5 BPM systems for your business: automation, case studies, and ROI

A BPM system is a software platform for managing business processes.

It automates routine work, improves collaboration between departments and increases operational transparency.

In other words: instead of emailing contracts back and forth and chasing reminders in chats, the system routes tasks to the right employees itself, tracks deadlines and keeps the history.

When a company should consider BPM: —

Processes become complex and tangled. —

Frequent errors, failures, and loss of information occur. —

The team spends a lot of time on routine work and approvals. —

Hard to control task deadlines and KPIs. —

The business grows, and old management methods stop working.

You draw a process diagram (for example, discount approval).

Routes a document along the path: manager → lawyer → director. —

Tracks deadlines: if a lawyer has not responded within 8 hours, it sends a reminder. —

It logs every action. Result: processes speed up by 30-50%, and the manager sees weak spots in real time.

One of the best-known low-code platforms.

It brings tasks, projects, documents and correspondence into a single window.

You draw process diagrams with a visual editor (BPMN 2.0 standard) without programmers and connect 1C without complex integrations. In ELMA365 you can automate almost any process, from invoice approvals to hiring staff. Benefits: —

Deep integration with 1C saves development budget. —

Ready-made templates for retail, manufacturing, and services speed up implementation. —

Full CIS localization: interface, documentation, 24/7 support with no delays. — Business analysts configure forms and logic without developers. —

Complies with CIS laws (FZ-152, 223-FZ). Drawbacks: —

Complex interface for beginners: training required. —

Slow technical support on the basic plan. —

Requires server infrastructure (on-premise) or a cloud subscription.

The price of the basic system edition (core for up to 50 users) starts at RUB 300,000 per year. Add modules on top: document management (+RUB 150,000), project management (+RUB 120,000) or Process Mining (+RUB 200,000).

Initial deployment costs at least RUB 500,000.

A cloud subscription is the more cost-effective choice — it is 20–30% cheaper than an on-premise installation. ELMA365 suits small, medium, and large companies. Among them: —

Companies running 1C that need end-to-end automation. —

Manufacturing plants, retail, logistics. — Organizations that critically need compliance with CIS laws (FZ-152, 223-FZ).

The system lets you build business applications through a low-code interface without deep programming skills.

You can configure forms, business rules and integrations visually through the builder.

All projects, tasks and data in a single window.

No need to switch between systems. Comindware automatically transfers data from ERP and 1C.

Everything updates without manual entry — employees always work with up-to-date information. Benefits: —

Flexibly adapts processes to changing conditions (for example, approvals in holding companies). —

Cuts app development time by 3-5x thanks to low-code. —

Integrates data from ERP, ERP, and 1C through ready-made connectors. —

Requires no deep programming for customizations. Drawbacks: —

Hard to master: training takes 2-4 weeks. —

Not suitable for simple tasks — too much functionality.

The basic Comindware edition for 50 users starts at RUB 500,000 per year.

Initial deployment costs at least RUB 1,000,000.

A cloud subscription costs 15% more than an on-premise installation on your own servers.

The solution suits large businesses (500+ employees) with complex processes: R&D, multi-tier logistics and frequently changing regulations.

If your processes do not fit standard templates, this platform adapts them within days.

Directum RX combines ECM and BPM in a single platform.

You configure workflows in a visual designer following the BPMN 2.0 standard — this speeds up process setup and simplifies maintenance.

The system ensures long-term, secure record keeping (Records Management) per legal requirements, and provides tools for flexible handling of non-standard tasks, such as complex customer cases.

The platform integrates with enterprise systems: 1C, MS Office, email services and industry solutions (GIS ZhKKh, EGISZ). Advantages: —

One of the strongest EDMS on the market, tightly integrated with BPM. —

Meets strict regulator requirements (FSTEC, FSB), suitable for state secrets. —

Integrates easily with corporate IT systems. Drawbacks: —

Deployment and setup complexity (requires highly qualified partners/in-house IT). —

Focused on large enterprises: less relevant and cost-inefficient for small companies.

Price depends on project scale and deployment model.

The on-premise version requires significant one-time investment: the cost of the license and implementation starts at several million rubles. For example, implementation for 50 users with basic document management starts at 3 million rubles.

The solution suits large and very large businesses (banks, insurers, industrial holdings, energy), government agencies and companies with elevated security and document management requirements.

A popular cloud platform that combines a wide set of tools for collaboration, communications and management.

It includes a simplified visual process builder for configuring workflows without extensive training.

Here you can easily assign tasks, manage projects with Kanban boards and Gantt charts, run a CRM, make calls, chat, and hold video conferences. Bitrix24 offers basic document management, cloud storage (Drive), a website builder, and marketing tools. Benefits: —

Free plan for small teams (up to 12 users). —

Intuitive interface, quick start. —

Solves many communication and management tasks without integrations. —

No spending on in-house servers or administration. Drawbacks: —

Process functionality is simpler than in dedicated BPM systems and does not support full BPMN 2.0. —

Complex, non-standard processes are harder to configure here than in ELMA or Comindware.

The platform offers a free plan for teams of up to 12 users.

Paid subscriptions start at RUB 5,900 per month (up to 24 users), while top cloud plans for an unlimited number of employees reach around RUB 119,000 per month.

The on-premise edition is priced separately and is usually more expensive than the cloud one. Bitrix24 is used by small and medium businesses (up to 100-200 employees), startups and teams that need an affordable, simple tool to automate standard processes (approvals, requests, simple workflows) together with CRM and communications.

The system lets you draw processes with the mouse in a free builder.

Once the diagram is ready, it can be launched to the cloud: Bizagi automatically creates the workflow.

The solution integrates easily with popular RPA platforms — for example, hooking in bots to transfer data or check documents. Bizagi saves time on routine: standard document or request approvals are set up in 1-2 days. Advantages: — Modeler is available to download for free. —

The editor interface is intuitive; most users figure it out in 1 day without training. —

The cloud version (Studio) can be set up in weeks without involving developers. —

RPA bots can be hooked into processes in 2 clicks, saving up to 70% of the budget on system integration. Drawbacks: —

Limited analytics: complex reports require custom work. — Scalability: the cloud gets pricier at 100+ users. —

Weak support for mobile employees. —

Not suitable for processes with unique logic.

The cloud version costs from $20 per user per month.

A team of 20 will pay around $400 per month — cheaper than employing one staff member.

The on-premise version costs a one-time $50,000 — best suited to companies with more than 100 users.

The system suits small and medium enterprises (up to 250 employees) starting with automation: startups, trading companies and manufacturers with clear, repetitive operations.

Let us look at a few examples. 1. Alfa-Bank faced long processing times for small business loan applications — the process took up to 5 days. ELMA365 streamlined the approval routes between the credit department, lawyers and the security service.

The system connected to the risk assessment database.

This made it possible to cut application processing from 5 days to 2.

The number of approved loans grew by 25%, and customers gained online status tracking. 2.

Previously, Gazprom's subsidiaries used different document management systems.

This caused confusion: contracts were duplicated, lost, and late-payment fines grew.

To fix the situation, the holding deployed Directum RX across all branches: it created a central archive, set up end-to-end approvals and integrated the system with ERP to synchronize finances.

Semantic search (for example, "How do I get a pass issued?") sped up working with documents.

Contract approval now takes 10 days instead of 25. —

Late-payment penalties dropped 35% (the system automatically reminds of deadlines). —

Data is stored strictly in line with Roskomnadzor requirements.

Both examples confirm that deploying BPM directly affects profit and reduces operational risks.

If processes slow down work, customers complain about delays and employees are drowning in routine tasks, it is time to start deployment.

The goal is not to "install a system" but to speed up key operations and cut costs.

Here is an action plan for the first 3 months: 1.

Automate what hurts the business most. For example, if the sales department loses 30% of orders due to slow price approvals, start there. 2.

Gather the people involved in the process. Write down who does what, where delays happen and which documents get lost.

Measure the timelines (for example: "Approving a commercial proposal currently takes 5 days"). 3.

Translate problems into money: "5 days of approvals = 20 lost orders per month = RUB 2 million in missed revenue".

Get a trial version of a system (ELMA365, Bitrix24 or Directum RX).

Configure the selected process in 2-3 weeks.

Onboard 5-7 real users. 5.

Measure the result and scale up.

Compare the before and after metrics: "Approval was cut from 5 days to 2".

If the pilot project delivers results, roll the system out to other processes.

Do not forget to appoint someone responsible for developing BPM in the company. Important: run the pilot in 3-4 weeks.

If a platform does not deliver results within 30 days, try another one. For example, a building materials manufacturer started by automating product returns.

The Bitrix24 pilot took 3 weeks. As a result, complaint handling time dropped from 7 days to 8 hours.

After that, the company rolled out BPM to the procurement department and logistics.

Is a BPM system the same as ERP (for example, 1C or ERP)? No, these are different classes of systems. ERP manages resources (finance, warehouse), while BPM manages workflows: task routes, approvals, and interactions between people.

The systems complement each other: for example, BPM automates the purchase approval process using data from 1C.

How long does the system implementation process take?

Deployment timelines depend on complexity: automating 1-2 processes in Bitrix24 takes 1-3 months; a full ELMA rollout at a large company — 6-12 months.

A pilot project is usually delivered in 1-2 months.

Can BPM be implemented in-house by your own IT team, without involving a vendor?

For Bitrix24, a strong in-house IT specialist is enough.

For ELMA, Directum RX, or Comindware it is better to engage certified partners — without expertise in BPM methodology, the risk of errors is high.

What is the ROI of implementing a BPM system?

Savings come from shorter process times (20-40%), lower labor costs (up to 50%) and reduced penalties.

Most companies recoup their implementation costs within 1–3 years.

Do you have to know BPMN to work with BPM?

End users need no training. Business analysts and administrators will benefit from BPMN basics for configuring complex scenarios, but modern process designers are intuitive.

Will employees be able to master the solution quickly?

Absolutely — if you choose a platform with an intuitive interface (for example, Bitrix24).

ELMA or Directum RX will require training — 2–4 hours for end users and up to 3 days for administrators.

Can processes be changed after implementation? Easily. For example, in Comindware or ELMA you can set up a new route in an hour without a programmer.

If the sales department changes its discount approval rules, just drag and drop the stages in the designer.

BPM systems ranking for 2025 — we analyze market leaders with a focus on financial and operational value for business. How to properly design and develop a BPM system, learn here.