10 Best Workflow Software & Tools That Improve Processes

Workflow management software serves a critical function in this day and age, when free time is a luxury. Allowing you to design and run new workflows, and get an overview of the processes and tasks that make your business tick, workflow software is a game-changing opportunity for any team in any organisation. 

Offering the potential for greater efficiency and increased output by helping staff prioritise critical tasks, workflow tools can also be used to improve compliance with regulators and auditors, spot trends in the company and within individual teams or departments, and identify and remove bottlenecks in processes.

With a wide array of platforms on the market, we’ve selected 10 workflow tools that will go a long way to helping improve efficiencies in your business.

Best workflow tools for building robust workflow processes

Designing your workflows is a critical first step towards efficiency, and getting the roadmap right will save a lot of frustration further down the line. Here are some workflow tools you could select:

Workiro

Manage your workflow in unrivalled detail with Workiro. As well as giving you the ability to set up and organise high-level, team-wide processes, the platform’s system allows you to get granular. It quickly and easily adds Unmissable Tasks for the small steps each individual takes that are vital to the smooth running of any organisation, which often get neglected by other platforms.

Unmissable Tasks can be sent securely to anyone, whether they are a Workiro user or not. This means you can include third-party contractors or clients in parts of your workflow without having to give them sight of everything going on behind the scenes.

Features

- Three types of tasks to help organise work
- Team and personal templates for recurring tasks
- Team visibility, to help co-workers pick up and share the load
- Set due dates to help manage expectations

Pricing 

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Verdict 

Highly customisable and packed with nifty features, Workiro will revolutionise your processes. Get in touch to find out how we can turbo-charge your organisation.

Quixy 

Don’t have any knowledge of programming? Fear not, because Quixy’s no-code platform helps anyone bring their process ideas to life at speed. Design a user interface on the company’s simple six-column grid, which allows you to create and move around process stages and forms until you find the optimum configuration for your workflow. 

Features

- Calculate fields, grid controls and sub-forms
- Easy importing of data from third-party apps and systems

Pricing 

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Verdict 

A great option for teams of non-technical staff looking for a customisable workflow solution.

Lucidchart 

Combining diagramming, data visualisation and collaboration, Lucidchart is an alternative cloud-based solution for building processes. It is another workflow tool designed for end users who enjoy visual stimulation, and boasts a library of customisable templates and hundreds of drag-and-drop shapes.

Features

- Auto-visualisation can turn data sets into diagrams, such as org charts or entity relationship diagrams 
- Collaboration tools allow teams to co-edit and leave comments on charts

Pricing 

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Verdict 

A number of visualisation tools and a wide variety of presentation styles make Lucidchart perfect for building engaging diagrams. Ideal for teams looking to improve storytelling within their organisation.


Best workflow management software for managing and improving internal processes

Once your workflow is established, you need the right software to ensure everyone stays on track, and to identify ways to improve your processes.

Monday.com 

Boasting users from the worlds of tech, entertainment and retail, Monday.com’s versatile workflow tools make it easy to manage any project – on any day of the week – by assigning and tracking tasks across different teams. It can be integrated with a wide range of common productivity tools, including G Suite, Slack and Jira.

Features

- Built-in messaging capability
- Calendar sync
- Automated emails, due-date reminders and recurring tasks

Pricing 

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Verdict 

A powerful and versatile suite of tools to manage an array of processes.

Kissflow     

 A dazzling array of dashboards makes Kissflow a great way to keep on top of what is going on in your organisation as it happens, with processes updating in real time. The firm’s platform can generate custom reports while also being able to take a deep dive into each step of the workflow to identify and eliminate bottlenecks. 

Features

- View digital or printable audit trails
- Build custom process metrics
- Reporting system delivers actionable insights

Pricing 

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Verdict 

When it comes to depth of data, Kissflow is hard to beat.

Nintex 

Nintex’s ultra-visual approach means data from your workflow will be presented in easy-to-digest charts and graphs. Collecting the data you need is simple thanks to the Nintex Analytics beacon, which can be dropped into your workflow designer at any point and will start collecting critical data automatically. 

Features

- Multiple analytics lenses to assess key consumption metrics
- Calculate return on investment from any automated parts of your workflow
- Gain insights into workflow status, ownership, design proficiency, and business impact

Pricing 

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Verdict 

Nintex offers impressive visualisation options, but its pricing model is suited to larger organisations rather than smaller teams.

Best tools for automating your workflow management system

Automation is an increasingly important part of many business processes, because it allows you to shift your focus from time-sensitive, menial tasks to focus on what really matters. In this section, we’ll be taking a closer look at automation software that will help you save time. 

Workiro

Yes, we automate timely processes, too. No one likes to have to chase work, and thanks to Workiro’s platform, you’ll never have to send a nagging email again. Once an unmissable task has been sent and a deadline set, the system will automatically nudge the person doing the task if the deadline is missed, and continue prompting them until it is completed. This means you’re free to get on with your work, safe in the knowledge that the task will get done.

Features

- Automatic read receipts and task updates
- Set up automatic repeating tasks for regular jobs
- Automated task follow-up

Verdict

Workiro takes the hassle out of task management. Contact the team to find out what automation can do for your business.

CMW Lab     

A low-code solution that can be scaled up easily as businesses grow, CMW Lab's software will help you set up powerful automated workflows in a matter of days. It offers a single ecosystem, where workflows can be designed, automated and launched. 

Features

- Transition and validation rules for automated workflows 
- Form fields can be modified automatically depending on the workflow step or data entered

Pricing 

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Verdict

A scalable, powerful solution to streamline processes that will have you automating menial tasks at the touch of a button.

The best free workflow software

Unsure whether your business can justify the cost of workflow management software? Here are some free options to try for those with a limited budget.

Trello 

An open-source visual workflow management tool, Trello allows you to create tasks in the form of cards, which can be added to different workflows. Contributors can be assigned on an individual or team basis, deadlines added, and project status updated to reflect progress. Workflows display on Trello boards, but tasks can also be viewed by deadline, on the Trello calendar. 

Features

- Integration with other productivity tools, such as Slack
- Basic automation options 

Price

Free version available. (business version available - pricing →)

Verdict

Trello is a great free way to get to grips with the basics of workflow management and to organise your team’s work.  

Bonita

Designed with both experienced developers and novices in mind, Bonita offers a flexible way to build and monitor workflows. The open-source, cloud-based platform is big on connectivity, allowing you to link your processes into databases, social platforms and other web-based services, as well as offering integration into enterprise systems (CRMs, ECMs, ERPs). 

Features

- WYSIWYG editor to build processes
- Data dashboard displaying key metrics
- Customisation and reporting tools

Price

Free (enterprise version available – pricing →)

Verdict

For a free tool, Bonita really packs a punch. A great way to launch you into the world of process management software.

Summary

The workflow software market is full of competitively priced options to suit any size or type of organisation. When selecting a package, it is important to consider which parts of your processes need the greatest attention; are you looking for better planning, more automation options, or greater depth of analytics on how your business is performing? 

Why not book in a demo with the Workiro team to find out more about how we can help improve your organisation's workflow management process.