Application Development: Custom or BPM Platform?

When faced with the need for a new business application, software developers aim to create high-quality, value-adding applications with minimal effort.

Traditionally, the way to meet unique business requirements to maintain competitive advantage is to build the application from scratch, that is, in a custom development.

But there is another option that deserves a closer look: process-based application development on a BPM platform.

This e-book takes a look at where and how this option offers advantages over custom application development. We’ll consider 7 criteria. You will see what is available in BPM process-based application platforms (also known as Business Process Management Suites or BPMS) and how these capabilities can be leveraged for creating customizable, adaptable, scalable, high-performing and user-friendly business applications.

What does it mean?

A custom-built application is an application for a specific organization / purpose developed using a programming language. It is sometimes also called tailor-made or bespoke software.

It is different from packaged or off-the-shelf software, which is typically developed for a mass market instead of for a specific organization.

A process-based application is an application driven by an underlying process or workflow engine. When these applications are developed with a BPM platform, their logic can be graphically modelled to show the logical process of execution.

Process-driven applications are a growing trend in enterprise solutions involving humans, systems or both. Its systematic approach to creating business applications allows for modification when there are changes in the business environment.

These 7 criteria are useful to evaluate which development approach fits best with your objectives and your organization.

• Time to market
• Functional scope
• Cost
• Usability
• Reliability
• Supportability
• Performance

Reading the ebook you'll be able to dive into more detail for each of them for custom (bespoke) application development and process-based application development.