We have released ProcessMaker RC2. A number of bugs have been fixed (the changelog contains more than 100 positions) and some new functionalities have also been introduced (like condition builder for showing/hiding areas of dynaforms).

This is another step towards having a stable release.

For the first time we have asked the community to help us with the testing.

It’s available for download on SourceForge. However, for now the recommendation is not to use it on production servers (use 2985 instead) at least until we receive provisional feedback from the community and customers.

We recommend everybody to participate in testing of our product which will help us improve ProcessMaker. More instructions here.

The main idea with this blog is to publish some concepts, comments and what is going on within ProcessMaker from my point of view as Product Manager.

So let’s start!

What is coming…

- ProcessMaker Integrations
- ProcessMaker new features “Folders”, Events….
- Connectors.

and more..

Over the last year the number of people using ProcessMaker has exploded. Our new users have been giving us all sorts of feedback about the new features which they would like to see included in ProcessMaker in the coming year.

With hopes to accommodate all our new users and their requirements, we have planned an exciting set of new features to be rolled out during the course of year 2010. Our new ProcessMaker Development Road Map lays out what our developers will be working on in each quarter of 2010, so you will know what to expect from your favorite workflow and business process management application.

Quarter 1

ProcessMaker is a rapidly evolving piece of software, but sometimes all that code churn creates problems for organizations who value stability and reliability over bleeding edge features. They do not want to be constantly upgrading and they certainly don’t want to waste time testing bugs and figuring out the new undocumented features. For these users, ProcessMaker will be releasing a stable version every couple months which should provide the rock-solid stability which users expect.

The rapid pace of development in ProcessMaker will continue apace. Nonetheless, we will shield most of our users from the random hiccups which rapid development inevitably causes by creating a development version of ProcessMaker. Adventuresome users who want the chance to try out the latest code as soon as it rolls out of development will still be able to try out ProcessMaker’s bleeding edge features by either using our public Subversion repository or by applying frequent upgrade patches which will be released every 3 to 4 weeks. In this way, we hope to accommodate users who need the latest functionality and are willing to help us iron out any bugs in the software.

In addition, to the free and open source versions of ProcessMaker, plans are afoot to release a new Enterprise Edition in the first quarter of 2010. Like the stable version, the Enterprise Edition of ProcessMaker with be subjected to more thorough testing to ensure greater stability and reliability. Enterprise users will be shielded from the hassle of frequent upgrades and the added risk of a breaking something with each new patch. In addition, the Enterprise Edition will offer a number of exciting new features needed in enterprise, such as self-selection of cases, digital signatures, advanced integration with LDAP and integrations to offer advanced reporting capabilities. For users who need the special capabilities of the Enterprise Edition, it will be made available for a reasonable licensing fee or as part of a support package. Our clients on a commercial support plans will be offered an easy migration path to begin using the Enterprise Edition. Look for more details as we get closer to release.

For users of the open source versions of ProcessMaker, never fear that we have forgotten you. We have over a dozen new features scheduled for the first quarter, such as a wizard for creating triggers so you can avoid the hassle of customizing your processes and a scheduler for initiating cases automatically. In addition, ProcessMaker will be adding important new abilities to backup and restore workspaces, to ensure the safety of your processes and cases. ProcessMaker understands that the business rules and information stored in a workspace are vitally important for the functioning of your organization. ProcessMaker will make it easier to keep backup copies, so your organization can avoid catastrophic losses of data which threaten to bring your operations to a grinding halt.

Quarter 2

Organizations which store their information in a database other than MySQL have long commented on the inconvenience of being forced to maintain a separate MySQL database just to run ProcessMaker. With an eye toward helping these organizations achieve tighter integration of their data, ProcessMaker will offer the option in the second quarter to run ProcessMaker on top of PosgreSQL, Oracle or SQL Server. The new database independence along with the addition of customizable user fields will allow your organization to use ProcessMaker as the primary repository of information about your employees and avoid duplication of user lists in multiple databases. In addition, ProcessMaker will offer improved dashboards and output documents with Jasper Reports, so that better records and monitoring can be maintained.

Quarter 3

Although ProcessMaker maintains its data in an open format which can be readily obtained with simple SQL queries, it currently has little ability to import and export data from other business intelligence and business process management systems. This lack of compatibility with other systems encourages the development of data silos and other bad habits which keep your organization divided and unable to collaborate across organizational and geographical boundaries.

To help promote interoperability and the breakdown of silos in your organization, ProcessMaker will become compatible with existing standards in BPM. During the third quarter, ProcessMaker will become conformant with the XML Process Definition Language (XPDL) and develop an standard XPDL designer and diagrammer so processes can easily be shared with other workflow management and business process management systems. In addition, ProcessMaker will begin using standard Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), so its processes can be created and maintained with a minimal learning curve by experienced BPM modelers.

Quarter 4

The fourth quarter will add the finishing touches on a number of ProcessMaker functions. A new DynaForm designer with drag-and-drop editing will make DynaForms much more intuitive and easy to build and rearrange. A new WYSIWYG HTML editor will greatly enhance the quality of Output Documents and Email Notifications, while a new code editor will give you the full power to customize your document’s HTML code. Process designers will have greater power to experiment with their processes, since different versions of processes can be saved and restored. Finally, the export and import of cases will be added so that not only processes, but also cases can be easily transferred between installations of ProcessMaker.

With this exciting set of new features planned for the coming year, ProcessMaker strives to remain your preferred business process management solution. As always, we look forward to your collaboration in improving our open source product and welcome your feedback as we roll out these new features.

It’s heartening to see publications across the world recognize the capabilities of ProcessMaker and the work of our global partner base.  We have a strong community and it’s always great to share our joint successes.

One such story, was featured in an an article by Business Technology India, focused on Lakozy Toyota’s use of ProcessMaker to improve its business.  It quoted Amar Pawar, COO of Lakozy Toyota, who said about its use of ProcessMaker:

“I knew that Lakozy Toyota needed a solution that was easy-to use, painless to implement, and would automate everyday processes, increase transparency and reduce reliance on paper-based trails and processes.”

Meanwhile, across a couple of oceans, TMCnet, a US-based site with over 3.5 million viewers each month, wrote about ProcessMaker and Lakozy Toyota as well.  The author wrote that:

“ProcessMaker is the first Open Source BPM and workflow software designed for small and mid-sized businesses and organizations. It lets business users and process experts with no programming experience design and run workflows, increase transparency and reduce paperwork.”

It went on to delve further in-depth into the benefits Lakozy Toyota has seen by using ProcessMaker.  When our partners and customers start being talked about, as well as the functionality that our solution offers, it helps our entire community.  We are looking forward to sending out more stories like this by our partners and end customers, and to seeing everyone in our community grow their businesses and reputations.   You can read the whole customer story here.

Do you have a story to share?  Feel free to let us know.  Write to us at info@colosa.com and send us a 1 paragraph summary of how you are using ProcessMaker.  If it is interesting, we’ll contact you to do a longer piece and we will feature it on our website.  Your peers would love to hear about it!

More great news for Colosa and for BPM software adoption last week as we announced that Lakozy Toyota, a top automotive dealership based in Mumbai, India, has implemented ProcessMaker to automate its core business processes (view case study) using.

Before the implementation of BPM software, processes at the company were paper-based and time-consuming, often involving face-to-face requests and follow-ups. To meet the challenge of the increasing complexity of its processes, Lakozy Toyota turned to Bista Solutions, a company that advises clients across India and North America on how to manage business processes. Bista Solutions recommended ProcessMaker as a BPM solution that would address Lakozy Toyota’s current and future needs.

After a demonstration of ProcessMaker, the management team at Lakozy Toyota were impressed by the capabilities, features and flexibility of the software.

Amar Pawar, COO of Lakozy Toyota explained, “From working with Toyota Japan, I have a good knowledge and understanding of Business Process Management. I knew that Lakozy Toyota needed a solution that was easy to use, painless to implement, and would automate everyday processes, increase transparency and reduce reliance on paper-based trails and processes.”

So far, Lakozy Toyota has implemented ProcessMaker to increase the efficiency of processes across its HR, Admin, and Sales and Service divisions. ProcessMaker has also been used to send SMS notifications to Sales and Service managers for matters requiring urgent approval. These can be flagged and handled immediately, ensuring sales and customer requests are dealt with as they arise. After seeing the benefits of implementing BPM, the company now plans to expand the adoption of ProcessMaker to include all its core processes.

Sanjay Mishra, Asst General Manager of Lakozy Toyota said, “Our business is strong and growing, so we needed a solution that could capture our existing processes as well as providing us with a strong foundation for growth. It’s important that companies understand the value that Business Process Management can bring in terms of clarity of processes, efficiency, and reducing the volume of paperwork.”

As a leading open source BPM software company, we’re always gratified to see success stories like these. We’re seeing an increased demand from companies like Lakozy Toyota that need to automate business processes, but don’t want to face vendor lock-in. ProcessMaker reduces their implementation times and puts them in control, saving them time and money.

A sign of how ProcessMaker is becoming a truly global product is the number of people using it in Asia. ProcessMaker has partners in both Malaysia and India and more people hailing from Asia are posting in ProcessMaker’s forum. To better serve the growing number of Chinese who need a Business Process Management application, ProcessMaker is now available in Traditional Chinese. People in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the rest of the Chinese diaspora worldwide can now enjoy using ProcessMaker in their mother tongue.

ProcessMaker would like to send a big thank-you to Nelson Fu from Taiwan, who translated ProcessMaker into Traditional Chinese. Nelson not only volunteered to translate ProcessMaker for the first time in a non-Western language, but he also hunted down a bug in the translation file so it would run in Chinese. His valiant efforts are a prime example of what makes free and open source software function so well. ProcessMaker is available in 10 different tongues due to the burgeoning community of users who maintain the growing number of translations.

To try out ProcessMaker in 華語, visit our Translations wiki page to download the new Chinese translation file and import it.

Congratulations to the ProcessMaker Community – You are now more than 1,000 developers and contributors strong!  Stand up and be proud!

ProcessMaker is only 21 months old as an open source software project and we have grown at a dizzying pace.  ProcessMaker has redefined open source BPM and open source workflow.

PM has been officially translated into 10 languages (an 11th is now underway), downloaded more than 75,000 times, and is now installed on 5 different continents with over 100 commercial deployments!

Those are some pretty amazing numbers and we would like to thank you all for your help as we continue to grow ProcessMaker.  We believe that there is a better way to manage workflow and business processes, and it is the goal of ProcessMaker to make it as easy and accessible as possible.

We have some very exciting announcements that will be coming out shortly so stay tuned…..

Danish Business-to-Business Delegation Visits Colosa Offices

The Colosa Bolivia Ltda. together with Colosa’s Danish partner Xcompetence, were pleased to receive a delegation of Danish business men and women this past week as part of the Danida Business to Business Program.  Colosa Bolivia is currently a participant in the Danida program and it welcomed a group of Danish professionals to its offices to tell them a little about what it is like to participate in the unique program.

The Danish group was delighted to learn about the world class Open Source Workflow and Business Process Management software that Colosa is producing with the assistance of the Danish cooperation.   The group was surprised to learn how fast Colosa was growing and how many installations of its ProcessMaker software it currently had around the world.  The Danish federation also learned about the cooperation between Xcompetence and Colosa Bolivia.

Colosa looks forward to helping the Danish cooperation to identify other candidates that have the potential to become world class technology companies and benefit from Danish business partnerships.

ProcessMaker is pleased to announce release 1.2-2865.  We released this new version so quickly after the last version, because we discovered a number of critical bugs which needed to get fixed as soon as possible. Several of our clients pointed out a number of problems with version 1.2-2838. Knowing how people depend on ProcessMaker to manage their sensitive data, we decided to release our bug fixes immediately.  In version 2838, we replaced the old Date Picker with a new one, but the new version lacked a few lines of code to work correctly in Web Entry in external web pages. We also changed the Trigger Debugger, so it would appear as a separate window taking up less space than the old debugger. However this introduced problems, so the Debugger was unusuable. New code in 1-2.2838 also caused triggers to not fire after the derivation of cases. Likewise, new JavaScript code  caused  problems in Internet Explorer 8. All of these issues have been resolved in release 1-2.2865.

To check out version 1-2.2865, visit the ProcessMaker SourceForge website and see the  1-2.2865 change log.