What is our primary use case?
I use Pega BPM as part of our consulting assignments and implementation initiatives.
I work for a consulting company that is an implementation partner for Pega.
We use Pega BPM for customer service and decision systems.
How has it helped my organization?
The best instrument for improving business processes in Pega BPM is the way it captures requirements. This part of the initial business analysis, coming up with the workflow, prototyping, and overall design in the initial phase of the project is the most important aspect. It is a game changer that adds value and reduces project initiation time.
AI Capabilities
Pega BPM has been integrating a lot of AI capabilities, and we are evaluating some of them. One example is robotic automation, which can analyze code changes and identify potential impacts in other areas, helping developers avoid missing anything.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features for me are case management, robotic automation, and the BPM workflow.
Case Management Capabilities:
Pega BPM significantly improves the overall cycle time. Whenever a customer needs to do something, the way Pega designs the whole thing into an easy number of steps makes the flow from the actual intent to the actual final results pretty fast. The entire process, from capturing customer needs to achieving the final result, is streamlined and efficient.
The platform's strengths lie in prototyping, designing, low-code development, and iterative demoing to customers, all of which significantly enhance the software development life cycle.
Agile Development and Ease of Use:
Pega BPM is a very agile tool that enables very fast development with its low-code environment and numerous ready-made gadgets. So, prototyping is very easy.
What needs improvement?
The extensive availability of ready-made gadgets in Pega BPM is a double-edged sword. While it offers convenience, it also leads to a steeper learning curve. Our developers and business analysts need to invest significant time and effort to fully understand and utilize the platform's capabilities.
In essence, it's a complex product that demands a deep understanding to be used effectively. So, it cuts both ways. This complexity can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the user's expertise. So, the learning curve is pretty high!
So, it's very good if you are a professional user, but you need to be a really good professional user to use this solution effectively.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have quite extensive experience with it. I use the latest version.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Pega BPM is highly scalable. I have seen it successfully handle 10,000 to 20,000 users.
Tip: Proper capacity planning is essential to scale up effectively. If you plan to increase from 1000 to 10,000 users, you'll need to ensure your server capacity can accommodate the growth.
Number of Users
In our practice, we typically have between 2,500 to 5,000 users utilizing Pega BPM.
Plans for Increased Usage
As our clients' businesses grow, the number of Pega BPM users also increases. For example, we work with an insurance client who currently has 2,500 users. As they expand their customer support and quote support teams, we increase the number of users accordingly.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't dealt with Pega's technical support in the last six months, but before that, I would give them a seven out of ten. Resolving critical problems sometimes took time, and some issues were pushed to the next upgrade, leading to a lag between reporting a problem and receiving a solution. However, they generally take care of critical issues quickly by providing patches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Pega BPM can be complex, especially for on-premises deployments. Because it can be pretty cumbersome, as it involves configuring hardware, capacity planning, and network planning. However, if the user uses the cloud for development and testing, it can simplify the process.
Deployment Model:
While our deployments are primarily on-premises, using the cloud for development and testing can reduce some of the complexities associated with on-premises setups.
Deployment Timeline:
One of the advantages of Pega BPM is its relatively fast deployment time. A worthwhile project can typically be deployed in approximately 90 days, or roughly three months. That's the beauty of Pega.
Deployment Strategy and Steps:
A specific strategy and steps are essential for a successful Pega BPM deployment due to its complexity. Factors like:
- How many users are going to be there?
- How many locations are the users located at?
- Then, designing the required capacity for servers (including memory, hard disk, and network cards) needs careful consideration and planning.
Capacity planning, in particular, is a significant undertaking in the deployment process.
Maintenance:
Maintenance is a complex process. It requires constant communication with Pega, and if something isn't working, you need to collaborate with their hardware and customer support teams. It's crucial to have skilled Pega System Admins who can work effectively with Pega support.
Integration with Existing Systems
Pega BPM has very good APIs. We can tap into those APIs that allow for seamless integration with other databases, data warehouses, and systems. The integration process is fairly streamlined.
But thorough testing is essential to ensure data accuracy and prevent any issues like data leakage. Careful API integration point design is crucial to avoid running into problems. If done well, the integrations will work smoothly.
What about the implementation team?
As integrators, we handle the deployment process. However, the customer needs to have either a consultant from our side or an internal Pega System Admin who can manage the system post-deployment.
What was our ROI?
Pega is making improvements to their version upgrades, which should reduce the cost and effort involved in the process. This, in turn, should further improve the ROI for customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pega BPM is expensive because it's a leading product, but it also delivers a good return on investment (ROI).
However, the cost of upgrading from one version to another has been a significant pain point for some of our old customers. Pega has made improvements to its version upgrades from version eight onwards, but maintenance can still be expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend Pega BPM. It is a great product overall, and I really like its capabilities.
Overall Rating
I would rate Pega BPM an eight out of ten. It has some areas for improvement, but overall it is a great product.
*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Consultant
