Service · Software development

Custom BPM platform development.

A Business Process Management platform with which your organisation models, runs, measures and improves processes across departmental boundaries, systems and offices. BPMN 2.0 for flows, DMN for decision rules, a process engine that runs them, and integrations with your existing systems. On your own infrastructure, in your own brand, and documented for your own team.

BPMN 2.0Process engineDMN rulesAudit trail

A BPM platform is not a workflow tool or a no-code app.

A BPM platform sits between your business processes and your IT landscape. It models how work actually flows (who does what, what can run in parallel, what a system handles, when an exception goes to a person) and executes that model. Not ten separate Zapier flows that nobody oversees any more, not a standalone form builder, and not a rigid low-code platform that you hit the limits of after a year.

We build BPM platforms for organisations with complex cross-departmental processes: HR onboarding that runs through payroll, IT and facilities, customer onboarding with KYC and compliance, claims handling, supplier onboarding, or permit processes. We typically don't build from scratch, but on a proven open-source engine such as Camunda or Flowable, with a UI, integrations and governance on top that actually fit your organisation.

This page covers a generic BPM engine. For more specific variants with the same foundations, we have separate pages: document workflow automation if your processes revolve mainly around documents and approvals, logistics process automation if the flow mainly follows physical goods, and a custom case management system if you handle cases and files in the public sector.

Three ways we deliver a BPM platform.

Which option fits depends on where you are now: greenfield, a legacy BPM that needs replacing, or your own product in which you want to build in process orchestration. We'll advise you in the first conversation.

Greenfield · fixed sprint budget per phase

New BPM platform on Camunda or Flowable

You don't have a process engine yet and want to set one up that grows with your process library. We set up a hardened Camunda or Flowable foundation in your cloud, model the first five to ten processes in BPMN 2.0, build the associated forms, integrate your core systems, and provide monitoring, version control and audit logging from day one.

CamundaFlowableBPMN modellingForms & UI
Migration · phased programme with parallel runtime

Migration from legacy BPM to a modern stack

You run on an older commercial BPM platform — TIBCO, IBM Business Automation Workflow, legacy Activiti — and the licence costs, reliance on scarce specialists or poor cloud readiness are starting to weigh on you. We migrate to Camunda or Flowable, remodel your existing processes in BPMN 2.0, and run old and new in parallel until each process has been successfully transferred.

TIBCO exitIBM BAW exitParallel runProcess by process
Embedded · custom development within your own product

Process engine in your own SaaS or platform

You are building a product in which your end customers need to model processes themselves, or in which a hidden process engine handles the complexity — an insurance platform with claim flows per type, an HR suite with onboarding variants, or a procurement tool with approval routes per organisation. We integrate an open-source process engine under the hood, with a UI that fits your brand, and ensure that tenant isolation, versioning and upgrades work at production scale.

White-labelMulti-tenantEmbedded engineTenant versions

What you get at the end.

A working BPM platform on your infrastructure, plus everything around it so you can manage and extend it independently. No black box, no vendor lock-in through a proprietary process DSL — everything built on open standards such as BPMN 2.0 and DMN 1.3.

  • The BPM platform itselfProduction and acceptance environments on your infrastructure (Kubernetes on GCP, AWS, Azure or on-premise). Process engine, task dashboards, forms, monitoring and alerting in one hardened stack.
  • BPMN process models in GitEvery process as a version-controlled BPMN 2.0 file, peer-reviewed via pull requests. No process versions that exist only in an engine memory dump.
  • DMN decision rulesDecision tables your business people can adjust themselves without developer involvement. Versioning, simulation and a deployment pipeline included.
  • Integrations with your core systemsService tasks that call your ERP, CRM, HR suite, document management, identity provider and custom APIs — through robust connectors, not fragile point-to-point scripts.
  • Process monitoring and KPI dashboardsInsight into turnaround times, bottlenecks, SLA breaches and volumes per process. A process that isn't measured is never improved.
  • Audit trail per process stepWho did what, when, based on which data, and with what outcome. Meets requirements arising from GDPR, DNB, AFM and internal audit.
  • Training for process ownersWorkshops in which your business analysts learn to model in BPMN, maintain DMN tables, and take a process through the release pipeline. We don't build for ever.
  • Management contract (optional)Monitoring, security patches, engine upgrades, further development and help with new process models. Fixed monthly fee, four response-time levels, exit clause without penalty.

When a BPM platform is the right choice.

Four situations in which a serious BPM platform delivers more than a collection of loose workflow tools, low-code apps or email-with-templates. If you recognise one of these patterns, it is worth a conversation.

Process library

Dozens of processes, the same pattern

You don't have one process, but dozens that are structurally the same: request, assess, approve, execute, archive. A single, maintainable process engine with a shared task list and a uniform audit trail is then cheaper and clearer than a separate app for each process.

Cross-departmental

Work runs across five departments

HR onboarding touches IT (accounts), facilities (workspace), payroll, the line manager and the new employee themselves. Without central orchestration, each request gets stuck in someone's inbox. A BPM engine knows who is up next, escalates when things stall and gives an overview to everyone who needs one.

Compliance

Regulator asks for a demonstrable flow

DNB, AFM, MDR, FDA or an internal audit requires you to show which steps each request went through, by whom, and which rules applied at the time. A BPM engine with an audit trail and versioning delivers that as a by-product of normal use.

Scale variation

Industry or franchise variants

Your offices or franchisees differ in details: an extra approval step, a different form, local legislation. Multi-tenancy in the process engine keeps the core process shared and the variants manageable, rather than fifty copies of the same flow.

Not yet sure about a large project?

Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day

With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.

Explore OneDayBuild →

Building blocks of a production-ready BPM platform.

What sets a platform apart from a standalone workflow tool are the components that scale with you. Below are the parts we implement as standard, not as a feature checklist, but because they recur in every serious deployment.

BPMN 2.0

Process modelling as the source

BPMN 2.0 is the open standard for process models (start events, tasks, gateways, sub-processes, end events) that business analysts can read and an engine can execute directly. No translation step from a Visio diagram to code, and no drift between what the documentation says and what the engine does.

Process engine

Token-based runtime

The engine, the heart of your BPM platform, executes the models using token-based execution. At each step the system knows where the process instance is, which variables travel with it, which exception should trigger a compensation flow, and when each timer expires. Camunda and Flowable are the two most proven open-source engines.

DMN

Decision rules separate from the process

Decision Model and Notation (DMN 1.3) takes decision logic out of the process model and places it in decision tables. "Credit approval yes/no based on income, age and credit history" becomes a table your risk team maintains itself, independently of the developer cycle that changes the surrounding flow.

User tasks & service tasks

Human or system in charge

A user task appears in someone's task list with the right form and the right context. A service task automatically calls an API or script. Script tasks perform light data transformations. The engine chooses, escalates and monitors, so your staff work from a clear inbox rather than ten tabs side by side.

Versioning

Running multiple versions in parallel

A process model evolves. Requests started under version 7 must also finish under version 7, even if version 8 is now live. The engine keeps versions running side by side, and we arrange migration paths for running instances when a change really must apply to them, for example because of new legislation.

Process monitoring

Making bottlenecks visible

Cycle times per step, average waiting times, SLA breaches, volumes per type, error events. A dashboard where your process owner sees which steps take the most time, and which processes are ripe for further automation or simplification. A process engine without measurement is an expensive black box.

How a BPM project works with us.

1

Process inventory

A day or two of workshops with your process owners, IT and key users to map which processes are candidates, how they currently run, where they stall, and what volume sits behind them. At the end you get a short-list of five to ten processes where we can make a real difference, with reasoning and a risk assessment.

2

Platform choice and architecture

Camunda or Flowable, embedded or standalone, on-premises or in your cloud, integration with your identity provider and core systems. We document in a short architecture note why we make each choice and which alternatives we weighed, so you can defend that decision yourselves later on.

3

Laying the foundation

Process engine in production and acceptance environments, basic CI/CD with BPMN validation, monitoring and logging from day one, SSO and role management, audit-log database. This foundation needs to be solid before we run the first process models on it.

4

Modelling and rolling out the first processes

For each process: a workshop with the process owner, a BPMN model in a pull request, building forms and service tasks, working out DMN rules, end-to-end testing, and a phased rollout. We work in two-week sprints, with a working version at the end of every sprint.

5

Growing the process library

Once the first process runs stably, we add the next ones, faster than the first, because patterns and reusable building blocks accumulate. Your own team starts building alongside us in this phase, with us as sparring partner and code reviewer.

6

Handover and ongoing management

Training for process owners and internal developers, a runbook for incidents, a release pipeline your own team can operate, and optionally a management contract covering monitoring, upgrades and further development. We remain available if you need us, but we don't build in a way that makes you unable to do without us.

Frequently asked questions.

What clients typically ask us before starting a BPM project.

What exactly is a BPM platform?
Business Process Management is the discipline of modelling, executing, measuring and improving business processes. A BPM platform is the technical stack you use to do that: a modeller (BPMN editor), a process engine that executes the models, a task inbox for users, a decision rules component (DMN), and monitoring. It is not a workflow tool for a single team; it is a platform for your entire organisation, on which dozens of processes run in a uniform way.
What is the difference between BPMN and DMN?
BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) describes the flow: start, tasks, gateways, end events. DMN (Decision Model and Notation) describes decision rules: given this input, what is the outcome? In practice, a BPMN process calls a DMN table at the right moment and uses the outcome to route onward. By putting decision rules in DMN, your business team can adjust them without the process model itself changing, a significant productivity gain.
Do you replace Camunda or build on top of it?
Almost always we build on top of it. Camunda and Flowable are open-source process engines that thousands of organisations worldwide have tested, so building our own variant would be unwise. What we add is a UI that fits your brand, integrations with your core systems, a release pipeline with BPMN validation, audit reporting, and the process-specific logic that no standard engine provides out of the box. This way you keep the scale and stability of a proven engine, and the freedom of a custom platform.
Open-source BPM or a commercial platform?
For the vast majority of our clients, open-source (Camunda Platform or Flowable, both with optional enterprise editions) is the right choice. You keep control of the stack, avoid heavy licensing, and can later move to your own team or a different partner if needed. Commercial platforms such as Pegasystems, Appian or IBM BAW are relevant in specific enterprise niches with existing contracts, but they more often lead to vendor lock-in and are harder to combine with cloud-native custom development. We always advise based on your situation, not on a preference by default.
What is the difference between low-code BPM and custom BPM?
Low-code BPM platforms, such as Appian, Microsoft Power Automate or ServiceNow Workflow, let you build processes visually with limited coding knowledge. For simple approval flows, that is often fine. The limits show up with integrations, performance, multi-tenancy and complex exception handling. There, low-code platforms hit architectural boundaries or push you into expensive licensing models per action or per user. With custom development on an open-source engine, those limits sit much further away, with a higher initial investment but more room to scale.
Can we maintain processes ourselves later on?
Yes, that is an explicit goal in every project. BPMN models are readable for business analysts and your own developers, DMN tables are designed to be managed by domain experts, and the release pipeline we set up gives your team the means to take processes safely into production. We train process owners and developers, deliver documentation, and remain available for tricky matters, but without making us a single point of failure.
What determines the cost of a BPM project?
The number of processes in scope and their complexity, how many integrations with existing systems are needed, the extent to which you operate in a regulated sector (compliance and audit requirements carry weight), whether a legacy BPM migration is involved, and how much support your own team needs during knowledge transfer. We work with fixed sprint budgets per phase that you can steer on. We do not offer a fixed total for a multi-year project, because that would be false certainty for both you and us.
How does a BPM platform fit within our existing IT?
A BPM platform usually sits between your front-end systems (portals, mobile apps, case access) and your back-end systems (ERP, CRM, HR suite, document management). It calls them via APIs, schedules tasks in your existing inbox environment or in its own task inbox, and sends audit events to your central logging stack. Our experience with smart API integrations and enterprise software is directly relevant here, because the success of a BPM platform stands or falls with how robust those integrations are.

Talk to us about your BPM platform.

A free, no-obligation half-hour introductory call. We listen to your processes, ask sharp questions about exceptions and volumes, and give direction you can use, even if the outcome is that a lighter route fits better than a full BPM platform. If you're also considering document workflow automation or broader enterprise software alongside process orchestration, we're happy to connect those too.

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