Resource Center

  We are proud to announce that Decisions has been recognized as a Major Contender in Everest Group’s Process Orchestration Products PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024. This year, we’ve advanced on the matrix, signaling our enhanced vision and product capabilities. This progress reflects our dedication to empowering businesses with cutting-edge tools for process automation and optimization. […]

  For insurance companies, the pressure to innovate and streamline back-end processes is growing, with legacy systems and manual processes often slowing down critical operations. As insurers work to meet regulatory demands, adapt to market shifts, and address rising customer expectations, backlogs have become a significant roadblock.   Low-code platforms are emerging as a powerful solution, […]

  AI is quickly becoming a core feature of everyday business, with chatbots and generative AI tools like ChatGPT providing quick, one-off answers through natural language processing. But the next step in AI technology goes far beyond answering single questions. Agentic AI, often called autonomous or “agent-based” AI, is designed to take action independently, solving […]

  Rating and pricing are among the most essential functions in insurance underwriting, directly impacting risk reduction and profitability. Insurers need precise rating and pricing processes to avoid over- or underpricing, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain customer trust and loyalty.   Traditionally, these processes rely on monolithic and complex legacy systems that can restrict speed, […]

  In the insurance industry, managing risk is not just a responsibility. It’s a necessity for sustaining business operations and protecting client trust. Without a proactive approach to risk mitigation, insurers leave themselves vulnerable to inefficiencies, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage. Staying ahead of these risks and implementing effective strategies is crucial to safeguarding the […]

  As AI becomes increasingly essential to business operations, it’s vital for users to quickly adapt to different vendors and models without unnecessary delays or technical barriers. That’s why we’ve introduced AI.Common, a centralized AI management module that enhances your AI infrastructure, making it easier to manage different AI models without getting tangled in technical […]

  Risk assessment is a primary function of responsible lending, ensuring banks and credit unions meet strict regulatory requirements while maintaining legal and ethical practices. Failure to comply can result in major financial damage to customers, shareholders, the institutions themselves, and the broader economy.  Lenders have much to lose if risk assessment practices aren’t up […]

  Insurers face mounting pressure to deliver faster, more efficient services while navigating evolving regulatory and market demands. Likewise, as technologies advance, insurance customers expect personalized experiences, quick claims processing, and greater transparency.   Despite these demands, many insurers remain anchored to dated legacy systems, including unsupported platforms, applications, and outdated mainframes and servers. Insurers continue […]

  Perhaps nothing has transformed loan origination like the shift to a digital-first approach. This transformation enables both lenders and customers to benefit from automation, data integration, and advancements like AI. These technologies streamline online applications, improve risk assessments, and accelerate loan approvals—improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies.  However, simply automating tasks and enhancing risk […]

  We are thrilled to announce that Decisions has been recognized with four G2 badges for fall 2024! Receiving recognition from G2 affirms our progress and innovation within the industry. These badges not only highlight our platform’s robust capabilities but most importantly, they share our commitment to delivering powerful solutions that make a difference for […]

  As the Decisions team prepares to attend InsureTech Connect (ITC) Vegas 2024, we’re energized about attending an event that is the epicenter of innovation in the insurance industry, bringing together visionaries, decision-makers, and developers who are shaping the future of insurance. It’s an unparalleled opportunity to connect with industry leaders, explore emerging technologies, and […]

  In the insurance industry, competition is fierce, and customer expectations are at an all-time high. Insurers can no longer rely on standard, cookie-cutter offerings as customization have become a must to optimize processes for operational effectiveness and provide customers with the experience expected in a modern, digital world. Faster, more accurate and tailored processes […]

  Clear, focused processes are essential for businesses, and making intelligent, data-driven decisions is crucial for the optimal functioning of those processes. Automation, powered by a strong rules engine, is key to achieving this—transforming complex business logic into actionable outcomes that ensure operations run smoothly and align with company standards.  The next evolutionary step is […]

  When it comes to business success, much attention is often placed on customer-facing activities—the flashy marketing campaigns, the innovative product launches, the sales team wins, and the customer service interactions that shape a brand’s image. However, beneath the surface lies the true backbone of the business—back-office operations.   These are the unseen processes that […]

  Companies are always seeking new ways to refine and enhance their decision-making processes. At the heart of many automation systems lies the rules engine—a powerful tool that ensures consistency, accuracy, and speed across operations. But as business process complexity grows, keeping these rules effective and relevant becomes increasingly challenging. This is where process mining […]

  For businesses to stay competitive, they need to move fast, adapt easily, and maximize operational efficiencies. To make that happen today, organizations need to adopt technologies that can keep pace, improve productivity, and foster innovation.   For many industries, rules engines have become the backbone of automating processes and decision-making to achieve a competitive […]

  In the world of data analysis and business intelligence, the tools you choose can significantly impact your organization’s efficiency and insight. Two standout tools—Microsoft Power BI and process mining—serve distinct yet complementary roles. Understanding their differences is key to leveraging both effectively.  Purpose and Functionality  Power BI, developed by Microsoft, is a versatile business […]

  Optimized processes drive operational efficiencies. Yet, despite the availability of cutting-edge tools to analyze and improve processes, many organizations continue to rely on outdated methods. To understand the current trends and challenges in process analysis, Decisions recently conducted a LinkedIn survey that tapped into a diverse pool of professionals from IT services, healthcare, finance, […]

  We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Decisions Process Mining Learning Plan! This training program is designed to teach Decisions users how to leverage our powerful process mining automation tool effectively.  What Does the Decisions Process Mining Training Cover?  The Decisions Process Mining Learning Plan covers a wide range of topics […]

  Business growth hinges on many factors—visionary leadership, innovation, effective sales and marketing, customer satisfaction, and efficient operations. While technology can’t replace human skills, intellect, and creativity, it can enhance operations critical to growth. Among these technologies, a rules engine stands out as a powerful driver of automation and scalability, shaping how businesses expand.  What […]

  We are thrilled to announce that Decisions has been recognized with two prestigious badges from G2 for Summer 2024: High Performer and Users Love Us. These accolades highlight our unwavering commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction with our process automation solution.  High Performer Summer 2024  Receiving the High Performer badge reflects the superior quality […]

  Providing a seamless and personalized customer experience is essential for attracting and retaining customers. This is especially true in the lending sector, where the efficiency and personalization of the borrowing process greatly influence borrower satisfaction. One technology transforming the lending industry is the rules engine—a process automation tool that streamlines loan processing and enhances […]

  Operational efficiency, speed, and adaptability are crucial to maintaining a competitive edge. Although process automation with an advanced rules engine can help a business thrive, the rising costs of many automation platforms, coupled with the need for specialized resources and longer development times, can make these solutions prohibitively expensive and slow to deliver value.   […]

  Modern businesses are continuously seeking ways to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and make more informed decisions.  A rules engine can play a pivotal role in achieving these goals by automating decision-making processes and enforcing business rules consistently. However, not all rules engines are advanced enough to meet contemporary demands.   The Decisions process automation platform […]

  Robotic process Automation (RPA) has transformed how businesses handle routine tasks. By streamlining operations, especially those tied to essential legacy applications, RPA delivers significant efficiency gains. However, these early automation solutions come with their own set of challenges. They frequently encounter limited rule flexibility, complicated updates, and resource-demanding bot synchronization, making them less efficient […]

  While traditional Loan Origination Systems (LOS) have long been the cornerstone of loan processing, they may not be sufficient to meet modern demands across financial institutions. This blog post examines why an LOS may fall short today and how to bridge the gap.  Limitations of Traditional Loan Origination Systems  Rigidity and Complexity  Traditional LOS […]

  Organizations strive to optimize their workflows to stay competitive and deliver exceptional value to their customers. While many rely on out-of-the-box solutions to manage core processes, these standard tools often fall short when it comes to unique, specialized processes that set a company apart.   The integration of an advanced process automation platform can […]

  Staying ahead in today’s competitive market demands innovation, efficiency, and agility in adapting to ever-changing market dynamics. Businesses are under constant pressure to optimize their operations, make data-driven decisions swiftly, and respond to customer needs in real-time. A rules engine presents a robust solution for businesses seeking to streamline operations and enhance decision-making through […]

  Case management is a process to handle complex cases with multiple steps, stakeholders, and varying data points. Unlike simple workflows that follow a linear path, cases are inherently dynamic, requiring constant adaptation to new information and changing circumstances. Effective case management relies on the strength of the rules engine, a powerful tool that drives […]

  To deliver on our vision of continuously improving ease of use for our customers, we are pleased to announce Decisions V.9, a significant leap forward for our intuitive process automation platform. Packed with enhancements tailored to refine project management, simplify performance monitoring, and deliver exceptional designer experience, this version empowers users to achieve design […]

  Organizations are inundated with vast amounts of information waiting to be transformed into actionable insights. However, the sheer volume and complexity of data often pose significant challenges in deciphering meaningful patterns and making informed decisions.  Intelligent decision-making relies on objective data analysis, but fragmented, inconsistently formatted, or outdated data is of little use as […]

  To stay competitive and profitable, organizations must continuously evolve and optimize their processes to achieve optimal results and revenue gains. Process automation, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is a key strategy in achieving this goal. Integrating AI, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), with a rules engine transforms process automation […]

Business process automation (BPA) is a potent solution for streamlining tasks, increasing productivity, and optimizing business operations. When coupled with AI technologies such as GenerativeAI (genAI), natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and robotics process automation (RPA) its benefits are further amplified.  As businesses embrace artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize their operations, there’s a lingering […]

  Utilizing technology to fast-track business initiatives stands out as one of the most effective methods for boosting business growth, with hyperautomation emerging as a key strategy in driving these successes. Businesses of all sizes and spanning various industries stand to gain from hyperautomation—the strategic expansion of process automation. These advantages include cost reduction, optimized […]

  Artificial intelligence (AI) and its uses permeates many business and technology discussions in today’s workplace. While some are unsure about its application, the undeniable truth remains: AI presents boundless opportunities for efficiency and innovation. One area where AI is already making a significant impact is in process automation. By strategically leveraging AI within business […]

  Process mining has emerged as a powerful tool to analyze and optimize operational processes. It allows organizations to gain deep insights into their business processes by analyzing event logs and transactional data. In visualizing process execution, organizations can identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and variations in workflows. This insight enables companies to streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, […]

  Administrative and support employees are the unsung heroes running the back office. They have some of the more mundane, repetitive tasks that drive business operations. Their work is critical, and their responsibilities are vast. Data entry, invoicing, financial analysis, customer support, onboarding, benefits administration, compliance, and supply chain are only a smattering of their […]

  Searching for a Business Process Automation (BPA) solution can reel you into a cycle of repetitive pitches, loading you with similar information. I invite you to take a breather from the monotony,  and let’s explore the concept of process automation from a whole new perspective – building with Legos. Remember the thrill of cracking […]

  Your team is tasked with developing a new employee training program and you take charge in choosing the key elements for the program to ensure it meets learning styles and preferences of your colleagues. You initially opt for instructional videos to engage your team. However, as discussions unfold, it becomes clear that some prefer […]

  In today’s complex and data-driven world, businesses often find themselves grappling with the challenge of managing and enforcing rules and regulations efficiently. As a company grows, the stakes increase. Whether it’s automating decision-making processes, ensuring compliance, or fine-tuning operations, a rules engine can be a valuable tool to overcome these corporate challenges.  A rules […]

  We’ve all been there – you just finished a long meeting, and your notes fall short of what you really need. Maybe you recorded the meeting, thinking you’d review it later for the information you missed. But who wants to rewatch a meeting they’ve already sat through? Meetings are a crucial part of any […]

  When discussing Business Process Management (BPM), it’s essential to consider workflow. Workflow, typically supported by specialized engines or software, forms the foundation of automating and improving processes in organizations. Let’s examine what workflow involves, its importance in BPM, and delve into the details of the Decisions Workflow Engine. What is Workflow? Workflow is the […]

  The modern workplace is ever-changing, and keeping up with the pace of change is crucial for staying competitive. This is where AI and automation step in, offering efficient solutions that have the power to reshape your business. When it comes to enhancing internal operations and fostering employee success, one of the most intelligent decisions […]

  Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) plays a vital role in digital transformation, reshaping how businesses operate. It enables businesses to automate workflows, speed up processes, and deliver better customer experiences. But what exactly is IPA and how do you know if it’s right for you? In this blog post, we’ll explore 6 key facts about […]

  Filling out RFPs can be a real time-drain, often feeling monotonous and laborious. However, there’s a solution – AI-powered automation. It’s a game-changer for RFP workflows and response times. Artificial intelligence is transforming the RFP landscape, automating the process of finding answers and completing responses swiftly. If you’re seeking to streamline your RFP workflow […]

  Looking to boost your business efficiency and productivity? Chatbots and workflow automation could be the perfect solution. Chatbots streamline customer service and automate repetitive tasks, while workflow automation ensures quick and accurate process completion. By using these technologies, you can enhance your business operations for seamless performance. What are Chatbots and Why Use Them? […]

  The introduction of Generative AI into the workplace presents an exciting opportunity for businesses to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. However, this advancement also raises specific concerns regarding its potential risks. In this blog post, we’ll delve into four of the most prevalent concerns associated with Generative AI, exploring how these systems function, their […]

  In today’s data-driven world, information is the crown jewel, with businesses accumulating data at unprecedented rates. Yet, not all data follows a neat pattern. According to Gartner, as much as 80% of enterprise data today is unstructured and not organized in a predefined manner.  What’s more, it’s growing at an impressive pace of 55% […]

  We’ve all experienced the drag of the clock while sitting at our desks, tackling those repetitive tasks that seem to steal far too much of our day. It may be hard to picture a workday where these tasks are completed automatically, leaving you free to dedicate your time to more thoughtful, engaging work. Decisions […]

  Countless hours of the workweek are dedicated to lengthy meetings where we strive to answer the burning questions: How can we optimize operations? How can we reduce costs? And how can we truly wow customers with exceptional experiences?  Forward-thinking decision-makers are embracing process mining as a solution to these challenges and witnessing tangible results. […]

  As technology advancements hurdle forward, a significant gap between the supply and demand of development work has been left in its wake. Low-code and no-code platforms have answered the call, helping organizations rapidly develop products and apps. Yet amongst the benefits these platforms offer, they have also sparked discussion about the future of IT […]

  Decisions Days 2023 brought together tech enthusiasts, innovators, and industry leaders to dive into the cutting edge of automation advancements and possibilities. Amidst captivating keynotes, dynamic demonstrations, and engaging conversations, the highly anticipated Live Build Challenge took the spotlight. Participants showcased their expertise in integration and automation using the latest ChatGPT module, all competing […]

Congratulations on embracing digital transformation and automating your business processes! But the work doesn’t end there. Now, it’s time to dig into the data and ensure everything is running smoothly. Process mining is here to help, providing valuable insights into your workflows. With this data-driven approach, business leaders can make informed decisions and drive impactful […]

  In the age of digital transformation, manual data entry is taking a back seat. Businesses are constantly looking for new, effective ways to pull and process the data within documents. This information is crucial to streamlining processes and making well-informed decisions. That’s where intelligent data extraction comes into play. Empowered by AI integration, this […]

As a business owner, you’re always on the lookout for ways to work smarter, not harder. That’s where AI integration and process automation come into play. AI is no longer a distant, futuristic dream—it’s happening right now, and it’s evolving every day. With each new breakthrough, it becomes more accessible and powerful for businesses to […]

Software upgrades and innovations need to offer real value to the company, in other words, a return on investment (ROI). If you’re going to spend money on a new business solution, you have to prove how the benefits it provides outweigh the costs. Whether you’re making a case for new workflow software or justifying past […]

Decisions Days 2023 has come and gone, and it was an absolute blast! From May 22nd to 24th, Virginia Beach played host to an incredible gathering of 250 Decisions customers, partners, and developers, all sharing one thing in common: a passion for all things related to business process automation. The excitement started thanks to our […]

  The importance of digital transformation for sustained business success is well understood and accepted. But what exactly does it mean, and why is it so crucial? Let’s take a moment to demystify this concept and understand its significance. Digital transformation has become a cornerstone for thriving businesses, driving innovation and adaptation in an ever-evolving […]

  As businesses grow, so does the amount of paperwork they generate. Handling and organizing these documents, and the data elements embedded within them, can quickly turn into a nightmare if not managed properly. Even with the push towards digital transformation, businesses continue to struggle with an overwhelming amount of documents and forms, from contracts […]

  Automation has become an essential part of modern-day business, providing increased productivity, efficiency, and accuracy, while reducing costs and errors. However, some people still resist automation, fearing job loss or believing that it’s too expensive. But here’s the thing: if you resist automation or automate the wrong processes, you could be doing your business […]

Do you ever feel caught in a never-ending loop, swiveling between different software applications while working on a project? It can be incredibly frustrating to plug data from one system into another or repeatedly rewrite content to ensure it’s accessible in multiple locations. As tedious as they are, these tasks are often essential to the […]

Managing your digital landscape has become an increasingly daunting task, with challenges that seem to grow by the day. Gone are the days of relying on monolithic, all-in-one platforms, as today’s organizations now juggle dozens of individual services and custom applications that address specific, technical problems and business needs. Data is stored across a plethora […]

The speed and security of payment processing is always increasing, and close on its heels is a growing demand for alternative payment methods. Real-time payments (RTPs) are electronic transitions that occur instantaneously within a secure online environment. RTPs offer the ability to transfer funds instantaneously, generously benefiting businesses and consumers alike. However, implementing this technology […]

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) play a critical role in maintaining and improving patient health, and the role continues to evolve within the healthcare industry. Shifting regulatory guidelines influence the expectations for the role as PBMs focus on delivering best in-class prescription products to manage patient conditions efficiently and achieve better health outcomes.  More than 275 […]

The automobile industry in the United States is a powerhouse, boasting some of the largest and most well-known car manufacturers in the world, including General Motors, Ford, and Tesla. The industry is a major contributor to the American economy, employing hundreds of thousands of people and generates billions of dollars in annual revenue. However, the […]

Fraud is a critical risk to any business, and cybersecurity plays a vital role in safeguarding sensitive data and IT infrastructure from fraudulent activities and actors. Recently, cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, making traditional fraud detection methods inadequate. To combat the threat of cybercrime, companies are turning towards no-code automation and intelligent process automation to […]

In a post-pandemic world, there is unparalleled pressure for the Healthcare industry to be agile, responsive, and equipped to manage unexpected emergencies. Despite this demand, significant challenges surround the adoption and implementation of technology, especially concerning electronic health records (EHR) and data management. As the healthcare system transitions towards more digital solutions, it’s important for […]

Digital banking has taken the world by storm and is now a crucial player in the banking industry. Although consumer preference was already trending towards digital channels before COVID-19, the pandemic accelerated that change within a matter of weeks, as consumers were forced to limit in-person interactions and adopt digital banking services. Wells Fargo alone […]

As our economic landscape remains uncertain, many businesses are starting to scrutinize their budgets. Traditionally, the organizations determined to cut costs do so through a series of layoffs and the elimination of extraneous programs and technologies.  While it may be in our nature to penny-pinch, exploring ways to increase tech budgets and invest in automation […]

  Once your team has embraced process automation, you may think the hard work is behind you. It’s estimated that 83% of business decision makers plan to increase the adoption of process optimization in customer journey mapping and 57% of them are planning to increase it significantly. While process automation is becoming integral for many organizations, […]

  Delivering an effective customer experience is vital to the success of your business – and the numbers don’t lie. Companies that lead in customer experience outperform their competitors by nearly 80%.  Within the financial and insurance industries alone, 62% claim customer experience as a primary differentiator amongst their competition. Companies with good customer service […]

Headlines paint a bleak picture of modern technology’s impact on the current workforce. As if COVID-19, a looming recession, and unstable economy weren’t enough – now robots are taking our jobs?! It is true that in a world powered by tech and driven by the need to stay competitive, businesses have turned to automation as […]

Maybe it’s not too surprising that a global pandemic caused major, record breaking disruptions for the American labor force. After mass layoffs in 2020, more than 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021, most to seek remote opportunities that offered higher wages and a more accessible work-life balance. During this labor reshuffle, jobs that […]

Business owners and developers are quickly embracing no-code tools as an accessible solution for adapting and optimizing their business processes. As the advantages of no-code development reach business leaders across every industry, its role is expanding to include mission-critical applications.  Mission-critical applications are the core technologies your business uses to execute everyday operations. For a […]

Loan origination is one of the largest applications we see here at Decisions. The rule engine and workflow manager foundations of our platform are both integral to an effective loan origination process. We are all familiar with the two most common types of loans: mortgage and auto. However, there are countless other types of loans […]

Why do businesses build their own software?  For one, building custom software offers the flexibility and compatibility to integrate with your company’s existing applications, and tailor your software to fit specific business needs. You decide exactly how the platform is built and functions, and can make custom changes in the future. While businesses want to […]

Is your business already using workflow automation, but you’re worried about getting the most bang for your buck? Or maybe your organization is just starting to explore how an automation tool can enhance your operations. Whatever the case may be, welcome!  As you begin your automation journey, it’s important to know that not every workflow […]

With interest rates rising, the stock market falling, and layoff announcements from large tech firms, the signs are all pointing to an imminent recession. I’m frequently asked what this means for our business, and what business owners should be doing to prepare.  Below I’ve shared my six key pieces of advice every business owner needs […]

Millions of decisions are being made every single day. The resulting information propels business operations forward and are the driving force of successful organizations. But overseeing millions of decisions is no easy task.  A business rules engine makes it possible for organizations of any size to manage what and when decisions should be made. This […]

78% of Americans prefer to use digital tools to engage with financial institutions, according to an Ipsos-Forbes Advisor U.S. Weekly Consumer Confidence Survey from March. The need for financial services organizations to respond quickly to change is no longer a benefit but a requirement to remain competitive and attract and retain customers. According to Jim […]

For years, Decisions has been solving hard business problems for our customers, but our involvement has traditionally stopped there. Last week, Decisions announced the acquisition of Process Diamond and the introduction of the first Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) platform. We may be automation experts, but we’re not experts on every process from every customer we […]

On October 4th, Facebook experienced a massive service outage that took over eight hours to resolve. If a technology company as sophisticated as Facebook can experience such an event, then any business can.  While Facebook’s issue was not a disaster recovery (DR) scenario, it forces the hard questions:  How well are your business processes capable […]

For most organizations, process automation is a when, not an if. Competitive market demands are putting increasing pressure on organizations to streamline processes, increase efficiency, reduce costs and do more with less. Therefore, many companies are focusing on areas of the business that can deliver the highest ROI – across multiple departments and use cases […]

Streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and continuous product innovation have been standard operating procedures for insurance organizations for decades, but the pace has increased since insurance quoting went online. Expertise in marketing, claims processing, and underwriting are no longer unique competitive advantages, and insurance companies are looking for new ways to operate. As a […]

Competitive forces and increasingly stringent regulations require that asset management firms analyze their processes and procedures to streamline operations. They need to reduce costs while simultaneously strengthening compliance. Therefore, intelligent asset management companies – private equity firms, hedge funds, family offices, wealth managers – are increasingly implementing automation strategies. Their goals are to optimize operations, […]

Digital transformation at well-established insurance providers has been in process for more than a decade, with the goal of streamlining processes to unlock growth, increase profitability, and protect their brand. Meanwhile, newer, more nimble insurance start-ups are trying to leverage the latest technologies in their quest to stay one step ahead. The bottom line is […]

Scores let you know where you stand, whether it is a test score in academics or the final score of the Super Bowl, they are a quick way to measure past performance. Past performance is an important indicator for future performance and using scoring rules in business decisions can help predict the probability of certain […]

Workflows are great for standardizing business processes and documenting enterprise knowledge. Automating workflows can streamline operations and help you respond to your customers quicker than your competitor. But, what happens when existing workflows processes don’t work when new and unusual situations come up? While many interactions may be similar and the established workflows work well, […]

As the world adapts to the new reality of Covid-19, businesses are being forced to adapt or die. Managing and automating decision making with a rules engine can improve business agility and resilience. Business rules live throughout your organization and dictate how it runs. These protocols also represent the retained knowledge that informs the decisions […]

Well constructed machine learning models can give a business a competitive advantage by helping make more nimble decisions but ML models should not be left to themselves. Companies that can make decisions faster can capture new opportunities quicker and compete with and take share from larger rivals. While ML can be very valuable, there are […]

The importance of business rules and decision making in the age of automation As the world produces more and more data, organizations are connecting disparate systems to leverage this data to create competitive advantages. With data and systems better integrated, more processes can be automated leading to nimbler more effective decision making. Business rules and […]

New Ocean improves health outcomes and lowers costs across organizations by addressing both chronic conditions and lifestyle management. New Ocean uses embedded digital coaching, behavioral science and predictive analytics to help people achieve their health goals and position organizations to benefit from the growing digital healthcare landscape. Business Challenge New Ocean’s primary customers are Health […]

This past month, we here at Decisions created a webinar on integrating R & Python with our Decisions platform. You can watch a recording of the webinar or read on a little further to learn more about what R & Python do and why integrating these with Decisions is both useful and easy to accomplish. […]

The concept of using rules to control business activities has its roots in technological advancements going back to the 1980s. Over the course of their history, business rules have always been constrained by the capabilities of solutions used to perform data modeling and manage the complexity of these sets of rules. Today’s business rules engines […]

When faced with a marketplace that is full of uncertainty and constant evolution, businesses need to have the tools and solutions readily available to them to both solve day-to-day problems and streamline the functions that make their organizations tick. One of the best and most efficient methods to accomplish these complex tasks is to use […]

As a subset of overall business process management (BPM), business process automation (BPA) allows you to cut out manual labor and replace it with fast, efficient processes that preserve and enhance quality while also providing more responsive, scalable services. Automation improves your integrations between different software and business processes. It can also improve communication around […]

! مرحبا!, ¡Hola!, Salut ! If you’re an employee of one of our many multinational customers, you likely interact with coworkers in offices around the world that operate in another language and with different workweek schedules, holiday calendars, and currency. Business processes may even span cultural boundaries domestically, such our Belgian clients who must make […]

Businesses around the world are settling into a new normal, which has dramatically changed the way they interact with customers, foster collaboration among teams, and support employees. Many businesses have already had strong flexible work arrangements, but there is now more of a focus on the value of a virtual workspace and the need for […]

Home Care Pulse is the home care industry’s leading firm in satisfaction research and quality assurance, serving hundreds of home care businesses across North America. Home care agencies use Home Care Pulse as a resource to help get information on the industry as a whole such as benchmarking studies, satisfaction research, and training resources. Home […]

Case management in the healthcare industry doesn’t only pertain to the clinical side of operations. Healthcare administrators must account for different business entities and legal regulations when managing patient registration insurance contracts, coding, billing, and other stages of the healthcare revenue cycle. These complex healthcare processes require workflows and management tools that can adapt to […]

If you are responsible for keeping your organization humming, you have probably spent more time than you care to admit thinking about workflow management. Are our workflows enabling our operations as efficiently as they could? Do our business rules still match our operational realities? Is there a better way to perform this function? The questions […]

In these unprecedented times filled with new challenges, uncertainty, and organizational and personal constraints, IT and business leaders are working to adapt their operations in response to COVID-19. To enable these changes, maintain continuity, and ensure the health of employees and their communities, businesses need their technology platforms to be able to pivot on a […]

Today’s healthcare industry is undergoing a transition away from traditional pay-for-service payment systems. Under this old model, patients visit a healthcare facility, receive healthcare services ranging from wellness checks to lab tests to medical procedures, and then pay an individual rate for each of those services. That approach is being replaced by advanced payment models […]

When the phrase “case management” comes up in healthcare, the common assumption is that the case is patient-related. The reality of healthcare case management is that it can apply to many types of ‘cases’. Yes, patients may be managed through this process, but there are many other healthcare processes that benefit from workflow and task […]

As businesses embrace the use of data-driven processes to transform virtually every aspect of their operations, the integrity of that data and the data management infrastructure have come under closer scrutiny. Data is more abundant for businesses than ever before, but organizations are facing greater limitations in regard to data quality. According to Gartner, the […]

Between the reverberations of the stock market and the uncertainty of the scale and length of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many businesses have been pushed close to their breaking points. Business owners have to constantly weigh the health and safety of their employees against complex pressures that come with making decisions that can help their […]

Whether you already have a business rules engine in use in your organization or you are just beginning to understand the value that it can add to your operations, it is important to remember what sets some business process management software solutions apart from others. Sure, there are a lot of different types of solutions […]

It goes without saying that global and national financial markets have been rattled by volatility over the past several months due to the uncertainty caused by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition to the substantial impacts on public health and the strain on health services and local governments, the downstream effects of COVID-19 […]

If your business doesn’t already use workflow automation software to manage various projects and tasks taking place across the organization, it is easy to see the day-to-day benefit of adding this solution to your technology infrastructure. But a little added convenience isn’t enough to sell decision makers on the cost of adding a new piece […]

Unpaid invoices and bills are part of the cost of doing business. But the scale of that cost is determined by the efficiency and efficacy of your collections strategy. The first step in managing these collections efforts is choosing the right infrastructure to organize these efforts. At first glance, outsourcing collections to a third party […]

The business procedures in place in education are similar to any other type of organization. There are forms, processes, workflows, and data that people work with every day. Just like businesses in any other industry, those in higher education stand to benefit a great deal from streamlining and automating the different business processes and workflows […]

When choosing business process management software, many organizations look for a solution that is easy to use. They want an application that gives their end users a no-code interface to make creating automated workflows easy. However, just because some of these solutions are easy to use doesn’t mean they are not powerful. Although some organizations […]

Business process management (BPM) has always been fenced in by the limitations of the latest technology. Even as new technologies such as automation and low-code development created new efficiencies and capabilities for organizations, the overall agility and flexibility that companies could achieve was fixed. But those technologies have made great strides in recent years, and […]

Businesses in all industries are constantly looking to reduce operating costs. One way to do this is through a type of business process automation known as intelligent automation. What intelligent automation does is take repetitive, routine tasks that humans would typically do and apply machine learning technology to the process automation. This allows the intelligent […]

Legacy banking and lending technologies continue to plague the bottom lines of financial institutions resisting digital transformation. In many cases, inefficient or limited financial technology is placing a cap on the loan volumes lenders are able to handle, while also creating additional operational costs that could be easily addressed through modern solutions. Research suggests that […]

Although many simple finance and lending-related processes may be easily managed with straightforward workflows, this industry often wrestles with complex tasks and highly variable processes that require case-by-case consideration and management. Situational challenges, including the amount of unstructured data financial institutions may collect as part of financial processes, create unique obstacles for efficient internal operations. […]

If your organization has made the decision to implement a business process management software solution, you are likely well aware of the many benefits you stand to gain from such a project. However, as with any software implementation, there is always the possibility of something going wrong. In fact, the implementation of enterprise software is […]

Banks and lending institutions are expanding their financial products to include lending solutions and terms that can be customized to the individual borrower. This is a response to the ever-expanding ways consumers and businesses are seeking to borrow money for specialized products, but these institutions are hitting roadblocks when it comes to their current lending […]

In finance and lending, policies and regulations inevitably govern how processes work. An effective rules management system can help these processes flow more smoothly, particularly with loan origination. Automated rules deliver a range of benefits for lenders, including: Increased efficiency Streamlined implementation of rules, regulations, and policies Less reliance on IT teams Fewer repetitive tasks […]

Whether you’re aware of it or not, rules provide necessary logic and structure to any business. These rules define the job responsibilities for each of your workers, establish expectations for workplace behavior, and offer guidance for a wide range of operational procedures that take place every day at your company. Business rules make it possible […]

Whenever you’re trying to automate internal processes that operate on a case-by-case basis, you have a potential use case for a case management solution. Regardless of industry, almost any business leader can identify multiple internal processes that could be streamlined and improved by using case management technology to automate processes and improve customer service. Here […]

If you have made the decision to implement a document workflow software solution in your business, then you have already taken the first step. However, most people know that when it comes to implementing a new software solution, deciding you need the software isn’t usually the hardest step to take. What follows the decision to […]

Without the right approvals, business processes can come to a grinding halt. When things are held up because something requiring approval is sitting in a queue, people want to know where the bottleneck is. In theory, tracking the progress of an approval as it makes its way through a business process should help speed things […]

When you think of workflow software, it is easy to think of the movement of process automation. After all, flow implies constant motion, and you use the software to move through the steps of a given process. However, there is an often-overlooked element of process automation using workflow software: The process has to start with […]

Truth tables date back as far as 1902 to logician Charles Sanders Peirce, who used them as a method to display algebraic logic. Truth tables have evolved over the years. As more people rely on them to represent logical outcomes, they have become more useful in other fields, and are now instrumental in business process […]

You may not have caught this story, but last week Boeing launched the new Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to be the next generation launch vehicle. The Starliner capsule did not make it to the International Space Station (ISS), it’s intended destination. It was able to land successfully back on earth yet there were a […]

There was an interesting article in New Scientist last month that highlights new regulations in the UK related to AI/Machine Learning decision transparency. Organizations there could face multi-million pound fines if they cannot adequately explain why decisions are made from these models. There are similar regulations in the EU. This points to a problem in […]

Lenders are well-acquainted with loan origination systems, for better or for worse. This fintech solution is widely used to support traditional loan origination processes, providing a reliable structure for managing workflows and data, and enforcing rules that govern loan approvals. But this structure can also be a weakness of LOS technology—especially for nontraditional lenders seeking […]

You’ve heard about no-code software for various business solutions, but do you understand how this software works and how it can improve your daily business operations? Business professionals rely on a number of software solutions to perform day-to-day tasks. However, they’re often left out of the development process entirely, and instead rely on intuitive developers […]

Businesses turn to workflow software solutions in order to remove manual tasks from their processes. As with any software, not all company workflow solutions live up to users’ expectations. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to tell if the workflow software they implemented is making the impact they had hoped for. However, if you know what […]

Life in the insurance industry is full of decisions based on rules. Does a potential customer meet the basic qualifications? How does a rate change based on the answers provided on a form? What is the maximum value of a policy? What is the agent’s commission for an individual customer? These decisions, whether they be […]

Across all of the different technologies used to run your business, there’s a lot of data to organize and manage. Master data management is a method for not only organizing and storing data but also making sure it is consistent and uniform across different software platforms and storage locations. A master data record plays a […]

Yes, it would be ideal if all development projects were greenfield in nature where we were starting with a clean slate and could design and build using the latest tools and methods. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. More than likely, you are currently working on a brownfield application. What’s a brownfield application? […]

Truth tables are used to provide a visual organization of information when looking into all of the possible outcomes and scenarios from the provided premises. Though most common in mathematics, truth tables have also been used in computer science, electrical engineering, and even philosophy. Given the wide range of uses for truth tables, it should […]

Ever since Sir Richard Arkwright developed a water powered spinning mill for cotton in 1771, the manufacturing industry has embraced automation as a way to reduce time and costs when it comes to repetitive tasks. So it should be no surprise that the manufacturing companies vertical would turn to workflow automation for many of its […]

In its simplest terms, a product’s user interface (UI) is what enables the end user to easily interact with the back-end processes of the application. A good UI provides visual cues and a reliable information architecture so that users are able to easily navigate and find the information they need. Sometimes, however, a simple UI […]

As enterprise data becomes more expansive, it also becomes more convoluted. Poor management of high-volume data can quickly create chaos for an organization’s system of records, thus compromising data integrity. But data mapping tools can help organizations avoid this nightmare scenario by maintaining clean records and ensuring that duplicate data is identified and eliminated. When […]

Software as a service (SaaS) comes in many different forms and applications, but the overarching value of SaaS is in its ability to deliver powerful services to businesses at a fraction of the cost of proprietary alternatives. Our latest webinar about multi-tenancy demonstrates how businesses of any size can use a SaaS multi-tenant environment to […]

Originally, Decisions was designed as a rule and workflow engine that could be embedded into other applications and solutions. As demand for the product grew, Decisions began selling directly to customers who wanted to manage their own business processes without code. At the same time, resellers and other software providers began using the software in […]

As organizations seek out ways to create new efficiencies and increase productivity at scale, decision software inevitably receives a hard look from decision makers. With a workflow management tool, organizations can quickly implement operational changes that automate tedious business tasks and optimize workflows to improve the speed and quality of the end result. Businesses have […]

Organizations are under constant pressure to increase productivity, widen profit margins, and do more with less. But to achieve these goals, organizations need the right tools and resources in place—and it all starts with intelligent process automation (IPA). By combining business rule decisioning and workflow automation, organizations can implement new digital innovations as a means […]

This question comes up quite frequently and the short answer is yes – absolutely. To get to the underlying concern behind the question though takes a bit more explanation. It’s a topic we love to talk about at DECISIONS as this is an area of the product that really shines. We look forward to opportunities […]

Simply by reading this blog post you are cordially invited to our first annual Decisions Days event in New York City. Pretty cool huh? We have extended our typical 3-day training event to include two additional days of content. We are super excited about this event and would love to have you there with us. […]

I have often joked that when clients purchase DECISIONS that we were their fourth option. There’s quite a bit of truth in this though. So, with that said, what would be options 1, 2 and 3? Why would anyone slide down to option 4 as their best option? Option 1: The Status Quo As an […]

We’ve all been there. You have a legacy application that has slowly morphed over time, showing increasing signs of complexity, and has finally hit the breaking point. Each subsequent change seems to take forever and half the time something else breaks in the process. Rewriting the application has been on your budgetary wish list each […]

Since you are reading this blog post, it’s likely that you already know what a rules engine is. For those that don’t, a rule engine separates business logic from an application and exposes that logic in a graphical designer that allow business people to create, edit or understand the business rules associated with a business […]

Companies today are laser-focused on things like growing market share, ensuring customer satisfaction, increasing profit margins, enhancing product functionality, and maintaining customer retention. These are all important facets to running a successful business, and Decisions is no exception. But sometimes you get the opportunity to be a part of something that transcends the aforementioned KPIs. […]

I recently purchased a book that I would highly recommend to anyone building software. It’s titled “A Philosophy of Software Design” by John Ousterhout and I plan to write blog posts for the next month using topics raised within. The book starts off with a practical definition of complexity which states that complexity is anything […]

Garbage in, garbage out was first uttered by an IBM employee back in 1965 and this computer science term is just as valid today as it was nearly 55 years ago. In fact, we are swimming in more data today than ever, which is created from new software applications and IOT devices that add to […]

I talk regularly with clients who have invested heavily in expensive ERP systems but are not satisfied with the level of automation they have been able to achieve. I can totally relate to this, as I spent about 10 years of my life implementing these systems. When the project was finally completed it was seriously […]

When it comes to user interface (UI) design – opinions can be strong. This is particularly true when your application is customer facing. And like most things in Decisions, there is more than one way to get a page to look the way you want it to. In this blog post I want to point […]

There was a very interesting article this past week in New Scientist magazine titled “The best image-recognition AI’s are fooled by slightly rotated images.” Do read the whole thing. This article touches on one of my favorite topics, which is how to think about AI and rules in the context of a business application. As […]

We are continuing to shake down our Version 6 release and it is undergoing final QA testing while I write this blog post. One of the key features in this release is the support for Docker Containers, which has been a much-asked about feature that we are excited to launch. This feature comes about as […]

RPA is all the rage at the moment and not a day goes by where I don’t hear that a prospective client is investigating RPA tools. I have to take my hat off to the RPA vendors for some clever marketing and pricing strategies. By calling (workflows) them robots or bots, it has brought to […]

Given the flexible nature of Decisions, our customers have used our platform for a whole range of different use cases across many different industries.  One area that is growing in use, is Supply Chain Management.  Whether managing inventory, coordinating purchases, controlling master data, or optimizing logistics, Decisions has tools available to squeeze value out of […]

It is estimated that the average American adult makes somewhere in the neighborhood of 35,000 decisions every day. For sure most of these decisions are quite mundane, such as which pair of socks you put on and then which foot you choose to “sock” first. However, from a business context this means that your employees, […]

One of the most common topics that our customers ask about, is the ability to manage different versions of projects in Decisions.  Whether you’re looking to manage different versions of rules, workflows or entire projects, there are several options for doing this in Decisions. History, Documentation & Checkpoints Perhaps the easiest way to manage versions […]

Choosing a software vendor can be a stressful task as you want to make sure whichever supplier you pick can truly deliver the value that you’re looking for.  At Decisions there is nothing more important to us than customer satisfaction and we want to ensure you receive the value that you expect, before you ever […]

Our latest white paper has been released and although the title is a bit long, the key message is actually found in the first two words of the title: Beyond & Beside. Let me explain. You could say that what is happening in the Loan Origination Software space is happening in nearly every business software […]

Automating processes in an unpredictable world can be difficult at best.  Similar to planning for the approach of a deadly storm, we try to make decisions that will put us in the best possible position no matter the outcome.  With Hurricane Florence headed for the coast of Virginia and our head office located squarely in […]

Gartner recently released an interesting tech note discussing the increase in interest for business rules management systems. Here is a link to the article and I’d recommend that you read the whole thing. The article addresses the challenges that companies face when progressing in their digital transformations and how business rules management systems fit in. […]

I was reading one of my favorite economics blogs recently (marginalrevolution.com) and came across a link to a Harvard Business Review article by Daniel Kahneman, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. The article is titled: “Noise: How to Overcome the High, Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Decision Making.” I would highly recommend you […]

Why Business Metrics? William Edwards Deming was a pioneer in Engineering, Statistics, and Process Optimization.  He was instrumental in the spectacular rise of Japanese Industry after World War II (among many other achievements).  One of the key factors in Mr. Deming’s success was his appreciation and passion for good business metrics. Deming stressed that business […]

Last week we launched our General Availability release of Decisions 5.0. With the GA launch we have moved beyond the Beta stage and Version 5.0 is ready and recommended for production environments. Version 5.0 is the fastest, most heavily tested and feature rich version of Decisions we have ever released. To learn all about our […]

One of the most important topics when it comes to automating your processes is Master Data. Master Data is an often-forgotten key element of process optimization. As your company grows, complexity increases and the need for automation becomes increasingly important. The degree to which data heavy processes can be automated is often dependent on the […]

There’s a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, and how true that is. A layout drawing of a home plan will give you a better idea as to what that house looked like in an instant as compared to a fifteen minute conversation about the house. Which is why we are all […]

There is an old saying in business, “what got us here, won’t get us there”.  At some point in the lifetime of your business you will undoubtedly outgrow the processes and the systems that helped you grow to that point and to achieve the next milestone you will need to upgrade your systems and processes. […]

At Decisions, when a client contacts the support team with a problem or a question, they should expect and receive more than simple technical support. While it could be satisfactory enough to receive a fix for a problem or to be pointed in the direction of a usable step, the support team chooses to also […]

At Decisions, we offer ongoing support as part of the platform. Our support team is more than mere technical support. The team prides themselves on not only being able to answer any questions you might have about Decisions, but to also offer suggestions and guidance on how to make Decisions work for your specific process […]

When it comes to leveraging software to gain a competitive advantage for your organization, one of the most important decisions is whether to “Make” or to “Buy” that software. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Buying software off the shelf can often be a less expensive, quick and dirty solution, however it might not […]

Barely a day goes by without some incredible story regarding the advancements being made in machine learning. Aside from beating humans in Jeopardy, Chess, and Go, machines have also advanced incredibly fast in areas like image recognition, translation, transcription, and speech to text. Self driving cars are in the news daily as are stories about […]

I get to talk to a wide range of roles during the day here at Decisions. In the morning I could be talking to an IT executive at a financial services organization in the UK. In the afternoon it could be a project manager at a major hollywood studio here in the US. In between […]

The Decisions platform has always handled case management well and with the release of version 5.0 we take case management to the next level. We added a new visual design tool to enable the rapid creation of case-based business processes. Case-based business processes are extremely interesting to us. Our two core technologies, workflow and rules […]

Later this week Decisions will be launching a beta release of our latest version 5.0. Like all previous versions it is backward compatible so all your workflows and rules developed previously will run in version 5.0. There will be much more information to follow with detailed communications on each of these new features, so consider […]

In recent weeks, both the State of Hawaii and Japan have sent out mass alarms to their entire populations that have proven to be human error. In follow up news coverage from Business Insider on the Hawaii incident we’ve seen the user interface that supported the error (below, credit: Business Insider) and we’ve seen photographs […]

I hate to burst your bubble but your 2018 targets may already be in trouble. If your targets are anything like mine, they show improvements quarter to quarter throughout the year. Here at Decisions we’ve had record growth in the last two years at over 60% per year and we have an incredible pipeline. So […]

A big trend I’ve seen this year with several of the new customers we’ve brought on board here at Decisions is how BPM is being used to improve the experience of their customers at different points in their lifecycle. In this article I’m going to outline two categorical use cases that I’ve seen and the […]

One of the most exciting aspects of working with Decisions is how many different business contexts I’m able to learn throughout each day. A common context I’ve found among thousands of interactions with customers and potential customers is application processing. Specifically application processing in financial services. This problem domain typically includes many regulatory requirements, verification […]

A largely unconsidered point of comparison among low or no code development environments is found in a discussion around how granular the toolbox and designer can really be. Decisions Founder Carl Hewitt raises this idea in one of our latest interviews. “It’s kind of like building a house,” Hewitt explains. “The bricks are large enough […]

Unlike other legacy BPM vendors, Decisions has a very comprehensive web service layer and other integration capabilities. This includes an integration wizard for web services and databases that automatically generates workflow steps for third party systems to be re-used inside Decisions design environment. Decisions also provides a very straightforward .NET SDK to add your own […]

The recordings of the free online training event are now available at decisions.com/events.  The training took place across four days, so you’ll find four two to three hour videos that you can reference on demand. This training event encompasses our standard business analyst curriculum. Reviewing each of the major designers in Decisions while building an […]

Over the coming weeks as we prepare for Decisions 4.0 to graduate from beta we’ll be sharing a few feature previews. This preview will focus on the new features in the workflow designer. Enjoy!   Streamlined Flow (and form/rule/report) Creation Process   New Designer Look The flow designer and related dialogs have been redesigned for […]

Join us for a free online training event!  When: November 14th-18th, 2016 Where: Online via GoToWebinar Who: Anybody who wants to participate in our general business analyst curriculum focusing on each of the primary designers in Decisions (Flows, Rules, Forms, Dashboards).  We’ll be breaking it up into a few hours each day that week (1:00 […]

I’ve had several conversations in the last 30 days with both direct customers and OEM partners interested in using Decisions to add an “Automation Layer” to a database that they maintain.  The objectives for this Automation Layer are straightforward:  State Management  Escalations Automated Tasking Most of the conversations start with an explanation of how manual […]

I don’t think we’ve ever had a more highly anticipate release than Decisions 4.0. You’ll be seeing a lot of the feature-oriented improvement announcements in the coming months, but I want to stress what I think may be the biggest game changer for both new and long-time customers. The Decisions App Store. Now, “App Store” […]

We’ve had a great response to our recent series of Decisions Seminars! If you haven’t heard of them yet, then I highly recommend checking out decisions.com/events to sign up and join the over 100 other customers and soon-to-be customers that join us each month. Our most recent seminar focused on building an app from scratch […]

In the middle of another great face to face training event in Norfolk! It always impresses me how diverse our customer base is. At this event we have some of the largest companies in the world, and some smaller groups. We have folks from financial services, oil and gas, healthcare, software, and many others!  For […]

On a recent flight to see a client in Chicago I was able to watch a documentary I’ve been saving for a while. “Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary” takes a look at the recent growth as well history of LEGO. (For Amazon Prime subscribers you can watch this for free, and unlike Netflix, you […]

A fun use case that has been coming up more regularly lately is the idea of Decisions monitoring some database, file storage, or other application for a change or trigger that would automatically generate a document and then post it to a certain location or email it to a few parties.  What a great use […]

A common topic of conversation in a number of our efforts recently has been how rules can be used to support unpredictable business processes. While many business processes can be supported by a concrete series of steps, reality dictates that there are special cases where for one reason or another, the person tasked with the […]

It’s time for our next free training event! All prospects, customers, and partners are welcome to attend at no charge. Just get there and we’ll take care of you.  All attendees must register by August 31st.  Register to attend the free training event by clicking here (and then scroll down.) View the Preliminary Event Detail by […]

Nearly every “on-boarding” process is a collaborative back and forth process of gathering, validating, and recording information. Whether its on-boarding a new customer, gathering billing details, and kicking off professional services projects and training – or vendor on-boarding where you need to gather copies of contracts, W-9’s and COI’s – all on-boarding processes can be […]

There are many situations where a commercial off the shelf software solution can be used to solve a specific problem very well. These problem domains are typically universal and common among every business. Some are stratified by the size of the enterprise – because some problems really don’t cause too much pain until you have […]

Our seminar on the Decisions SDK was a big success! Thanks to all those who attended and submitted questions. We were asked by many of you for the slide deck we used in the presentation as a cheat sheet for some of the common ways the SDK is used. You can get a copy of […]

This article is part of a series on common questions we discuss about building rule engine focused applications.  While there is almost always value found in being able to share business logic visually, in some cases the value of having a rule engine is directly related to the frequency with which your business rules change. Industries […]

This article is part of a series on common questions we discuss about building rule engine focused applications.  Understanding a users skill level and technical competency is critical in designing a meaningful rule authoring experience. As you explore rule engines in general you’ll find a variety of rule editors that vary on a spectrum from “capable […]

This article is part of a series on common questions we discuss about building rule engine focused applications.  Changes to business rules in general can present day to day challenges as employees, customers, and other stakeholders adjust to the new way of making decisions. This is why it is so important to validate, test, and […]

Decisions works with a number of customers and partners who have developed and implemented solutions that are Business Rule Engine oriented. While the context of these applications may vary from credit scoring to medical claims processing, building applications that are rule engine focused typically involve thinking through the same set of questions. Here are a few […]

Decisions customers are engaging end users in the enterprise in a variety of ways. While some of these methods are obvious – using forms built in Decisions delivered through the End User Portal for example – others are not as obvious to the uninitiated. Let’s take a quick look at this example and some of […]

I was approached by CIOReview recently to contribute a guest article for their BPM special issue. You can take a look at the issue at the link below and read the guest article on page 47. Digital Issue – CIOReview: BPM Special Issue In my article I focus on the vision of BPM for engaging the technical […]

What is a Decisions Seminar? A Decisions Seminar is a survey and high level training of a specific feature or pattern in the Decisions Platform. While we hold other webinars that are more “sales demo” focused. Decisions Seminars are aimed more at enablement and training. You can see recordings of past Decisions Seminars at decisions.com/events. […]

At a recent free training event, we had a number of attendees with us who had not yet signed on as official Decisions customers. While all of these attendees have either signed on or plan to sign on in the next week, one of them had a story that they said I could share. A […]

Brita and Amazon just announced a new product – a pitcher that tracks how much water is poured (assuming you are pouring it for your own refreshment it calls this “consumption”) and uses that information to track the status of the water filter. Once the water filter nears the end of its life a new filter is […]

The Customer On-Boarding Process Customer on-boarding can be one of the most complex processes in a business due to the amount of coordination required among both internal and external teams. With each point of coordination increasing the potential of a mis-communication or delay. In our opinion, this process is also a prime example of classic workflow […]

What is the Rete Algorithm? Your first question is likely – how do I say “Rete”? Well, a quick search leading to several dictionaries suggests “Reet” is appropriate while “Ree-tee” and and other pronunciations are less common. The goal of a Rete Algorithm is pretty simple, to reduce the number of rule executions to get […]

Decisions Free Training Event on March 1st in Norfolk, VA, USA On March 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, Decisions will be holding a free training event at the Courtyard in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Prospects, customers and partners are welcome to attend for free training and other sessions lead by Decisions training staff and select partners. […]

Manual Data Entry is for Dummies… One of the best ways to improve workflow is to eliminate manual data entry and lookup through integration and interfacing, but you can’t auto-populate what you don’t know. Decisions is being used in a wide range of industries to access, aggregate, manipulate, transform, validate, and eventually auto-populate data in a variety […]

Rules Triggering Connected Device Actions Recently a customer asked us about Philips HUE light bulbs – so we went to Home Depot and grabbed two of them. Within 15 minutes of unboxing we had them flashing whenever a new support ticket came in. We always knew that we could add intelligence to the IoT trend […]

We get emails like this all the time – but we thought this one was worth sharing. Enjoy! — Hi Carl, I got a chance to check out the software and I liked what I saw. I’ll try to demo it more over the next few days and hopefully we can set up a live […]

A customer recently asked: “When and why is Decisions a better choice than custom development?”. This is not an uncommon question, and an important point of best practice when you consider Decisions as a part of your enterprise stack. Why Decisions over custom development? It is not really an apples to apples comparison, but the question […]

Business Rules for Lead Scoring We see a wide spectrum of CRM solutions in our conversations with our customers. Everything from home grown systems to Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics have strengths and weaknesses as they fulfill their role in the enterprise stack. Business rules can provide an additional layer of intelligence to your sales stack […]

A common theme in many of our customer conversations is around the idea of exposing business logic as a web service. Let’s take a quick look at why this is such a common topic – and some of its implications. Integration with other business applications is the driver for this idea. At some point in another […]

Decisions is proud to announce the 3.5 release. See release notes and access the installer by clicking here. About the Release This is the first release of the Decisions Platform where the End User experience and the Designer Studio are separate. The End User Portal uses HTML as the default experience for all user interactions. The development team […]

From time to time we find “cool articles” and blog posts by others that align very well with how we think about the world. We want to make sure we share those perspectives in addition to our own ideas. This week we’d like to highlight an article by Christopher Eagle in Scotsman Guide (a mortgage originator […]

The release of Decisions 3.0 is one of the biggest updates to the product to date. We have been testing the beta with some of our customers and prospects for some time now and we are pleased to announce its general availability. We are holding demonstrations of Decisions 3.0 upon request, just head over to http://decisions.com/request-demo/. […]

Because lacking coding skills doesn’t make anyone a dummy. It’s a clear and undisputed fact that customized software makes business run smoother. Having reports automatically generated is faster than requesting them at every turn. A system that prompts users to input important information, tracks users activity and monitors workflow and resources is bound to create […]

We may think that software-enabled decision-making is far removed from us, that it is technical and left for accountants, statisticians, and scientists to do.  Yet there is a strategic connection between data collection and decision-making, in how such data can be transformed into information that can help inform us in making decisions that enhance our […]

Head on over and read the article here.

This was a great post by one of our partners.   Background : The Decisions Workflow Product is creating documents that need to be sent by post, this could be an invoice, a letter or maybe a payslip. Whatever it is it needs printing. Issue : Staff have to remember to download the documents and […]

Companies are starting to warm to the idea of their employees using their own devices.  A recent study by Network World found that Fortune 500 companies are now allowing their employees greater freedom when it comes to what devices they work from.  However, they are still requiring certain security measures to be in place. With […]

This article was recently published on Wired by Kevin Lindquist, Marketing Director for Decisions.com   I want you to pick an everyday task that is performed in your company. Think about the steps that are required to perform that common task, and then ask yourself if it’s as efficient as it can be. In many […]

A great piece by our marketing director in VentureBeat. Find the original article here: http://venturebeat.com/2013/12/02/data-dashboards-the-big-data-silver-bullet/ The following scene plays out millions of times a day all over the world: A commuter is headed to work in her car. Keeping safe on the road is taking the majority of her attention. In fact, she’s blissfully unaware of […]

We talk a lot about maximizing people through technology, but isn’t the reverse just as essential?   No business should spend money, energy, or time without a clear path to a return on those investments, yet it happens everyday.  As an example, how many business applications have been purchased without the workforce wanting (or even […]

Consider the world of web design and development. Over the last decade, we have seen incredible growth from tools that make publishing web pages easier for the average consumer. Instead of living neck deep in HTML, CSS, and repositories, tools like WordPress and Wix have been monstrously successful — they provide a graphical layer (really […]

Talk about agile development. Technology acronyms may be the most nimble creations of the tech sector to date. From SaaS (software as a service) to PaaS (platform as a service), to IaaS (infrastructure as a service), what are we supposed to make of all this? And is the acronym SaaS already obsolete?   Read the […]

Another week, another article in VentureBeat about Decisions and how we are helping businesses unlock the productivity gains of the Information Revolution. Did you know that it took 30 years after the advent of electricity for the economy to realize a doubling and tripling of productivity? Guess how long it has been since the advent […]

Learn how to exploit your business process at the seams of business systems through the Interceptor Rule pattern by Decisions. This has been one of our favorite eBooks to put together, we hope you enjoy! Download the Interceptor Rules eBook here!

Over the weekend I had an article picked up by VentureBeat on workflow software and how it could serve as the backbone of the future web.  http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/23/workflow-software-future/ I have been getting a number of tweets and messages about that vision for for Decisions.com and workflow software and a lot of people are taking notice.  Go […]

 After we have a rule and it has been tested, unit tested, and is being managed and versioned – there are 4 primary ways in which a rule can be used:    Called from an API Used within a Workflow To Trigger an Action Used in a Monitoring Context Business Rules and API If there […]

Check out our new eBook! Systems Management and Decisions by Dwain Kinghorn. Systems Management has been a messy practice since inception. Yes, the tools have evolved, and it has become easier to do certain actions, but managing systems management continues to be a pain for many system administrators and managers.  Come and read our new eBook to […]

Disparate Systems Across the Customer Lifecycle CRM, Marketing Automation, Support Desks, Web Analytics, and more services are emerging every day that are designed to capture precious data about your customers. Businesses are armed with more data than ever before about leads and customers. But how do you leverage that data to drive more revenue? Let’s […]

Workflow software is quickly becoming one of the most effective paths to positive ROI and efficient operations for many IT departments and technology companies. However, whenever I meet somebody and they ask the question “what do you do for a living?” and I drop the phrase “Workflow Software” or “Workflow Automation” most still have a few […]

A Decisions Partner, Aria Billing Systems has just released a new solution for Unified Channel Billing. — Decisions is proud to work with partners like Aria Billing Systems. If you are interested in learning more about how Decisions can integrate workflow automation and business rulesinto your solution, drop us a line at the Decisions Contact Us page. 

Today, July 11th, Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum held their annual Top 25 Under 5 Awards Ceremony at Zions Bank Tower in Provo. There were a lot of incredible companies and people that gathered there today to find out where they ranked against their fellow startups in Utah Valley. A number of factors went into determining […]

Decisions Workflow Automation Platform at Microsoft TechEd 2013 Come join Decisions at booth 223 in New Orleans for Microsoft TechEd 2013. We will be demonstrating how the Decisions Workflow Automation Platform makes life easier for Microsoft Developers and System Adminstrators.  Are you a giveaway hoarder? Then put a star next to booth 223 and come pick up […]

Decisions Workflow Automation Platform to Demonstrate New Tools at Microsoft Management Summit – New Platform Tools to Provide Microsoft System Center Administrators Enhanced Functionality –   CHESAPEAKE, Va., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Decisions, the workflow automation platform company, announced that they will debut a new set of tools for Microsoft System Center administrators, at the Microsoft Management Summit […]

If you work with Microsoft Systems Center, be prepared for a big announcement coming your way from Decisions. Are you going to MMS 2013 in Las Vegas? Let’s connect! More info to come from Decisions. Workflow Automation, Graphically Designed meets the End User at MMS 2013.   BOOTH 108

2.3 The world of workflow automation just got better. This month Decisions has released version 2.3 of its Workflow Automation Platform. This release includes a number of updates that will make it easier for you to create, test, and deploy your applications. Rule Table (or “Truth” Table) Internally we call this the “truth” table because […]

While you can get fairly technical when talking about Business Rules and how they can be implemented from a software and workflow perspective (technical overview coming soon with pictures!) I first want to spark a few thoughts with a few ways that business rules can be used. Do you have an idea for how they […]

What is a Workflow Engine? Workflow software, or a workflow engine provides resources and tools that enable programmers to create and implement automated solutions. As an organitzation identifies thier business processes a workflow engine or workflow software can be used to map those processes, identifiy key interactions, and create flows that automate the business processes. […]

The Process in Business “Process” Automation At their core, businesses are comprised of a set or series of processes. Products and services are created to take something in an undesirable state and transform it to a more desirable state. An input and an output. A process. Whether it is an invoice, a server, a list […]

Effectively using business rule technology requires a fundamental shift of the responsibility for managing business logic from the technology group to the business experts. There are a number of elements to this. Here we explore some of the foundational elements of this transition. The rule designer is a fundamental part of effectively using business rule […]

While building rules, having the ability to see them run and evaluate if what they are doing is what they were designed to do is important. However, one of the problems that can happen in any set of business rules – whether built graphically in a tool like the Decisions rule designer, or coded by […]

Rules not only need to be created but also need to be managed. The management of business rules answers questions like these: When was it changed? Who changed it? Why was it changed? What did it look like at any point of its history? What state is the rule in? Can I checkout and test […]

Business Process Automation is ‘so hot right now’ according to data from a recent Information Week survey. Information Week recently came out with the 24th annual ranking of companies who have made a notable improvement in how their companies operate. (Learn More About IW 500) As a part of this ranking release, they also provided […]

Process view pages in Decisions are getting better all the time! When coordinating the workflow automation effort among different people, teams, and even organizations it can be difficult to stay current on all of the progress. That is why we have made some major improvements with our recent release that include tools and views that […]

Workflow with Email. Email is a primary method of communication for everybody in your organization. One of the new features of Decisions 2.2 is the ability to respond to workflow tasks via email. Configuring this option involves setting up on an assigned form a few options like what is the outbound email to say, what […]

One of the questions that we commonly get asked is ‘my company produces or has a software application that does __________, how does Decisions work with us?’ The reason we are contacted is almost universally the same – the applications do a great job at solving a task but need to be more flexible. The […]

With our 2.2 release, we are fully supporting being hosted on Microsoft Azure. We are pretty excited that our leading rule and workflow platform can now in this cloud! With Azure, Microsoft has reduced much of the complexity around scaling the data and processing architecture – removing some of the management of the physical deployment […]

We recently announced support for Microsoft Azure, however, wanted to highlight something that we have had for quite a while – ability to run on and integrate with the Amazon AWS cloud services. Our support for AWS extends back to our initial releases. Our servers can be hosted on and we can integrate with the […]

The wheel in the sky has continued to turn, and we are very happy to announce the release of Decisions 2.2! (Journey has a regular spot in our daily playlist if you haven’t noticed.) Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting some of the new features. Here is a brief list of what […]

Because the Decisions Platform is targeted at rule and process intensive business applications – and has a full set of business focused design technologies that all our customers applications to be customized and tuned without writing code – the user experience of being able to be fully interactive while doing complex tasks was very important […]

I do not like business books. Generally, do not like blogs either.  Here is my reasoning, if these guys were so good – they would NOT be sharing their scarce thoughts with the world. Would you rather build the next google or write a blog article on how a new algorithm will change the speed […]

The decisions workflow engine can be used to handle the backend of both SMS and IVR (interactive voice response) telephony integration. We do this by integrating with both Twilio and Plivo who provide an API layer for handling the telephony. To use this feature you need to have access to either a Twilio or Plivo […]

Creating software is hard… Automating processes is even harder because it combines the discipline of having to create software (structure data, produce language, interact with a user) as well as the need to bring along the humans who have to do the work. So, the question… Is Business Process Management and Process sofware to the […]

Decisions, a workflow automation platform, was an early adopter of Silverlight. Working with SL since the first beta release, we have been overall very happy with it. Being able to process and manage the user interface on the client, using a rich language (c#) has enabled us to really push the boundaries of what is […]

There will soon be a software application for every business need. There is no shortage of people out there building software for very specialized niches. An example of this was an employee who said ‘we really need to use a few software products to manage some client project. We need a file sharing to send […]