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IBM Blueworks Live pros and cons

Vendor: IBM
4.1 out of 5
615 followers
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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

IBM Blueworks Live offers real-time collaboration features that enhance workshops and client interactions, providing immediate outputs.
It centralizes all processes in one repository, increasing accessibility and governance, especially beneficial for critical processes that were previously stored in decentralized locations like SharePoint.
IBM Blueworks Live is cloud-based, enhancing connectivity and accessibility without the need for installations, and is usable across mobile devices.
It supports comprehensive business process modeling with capabilities like automatic diagram compliance to BPMN standards and process discovery which improves overall business process visualization.
IBM Blueworks Live facilitates online collaboration similar to a social network where participants can comment and interact in real-time.

CONS

Import functionality is restrictive, especially with data sources like Excel, and it lacks seamless compatibility with tools like Visio.
There are no built-in simulation features, and the tool lacks drag-and-drop reporting capabilities that are frequently requested by senior management.
APIs are available but not user-friendly for non-IT business users, requiring them to rely on IT for reporting tasks.
There's a need for compatibility with Six Sigma or Lean methodologies, and users would like to add custom colors for enhanced blueprint annotation.
Blueworks Live does not offer case management capabilities, and its modeling capabilities are limited, leading to difficulties in creating structured rules and decisions.
 

IBM Blueworks Live Pros review quotes

AjarMathur - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 5, 2023
The ease of documenting and digitizing the processes was valuable to us.
AJ
Oct 9, 2018
You can use if from your mobile device or you can be on the desktop. It doesn't matter. You are always connected. It is cloud-based, so you don't have to install anything.
AjarMathur - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 9, 2020
For me, what I find to be the most valuable is its simplicity and the association with Microsoft Office.
Learn what your peers think about IBM Blueworks Live. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
JM
Jun 19, 2019
It has the ability to document in different formats. It is not tied to a specific model. You can look at it from different angles and see the intuitive nature of it. It always generates a valid diagram. You cannot create something that is not BPMN compliant.
it_user842859 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 22, 2018
For me the most valuable feature is that it's one depository for our bank. So it's not like everybody has their critical processes on SharePoint or on their desktops. Everything is centrally located. It's very intuitive, easy to use. The support that I get from IBM is always great.
it_user1238793 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 20, 2019
It has a built-in capability to capture process owners and managers against processes along with other process governance roles.
it_user840858 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 20, 2018
In terms of the collaboration features, from the point of discovery, it was useful to go to load up the policies and the rule sets that the client had. And in terms of exploring options and being able to model a variety of different processes, that was incredibly useful as well.
SM
Jun 2, 2023
It is a stable solution since there has not been any downtime. Everything loads fast.
Katriina Sievanen - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 27, 2019
The business process discovery is excellent. The diagram or blueprinting functionality of the solution are very good. It's quite easy. You can link the sub-processes and get a big overview of the whole process then.
BM
Jun 21, 2021
This solution is good at utilizing standards rules for connectivity.
 

IBM Blueworks Live Cons review quotes

AjarMathur - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 5, 2023
IBM Blueworks is BPMN 2.0 compliant, but it does not adapt to the overarching BPMN 2.0 concepts.
AJ
Oct 9, 2018
The ability to create a very structured rule. With the capability that we have right now, Blueworks Live is more process focused. We should be able to enhance it to include a lot more of decisions as well.
AjarMathur - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 9, 2020
It is BPMN-compliant but the tool needs to be more involved to get into a completely 2.0 oriented tool. It has a few things but it's not the complete BPMN model.
Learn what your peers think about IBM Blueworks Live. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
JM
Jun 19, 2019
We would like the ability to add additional custom colors. We would like to color additional items to add notes to the blueprint.
it_user842859 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 22, 2018
I wish Blueworks Live had simulations built in, but it doesn't. It also lacks a feature of reporting; ad hoc, drag and drop reporting. A lot of senior people are always asking for reports, and there's no reporting feature within IBM Blueworks.
it_user1238793 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 20, 2019
The user interface is quite easy at first but process analysts soon run into roadblocks of limited functionality, which is disappointing.
it_user840858 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 20, 2018
Some of the import functionality was a bit restrictive, in terms of loading data in from other data sources. Something as simple as Excel, loading data tables from Excel, wasn't great. And vice-versa. Some of the export and import functionality with something like Visio - which, I know it's a slightly different tool - but being able to work seamlessly with those other tool sets would've been quite useful. I know it was something that was in the pipeline to be looked at. So that would be useful.
SM
Jun 2, 2023
In the Blue Works Live software boxes and lines are automatically placed by the programme and can't be easily manipulated.
Katriina Sievanen - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 27, 2019
The font size is really, really small and it's really not useful to print out process models because you cannot read what's written in different boxes. This makes it necessary for people to have access to the tool. We view licenses to see how the printing or output is. It's not very good.
BM
Jun 21, 2021
Spaces are not well organized; space controls are lacking.