Why Rules Engine Software is the Next Big Thing in BPM Workflow

Most automated processes make decisions based on rules, some decisions are made using simple or complex expressions, but decisions are also made using rules. For example, a process that automates applying for a bank loan might have many rules, such as if the amount borrowed is between certain amount, then required assets and approvals might be different. Or in a simple case such as purchase order approval, based on the amount, the # of approvals are different. The higher the purchase order amount is, the higher the level (executive level) of approval is required.

Some workflow products use decision tables to define rules and use them. FlowWright handles this differently, where we believe that even though decision tables are powerful, they hide lot of the run-time information, primarily what decisions were made by the workflow. FlowWright lets you design these complex decisions graphically. After executing a workflow, you can render and view graphically what decisions were made by the workflow.

Here's a simple example, in reference to the purchase order example from above. As you can see in the below graphic, the decision step evaluated the purchase order amount and made a decision to send the purchase order to be approved by Manager 1.