suite designed to streamline workflow automation and enhance customer engagement. It excels in automating complex business processes, integrating seamlessly with existing systems to improve efficiency and reduce manual tasks. This platform is particularly well-suited for industries such as finance, healthcare, insurance, and telecommunications, where regulatory compliance and customer service are paramount. Pega Infinity's standout features include its robust case management capabilities, AI-driven decisioning, and real-time analytics. These tools empower organizations to deliver personalized customer experiences and make data-driven decisions. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and the flexibility it offers in customizing workflows to meet specific business needs. Compared to similar products, Pega Infinity is often praised for its scalability and the depth of its automation capabilities. Pricing details can vary significantly based on the scope and scale of deployment, so it's advisable to contact SelectHub for a tailored quote.
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
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Agilean

by Agilean Solutions
Agilean
Agilean is a rising software solution that ranks 87 among all Workflow Software according to our research analysts and 22 crowd-sourced reviews from 2 sources. Starting from $5, Agilean is priced fairly, commonly offers a free trial and is most fitting for any business. Agilean can be deployed in the cloud and is accessible from a handful of platforms including Windows devices. Similar alternatives to Agilean include DocStar, SignTracker and WorkfloPlus.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
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Futuramo

by FUTURAMO
Futuramo
Futuramo is an up-and-coming software product that ranks 85 among all Task Management Software according to our research analysts and 1 crowd-sourced review from 1 source. Starting from $7000, Futuramo is priced more economically, commonly offers a free trial and is most suitable for mid-to-large-sized businesses. Futuramo can be deployed in the cloud. Similar alternatives to Futuramo include Intelocate, Invoicera and KeyedIn.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
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Deployment
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WorkfloPlus

by Intoware
WorkfloPlus
WorkfloPlus is a sophisticated software solution designed to streamline workflow management by digitizing and automating task processes. It is particularly well-suited for industries such as manufacturing, utilities, and field services, where precise task execution and compliance are critical. The software offers unique benefits like real-time data capture, enhanced collaboration, and improved operational efficiency. Popular features include customizable digital workflows, mobile accessibility, and integration capabilities with existing enterprise systems. Users often highlight its intuitive interface and robust reporting tools as standout elements compared to similar products. While specific pricing details are not readily available, potential users are encouraged to contact SelectHub for a tailored pricing quote based on their individual requirements. WorkfloPlus stands out for its ability to significantly reduce human error and increase productivity, making it a valuable asset for organizations aiming to optimize their workflow management processes.
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Pricing & Cost Guide

See the Price/User for the top project management software… plus the most important considerations and questions to ask when shopping.

Buyer's Guide

The Best Workflow Software is All About Automating Repetitive Processes To Boost Efficiency  

By Pragya Singh, Technical Writer and Market Analyst at SelectHub

Workflow Software Buyer's Guide BG Header

Workflows are a collection of performable individual tasks within organizations or teams to complete projects. Overseeing the overall strategy is known as workflow management. If you want to streamline repetitive project management tasks, opting for workflow software is your best bet.

Both small and large firms stand to reap benefits from investing in a capable solution as it addresses common workflow challenges, including repetitive errors, poor communication and project deployment delays. This guide will give you a general introduction of workflow software, an overview of its distinctive benefits and features. We will also compare the top products based on features, cost and functionalities to help you choose a solution that fits your business needs.

Executive Summary

  • The top workflow software solutions automate repetitive organizational processes while providing metrics to measure individual and company-wide performance.
  • These systems increase visibility by tracking task status and documents in real time.
  • Your buying process will not be complete without conducting a software comparison.
  • Vendor evaluation involves asking questions to understand the characteristics of the solution.
  • You need to prepare your team for a bit of a learning curve that comes with adopting a new system.
What This Guide Covers:

What is Workflow Software?

Workflow software controls, defines and automates business processes. These systems execute multiple steps while removing unnecessary steps to make processes efficient. Organizations can use them to analyze and measure potential areas for improvement to achieve maximum efficiency.

It offers flexible tools to improve the way your organization functions. A carefully chosen solution speeds progress across tasks and projects while providing in-built analytics to help you detect inefficiencies.

Workflows comprise three components:

  • Input: Components required to start a task.
  • Transformation: The changes that take place while completing a task.
  • Output: Result of task completion.
Workflow Software Categories

Workflow Software Three Components

Organizations create workflows to achieve specific project management outcomes within larger tasks. They aim to improve results according to company goals. Managing workflows is about structuring organizational work while performing team collaboration to deliver this work. It involves planning, mapping and coordinating disparate parts of a company's structure.

Gartner breaks down workflow management into two parts:

  • Internal and External Process Integration: This approach requires standards-based commercial workflow environments for the business processes that span multiple applications, including those from different vendors.
  • Automated Events or Processes: A model that enables automated task completion in marketing or sales campaigns.

Most systems include a visual interface that allows you to create workflows without coding or technical expertise. The software is ideal for marketers, salespersons, medical and industrial professionals, and even educators, thanks to drag-and-drop, form and flowchart settings.

In short, workflow management solutions help you to:

  • Design custom workflows
  • Manage work adhering to your organizational processes
  • Simplify task management
  • Define and bifurcate tasks into stages
  • Simplify task creation and delegation
  • Integrate workflows with task lists
  • Streamline recurring tasks
  • Organize tasks at every stage
  • Synchronize tasks in every stage
  • Follow-up on tasks quickly
  • Adapt to changes along the way

Deployment Methods

Your software implementation strategy can go wrong if you aren't judicious in choosing a suitable deployment model. Today, most solutions can be hosted in the cloud or deployed on-premise. You will want to adopt an implementation strategy that aligns with your unique business type, industry, product and service offerings. The following are some factors to keep in mind while choosing a deployment model that fits your requirements.

Cloud-Based

Cloud-hosted solutions are deployed online and provide accessibility from anywhere. You don't have to manually back up firm data as it gets saved on the cloud securely. There are usually no costs associated with installation or upkeep as vendors offer maintenance support.

These systems are simple to set up and cost-effective to use in a variety of settings. Managers can design workflows, delegate tasks and track individual employee performance using their mobiles. Cloud-based solutions allow employees the flexibility to work from any location and device as long as they have their login credentials and internet connection.

However, since the solution's functioning is dependent on internet access and speed, latency issues can hamper organizational performance. Web deployment models offer monthly subscription plans that appear feasible initially, but the costs can stagger for additional licenses, upgrades and add-ons in the long run. Businesses also don't have exclusive control over their proprietary information since vendors' servers store the company data.

On-Premise

On-premise software is installed directly on your proprietary hardware and is accessible exclusively to your private network. It allows you full access to your organizational data without an internet connection.

These solutions offer greater control over your systems, with the flexibility to plan maintenance, expand storage, upgrades and downtimes at your convenience. You can opt for this strategy if your usage is limited to a specific location and you have an unreliable internet connection. However, if you have multiple locations to balance, this model can be pretty challenging as data will have to be manually controlled and transported to all sites.

You will also have to bear additional expenses for the hardware infrastructure and technical knowledge required to set up and manage the product after its deployment. Scaling up on your own as your company expands can be a nuisance. Without in-house IT support, you may have to pay ongoing fees anytime the vendor delivers upgrades.

Benefits

Workflow Software Benefits

If you've read so far, it's evident that you are looking to make systemic changes in your organization. Let's look at how your organization can reap benefits from them:

Improved Efficiency

Streamlining operational processes while automating work allocation across your enterprise enhances efficiency. These solutions provide instant access to all necessary information while avoiding unnecessary delays in task distribution among stakeholders.

Reduced Paperwork

These solutions convert multiple paper forms into electronic documents. You can store these online documents in a central place for users to access them from anywhere. You can add workflows to these e-documents for completing all steps and forms while ensuring that you obtain the required approvals. Switching to digital formats also reduces the risk of losing essential documents while streamlining their monitoring and completion.

Accuracy

Eliminating manual data entry reduces errors while helping you create accurate workflows faster. You can automate alerts to employees about pending tasks to help accelerate turnaround time.

Prompt Approval Management

Business processes require approvals that often lead to delays and efficiency reduction. Workflow management systems allow users to submit approval requests, set deadlines and assign approvers while automating different stages of approval processes. Once you create approval requests, these solutions automatically send email alerts to the responsible parties.

Effective Collaboration

Most businesses require effective collaboration across teams and departments to deliver cross-functional projects. Manually managing multi-method collaboration processes can be hectic and time-consuming. The software helps you customize, design and monitor your collaborative processes using process flows, custom forms, approval management and process change request portals.

Team Performance Visibility

Software improves team performance visibility by storing process-related data, completed tasks, pending, ongoing and completed approvals. You can use this information to generate process performance reports. The data also helps you implement KPIs for your employees to assess them on predefined attributes like efficiency and punctuality.

Implementation Goals

It is crucial to create a list of goals you hope to achieve during a program's successful implementation. If you've shopped for the software before, you would know how quickly the process can go over budget or out of control. Therefore, having a set of predetermined goals can make things easier.

Goal 1

Define Business Processes Clearly

The best programs provide graphical or textual methods to define each of your organizational processes. They associate each activity with a human or a computer application while establishing rules for activity progress throughout a process.

Once you initiate defined business processes, delegating work and engaging employees to complete tasks on time becomes more straightforward.

Goal 2

Re-engineer Processes

Efficient systems help you re-evaluate and re-define your business processes. Before laying down a workable architecture, you need to analyze each process and improvise it accordingly. The effort weeds out ongoing bad practices.

Business re-engineering reduces processing time, increases flexibility and enhances product and service quality. These systems also improve access to essential information.

Goal 3

Promote Organizational Change

One of your top priorities is to change how things function in your company. Top solutions build roles, tasks, steps and rules into your organizational system, minimizing human involvement.

These solutions offer notifications and document sharing tools to streamline team communication and promote teamwork across departments and teams. Effective team communication brings cohesion among employees with diverse experiences and skillsets.

Goal 4

Simulation and Better Decision Making

Efficient programs allow you to create prototypes of a specific workflow to run pilot phases. The practice simplifies testing a process well before a production phase.

For better decision making, you have the flexibility to formulate rules for each step in information processing, tracking, routing and regulating. For example, you can set rules to generate email notifications once your team achieves a particular milestone.

They also help you navigate document routing to your organization. For instance, you can prompt the system to share and attach files for employees to comment electronically.

Goal 5

Optimal Workforce Utilization

Your business can suffer when your workforce is unable to perform to its optimal capacity. Often the biggest hurdle is your company's technical infrastructure that doesn't support your employees to deliver their best.

The software automates processes like document management, leave management and approval management, freeing up employee time to focus on crucial tasks.

Automating invoice and purchase processes result in a win-win situation for you and your suppliers with faster approvals and an efficient supply chain.

Goal 6

Privacy, Compliance and Audits

It is paramount for any business to remove risks associated with its data and privacy. Tracking all documentation and memo changes while storing them is a tedious process when done manually.

These systems simplify document storage by tracking all changes made and approving invoices. They enforce compliance, streamline audits, improve privacy while ensuring all your company adheres to all applicable laws.

Key Features & Functionality

Now that you have decided to implement a solution that suits your company's unique requirements, what are the essential features you should consider? At the core, most solutions include the same set of basic features and functionalities. If you want help with other business areas, you can look for products that provide specialized capabilities.

While you will have to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each application, here are some key features to look for when you go shopping for software.

Task Management

Task management is a fundamental capability that defines processes for assigning multiple tasks simultaneously, manually or automatically. You can also reassign tasks while modifying deadlines.

You can monitor task progress in real time while creating various task checklists for different processes. Tracking tasks at granular levels accelerate audits and reviews.
Workflow Configuration

This type of configuration is the primary reason why you're looking for an online solution. It helps you develop a sequence for various stages in processes like reviews or approvals.

It also designs process flows that align with your organization's requirements. You can use the function to perform trials well before a hectic project delivery period.
Form Designer

Modern solutions offer an in-built form designer for users to construct digital forms that do not require any third-party applications to use. You can create pre-filled, mobile-friendly or other customized forms, depending upon your business needs.

You can choose to construct forms that conceal or display information based on user data, making them easier to fill. Some forms can even change according to previous inputs.
Graphical Process Modeling

Understanding workflow processes is just as crucial as designing them. This feature offers a graphical representation of future and existing processes to simplify their understanding.

You can access and generate data through a user-friendly interface with minimal training. Your solution allows you to build applications visually using a drag-and-drop function rather than writing codes.
Access Management

Access management helps you manage data access for groups or individuals based on their department or hierarchy. It allows you to manage your company data better.

You can define the roles and responsibilities of each user while granting them role-based access to edit separate phases or modify processes.

The best platforms also help you manage approvals at different stages. When you grant permissions, your employees in question receive instant notifications.
Calendar Management

Calendar management is a useful function to monitor due dates for tasks and activities using a calendar. You can sync your important dates with calendar applications like Google or Outlook Calendar while specifying task deadlines.
Customizable Self-Service Portal

Successful programs offer a self-service portal for you to customize with your company's branding while providing tools for user access.

An accessible and centrally managed self-service portal offers an optimal experience to all your users with personalization, branding, access-based filters, dashboards and easy-to-find tools.
Notifications/Alerts

Staying updated and keeping everyone in the loop at all progress stages are critical components of running an organization. The best applications send automated texts and emails to the entire team with one click.

Additionally, you can notify your team about pending tasks, completed tasks or deadline modifications. You can also post follow-up notifications when allotted tasks surpass their assigned deadlines.

Advanced Features & Functionality

While most software offers a list of vital functionalities, you will get some additional features depending on the platform you choose. An awareness of those extra capabilities will give you a fair understanding of what all your new application will be capable of doing beyond designing workflows.

Third-Party Integrations

Your organization is dependent on various other business modules. Therefore, it is beneficial that your solution easily integrates with other applications like CRM to allow seamless data transfer.

More advanced solutions offer open and flexible APIs for vendors, customers and outside integrators to connect with any system. You would want to connect your HR-related workflow with an HRIS solution while integrating your capital purchases with an ERP or an accounting application.
Embedding

Specialized systems go beyond customizations and offer abilities to embed any part of your business process like forms, dashboards or request details into another program.

For instance, your intranet website receives heavy traffic, and you would prefer customers to submit requests from the tools they are already using. To achieve this, parts of your system should be embedded into other devices while offering a robust process engine.
Reporting and Analytics

These systems provide real-time progress reports of different process stages like reviews, progress, and approvals to ease the managerial workload. They identify bottlenecks and remove redundancies while delivering insights on process improvement.

These reports help you track team and individual performance while designing training plans accordingly. You can retrieve details about specific functions like marketing activities, out-of-pocket expenses and production estimates using the drill-down capabilities.
Mobile-Friendly Application

With a mobile-friendly solution, you can access your system using any device. It also allows you to view records, processes and other important information with limited or no internet connectivity.

Upcoming Trends

In a world of cut-throat competition, workflow automation provides a competitive edge to your business. Research suggests that integrating these systems into a company's methodology boosts its overall efficiency while reducing costs. The following are some trends to look out for.

Workflow Automation Trends

Technology Democratization

There's an upward trend in the business world to switch to integrated platforms rather than opt for standalone applications. The technology sector is witnessing rampant democratization with the help of low-code or no-code applications that empower non-IT professionals to apply their specialized skills beyond their expertise.

Technology democratization is helping employees without any programming skills to automate workflows. Such employees are relying on low-code platforms to develop business apps while customizing their operations.

Integrated Solutions

Modern software is increasingly keeping pace with the whole gamut of new technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, IoT, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), chatbots and more. Due to this, there's a steady business movement towards integrated platforms that consolidate all these digital technologies to provide maximum benefits.

Gartner defines such a comprehensive platform as a digital business technology platform while encouraging companies to construct them to prepare their businesses for the future. Industry experts note that technologically advanced workflow management software will form the core of integrated business platforms.

Enhancing Customer Experience

According to a survey, conducting business as usual is a thing of the past as customer experience has become the new battlefield. Expectations from interfaces and overall service experience rise. Serving customers the old way is no longer desirable as their demands have changed from fulfilling their needs to enhancing their experiences.

There's a growing trend to opt for solutions that converge user-friendly interfaces, customer mapping, easy access from various devices and AI to cater to the rising customer expectations. Such applications enhance customer support while offering customized services.

Bot Management

Robotic process automation (RPA) has gained momentum as businesses can simulate them quickly to perform menial and redundant tasks. According to Deloitte’s Intelligent Automation Survey, 78% of respondents have already incorporated RPA into their processes and are reaping significant benefits from its adoption.

RPA Adoption

While applications manage flow control and task assignments, bots are increasingly displacing humans for repetitive tasks. Due to this, there's an increasing demand for solutions that offer open API to integrate with RPA systems while supporting human-bot synergy seamlessly.

Software Comparison

Let's face it - selecting software that fits your needs is never easy. Since your goal is to find the right fit for your organization, you want to match your business needs with each system's functionalities. It can be overwhelming at first to compare different products based on their offerings.

While choosing software that aligns with your business plan may appear challenging, it doesn't have to be complicated. You can take help from our detailed project management software report that offers a meaningful comparison of the data points to select the best-suited system for you.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

The advantages that you receive from your chosen software should match the price you are paying. Most efficient solutions will not require you to pay for the capabilities that you don't need. Be mindful to evaluate an application for its transparency, simplicity and value for money offerings. These solutions adhere to one or more of the following strategies.

Software-as-a-Service

Also known as the subscription-based model, this strategy charges a monthly or an annual fee depending on the number of users. This model has drastically reduced the price you end up paying for your application. You can opt for basic, standard or enterprise plans according to your business size and number of employees.

This model has gained popularity over the years as it does not require any elaborate set-ups or installation. It grants easy access to users without any location constraints, as long as they have requisite permissions and a strong internet connection. Since you are not under any long-term cost obligations, you can switch to another product if the one you chose doesn't perform optimally.

Perpetual License

If monthly subscription plans are not your cup of tea, you can opt for an on-premise installation. You would be paying a hefty one-time upfront price with additional payments for maintenance, upgrades, and vendor support here. This plan suits businesses that are sure about a product and don't mind paying for a year's services in advance.

Popular Software

Workflow management systems are a booming industry, and its global market size has been experiencing significant growth over the years. According to Marketsandmarkets, it will grow to $9.87 billion by this year's end, with a CAGR of 23%.

Choosing a product from a rapidly growing market can be a daunting task. But you can access plenty of resources to help you with the selection process. Our SelectHub analyst team conducts periodical reviews of the offerings in the segment to discover the most popular options:

Jira

Primarily used to track, plan and release software, Jira helps construct workflows suited for any project or initiative. Businesses can customize processes for their teams to function efficiently and coherently.

It supports Kanban, Scrum, hybrid and other customized processes while creating project roadmaps to monitor all projects in progress. Users can create stories, distribute tasks and plan team sprints.

Jira

A snapshot of various sprints under an Agile workflow.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work execution solution that automates workflows according to an organization's work preferences. With a spreadsheet-like interface, it manages projects in real time.

Businesses can sort project data using a grid, card, Gantt and calendar views. Customizable dashboards and activity log reports ensure consistent team collaboration across projects of any size.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet's real-time dashboard helps track project status and resources.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a cloud-based solution that helps small and medium businesses define and assign project tasks, monitor progress and estimate project expenditures. It automates document processes like access control, revision tracking, retrieval and search.

Users can apply workflow rules to automate processes at any project stage while using priority matrices to tasks. The idea is to perform a set of actions at the correct time to complete tasks.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects Gantt charts keep users aware of their critical tasks and dependencies.

Mavenlink

Mavenlink is a comprehensive workflow automation, business intelligence and operational management solution that enhances organizational performance and optimizes resources. Its resource-first architecture helps users track real-time project progress against budgets and timelines.

It leverages advanced analytics and algorithms to identify previously undetected business problems. Its team collaboration, project, operations and finance management offer businesses greater control and clarity over their projects.

Mavenlink

Mavenlink efficiently handles everyday resource management realities.

Wrike

Wrike is an online project management solution that offers customization, resource management, dashboards, Gantt charts and real-time updates. It automates task assignments based on task status while structuring tasks via folders and projects.

It provides an open API to seamlessly integrate with popular third-party modules like Dropbox, SalesForce, Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack and more. It is designed for creative, marketing and operations teams in midsize to large enterprises.

Wrike

Wrike helps you customize workflows according to your organizational work patterns

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask About Workflow Software

Choosing the right workflow solution is a crucial business decision. Use the following questions to start internal discussions:

  • What are my business requirements?
  • What solutions will the software provide?
  • What are the must-have capabilities for my business?
  • Which deployment option will suit me the best?
  • How many employees will use the solution?
  • Will it be simple or complex for my team?

Questions to Ask Vendors

Asking vendors meaningful questions helps resolve your software implementation queries. Use the following questions as a starting point for honest conversations with vendors:

  • What are the different pricing tiers you offer?
  • How frequently do you update your security infrastructure?
  • Do you invest in software enhancements?
  • How prompt are you to tackle technical issues?
  • What support and training options do you provide?
  • Are there any self-learning options available?

About the Software

  • Is the application mobile-friendly?
  • Does it integrate with my existing platforms, and what other external integrations does it offer?
  • Does it offer personalized reporting and dashboards?
  • What are the other customizations available?

In Conclusion

Efficient workflow software helps your company save time and money. A judiciously chosen solution resolves perpetual business problems while drastically improving performance and efficiency.

These solutions streamline operational processes and tasks while paving the way for your organization's growth. When implemented successfully, it reduces errors and improves employee accountability.

Listing business needs before hitting the market will offer clarity to your software selection process. Use this guide as a jump-off point in your hunt to find the right software that aligns with your business goals.

Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Kriti
By Kriti Sahay
Technical Content Writer
Kriti Sahay is a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub, writing content for Help Desk and Call Center Software. Kriti is based out of New Delhi, India. When she's not handling Buyer's Guides and other informational articles, she can be found experimenting in her kitchen, street shopping, or painting!
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Joan
Technical Research By Joan Akash
Senior Analyst
Joan Akash, a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Marketing. Her expertise as a researcher and reviewer spans diverse software categories, including Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, Live Chat, and Help Desk. Beyond her professional pursuits, Joan is spiritually driven, with a passion for teaching children and a penchant for reading biblical blogs and crafting poetry.
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Manan
Technical Review By Manan Roy
Principal Analyst
Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.
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Dianna
Edited By Dianna Dragonetti
Content Editor
As an editor, Dianna Dragonetti leads a team of five writers in writing about a variety of software, with an emphasis on how these tools empower businesses. Categories include accounting, learning management systems, content management systems, supply chain management, and electronic data interchange.
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