Introduction

In today's fast-paced business environment, agility, and innovation are critical for success. FlowOn BPM, a next-generation No-Code Business Process Management (BPM) tool built on top of FlowOn Logic, empowers businesses to transcend the limitations of Out-of-the-Box (OOB) Business Process Flows (BPF) in Dynamics 365. By providing unparalleled flexibility, limitless configuration options, and sophisticated branching capabilities, FlowOn BPM enables consultants and citizen developers to design, automate, and optimize complex business processes that drive innovation, efficiency, and growth.

FlowOn BPM Overview

FlowOn BPM is not just another BPM tool—it's a game-changer in process automation. It provides a no-code interface that allows functional consultants and business users to design highly complex business workflows without writing a single line of code. The platform's seamless integration with FlowOn Logic enables real-time execution of logic flows and processes at every stage of a business process, ensuring smooth, automated transitions and advanced workflow capabilities.

Whether you need to create a linear process or design a highly dynamic, multi-entity workflow with branching paths, FlowOn BPM delivers the tools to achieve it. The platform's non-sequential process support, unlimited stages and entities, complex decision trees, and integration with existing business processes make it a perfect solution for organizations looking to enhance efficiency while simplifying their workflow management.

D365 OOB BPF Vs. FlowOn BPM

FlowOn BPM offers significant enhancements over the traditional Dynamics 365 Out-of-the-Box (OOB) Business Process Flows (BPF). The following table highlights the key differences between Dynamics 365 OOB BPF and FlowOn BPM, showcasing the additional flexibility and capabilities provided by FlowOn BPM.

Feature	Dynamics 365 (OOB BPF)	FlowOn BPM
Business Process Type	Sequential Business Process	Non-Sequential Business Process
Stages	Limited number of stages (30 per business process)	Unlimited number of stages per business process
Entities	5 entities as maximum per business process	Unlimited number of entities per business process
Multi-Branching	Complex multi-branching between stages is not supported	Complex multi-branching between stages is supported through decision trees and tables
Existing Flows and Processes	Lacks support for invoking existing flows and processes in each stage	Ability to invoke existing flows and business processes in each stage

Key Features of FlowOn BPM

1. Support for Non-Sequential Business Processes
   FlowOn BPM supports non-sequential business processes, allowing users to design workflows that adapt to real-world conditions. Processes can skip stages, return to previous stages, or follow entirely non-linear paths based on business logic. This flexibility ensures that businesses can implement workflows that mirror actual business practices rather than forcing them into rigid, predefined sequences.

2. Unlimited Stages in Each Process
   Unlike OOB BPFs, which have a limited number of stages, FlowOn BPM allows an unlimited number of stages within each business process. This means that complex workflows with multiple touchpoints, approvals, and decision points can be easily designed and managed. Whether your process requires a few steps or dozens, FlowOn BPM has the capacity to handle it.

3. Unlimited Entities Per Process
   FlowOn BPM can work with multiple entities within a single business process, providing flexibility and scalability. Processes are no longer limited to operating within the confines of a single entity—users can incorporate data from several different entities, whether they are related or not. This enables businesses to create truly dynamic workflows that span various departments, data sources, and organizational boundaries.

   

4. Complex Multi-Branching Through Decision Trees and Tables
   FlowOn BPM supports complex branching between stages via decision trees and decision tables. This feature allows businesses to implement conditional logic at any point in the workflow, enabling the process to take different paths based on input values, user decisions, or other factors. With FlowOn BPM, consultants can design processes that intelligently respond to the needs of the business, automatically directing the workflow down the appropriate branch based on specific criteria.

5. Invoke Existing Flows and Processes for Customized Logic Execution
   At each stage of a business process, FlowOn BPM can invoke existing Dynamics 365 flows and business processes. This enables the execution of customized logic at each stage, providing unparalleled control and flexibility. Whether you need to trigger an approval process, send a notification, or automate data updates, FlowOn BPM makes it easy to integrate existing processes with your new workflows.

6. Seamless Integration with FlowOn Logic
   FlowOn BPM is built on top of FlowOn Logic, a powerful logic engine that ensures real-time execution of business logic as workflows progress through different stages. This integration enables business processes to be executed efficiently at each entry and exit point of a stage. Consultants can configure logic flows that automate tasks, manage approvals, enforce validations, and handle data updates, all without the need for custom coding.

7. Revert Flexibility and Process Adjustments
   In traditional BPM systems, changing or reverting to previous stages can be complex and time-consuming. FlowOn BPM introduces revert flexibility, allowing users to easily revert to previous stages or modify processes even after they have been deployed. This ensures that businesses can make adjustments in real time to reflect changes in their operations, without disrupting the entire workflow.

8. BPM Stage Tracing

   A diagnostic feature that can be enabled in development environments to assist consultants in testing and debugging business processes in real time. This feature provides visibility into the runtime execution of the process, allowing consultants to monitor how data is passed between stages, trace decision points, and observe the branching logic as it occurs. With Stage Tracing, users can inspect the flow of the process, understand how specific decisions are made, and verify that the process logic aligns with the desired outcomes. This detailed insight ensures that any issues in logic, data flow, or stage transitions can be identified and corrected before the process goes live.