Before the rise of today’s fast-paced business environment, using business process management software was something that only big businesses had access to, mostly because it was too expensive for smaller businesses to acquire it.

However, the digital boom of the past few years has made this type of software accessible to a lot more businesses. In fact, project management software and collaboration software have only grown in importance. The 2019 Project Management Survey conducted by KPMG, the Australian Institute of Project Management, and the International Project Management Association reveals that 71 percent of organizations surveyed say that they have used project management software “to improve the management and control of programs and projects.” Collaboration software, on the other hand, was used by 51 percent of the organizations surveyed. But that same accessibility means that businesses large and small both have to keep themselves updated on all the latest trends and developments if they want to remain competitive.

If you’re looking to keep your business ahead of the curve and want to make sure you have the best BPM software in place for the coming year, check out the trends that are going to shape the digital business environment in 2020.

Trends to be aware of in 2020

It can be a bit overwhelming to pick the software that is right for you, especially when there is enough of them out there to fill up articles like this FinancesOnline.com list of BPM software for SMBs. But you can make the experience less stressful for you by knowing the trends that are going to dominate the conversation in the coming year.

1. User-friendly platforms

Business project management software may be getting more popular and essential in today’s workplace, but that doesn’t mean everyone in the workplace is going to know how to operate one. For some, it might even be their first encounter with the technology. Terms like business process modeling software might be alien to them, or they might be unable to define what business management tools are.

It’s no wonder that no-code or low-code platforms -- those that can be used even without any knowledge of coding -- continue to be one of the biggest trends in the business. After all, it’s much more cost-efficient to have technology everyone can use rather than specialized ones that require extensive training.

And just for the benefit of the uninformed, business management tools are the tools used for data input and validation, data consolidation and decision making, as well as the one’s used to control and improve business processes, just to name a few.

2. Artificial intelligence and automation

Today’s business environment moves at a much quicker pace, demanding more from people and asking them to accomplish it in a shorter time frame. It is also an environment that favors tailoring one’s products and services to match not just the customer’s preferences but the real-time conditions of the marketplace as well. Pulling that off requires processing a lot of information that may be overwhelming for just one person.

This is where artificial intelligence and business process automation software come in. In fact, artificial intelligence looks to be such a regular trend to look out for that coming up with machine-learning systems that augment the decision-making abilities of a manager is something that AI project teams often work on. Both of these things automate and speed up rote tasks and processes so that people have more time to take on other tasks. When it comes to tasks simplified by business process management examples include employee onboarding, account management, and customer requests, just to name a few.

3. Collaborative technology

Advances in technology have allowed us to much more easily connect and collaborate. And that same collaboration and cooperation is going to become more important in the years to come. The importance of this becomes even more pronounced when you take note of how more and more companies are allowing teams to work remotely. It’s no wonder that digital workspaces are becoming more common. With digital workspaces, employees will find it easier to collaborate, whether they’re working remotely or even when they’re sharing the same space in a physical office.

Start 2020 with the right software

There are definitely a lot of business process management software solutions that businesses can choose from when it comes to facing 2020. One particular software they should keep an eye on is OpenStudio. It brings a lot of different features together, such as IT protocol/documents management, accounting management, attendance management, and even personal data management, making it an excellent choice when it comes to fostering collaboration between a business’s different departments. With 44 applications available to users and more to come in the future, OpenStudio is sure to help any business looking to effectively manage their business processes in the coming year.