iGrafx Process360 Live Platform Reviews

I use it for a couple of things. It's mainly for plotting workflows in our organization, and we also use it as a repository for all the properties and the documents. 

It's also used in our approval process cycle. I'm dealing with a lot of the departments, many teams, and each team has to approve a process for themselves and share it across the company.

The solution is on-premise.

Teams in our company can access everything in the repository through the web interface of our company's intranet.

iGrafx is the most comprehensive way to have all the cross-feeds and the documents related to workflows, like cross-notes.

Another good feature is that the numbering of the shapes in iGrafx is much easier and more convenient, in comparison to what is found in Visio. So far I haven't found anything similar to what I have with iGrafx, in that regard.

And when I add a note to a box or a process, I can have these notes summarized when I get a printable version from iGrafx. It turns them into a PDF and I see a summary for all the processes and all the steps that have notes. I'm going to miss these things if our company moves to Visio or Aris.

I'm also using the FlowCharter and the Viewer.

There is room for improvement in the printability of the flows. The workflow or the shape — if I'm working on a cross-functional, multi swim-lane workflow — can sometimes get very big, and it's not easy to have a printable and readable version. This is a big problem, so I have to print it on an extremely big A3.

Something that is found in Visio but is not found in iGrafx, or at least I haven't found it, is that it allows me to have a multi-page or multi-sheet process. I'm able to split a process across many pages rather than having one big process on a page. I can link between these pages with an off-page reference.

Also, dragging and dropping shapes is not as user-friendly as in Visio. In Visio, it's very easy to work with shapes and in very few minutes you can plot a whole, multi swim-lane, cross-functional process. In just a few minutes or within an hour you can make one that is very complicated. Or, during a meeting, you can do one in Visio without being distracted by the complexity. In iGrafx, that part is not that easy. iGrafx can produce very sophisticated workflows that can cover a lot of detail. This sophistication is not always bad, but it's not always good.

Finally, one more problem that I hate with iGrafx is that the format of the files or the flows is usually in an extension called igx. igx is very a very specific format that I can't access or deal with except in iGrafx. If I'm going to edit these workflows in Visio later on, I have to use a converter. I've only found one converter, in all the online forums, to convert an igx file to a Visio file. And it's another cost, of course. You have to pay for it. So if you are using iGrafx and decide at any point that it's not meeting your expectations, you have to pay for this converter, and not only the cost for the new software. The output from iGrafx should be in a format that's more accepted by other kinds of software that deal with the workflows.

My company is trying to replace iGrafx because the license is a little bit expensive. They are trying to find a cheaper option. Our support contract with iGrafx ended, so they are trying to replace it with something else.

I would rate iGrafx at seven out of ten. I'm not giving it a higher score because it's not so easy, not that user-friendly. The interface needs to be more effective. I wouldn't give it less than seven because it's a really serious solution.

We needed a solution which would allow us to quickly model and capture our documentation, then provide access to everyone who needed it.

• It has increased accountability by providing defined documentation ownership.
• It has improved the reliability of information and its timely delivery to concerned departments and personnel.
• It has simplified compliance with regulations and company standards.
• It has helped in securing company resources and information.
• All documentation is now easily accessible via a browser.

Web diagramming and RACI have helped expedite the process, capture, and ownership initiatives of our organization.

I would love to see a template and shapes for customer journey mapping.

iGrafx provides a very good, friendly, easy way to build flowcharts, as well as process simulations.

The iGrafx process for the Six Sigma version has integration with Minitab, where you can make statistical calculations and bring it into your simulation.

Some LEAN elements are also present, such as the function to build up Value Stream Mappings and Ishikawa Diagrams. These are essential for Continuous Improvement professionals.

The mapping process is faster than ever. It is easy to do. With a couple clicks, you can build complex processes and have the right transparency to improve it.

Through simulation, you can balance a production line determining how much manpower you need to execute each step. If someone is absent, you can “move your pieces” and see how to compensate for it. You can find the best manufacturing configuration according to your needs. You can also easily identify process bottlenecks.

I would like to see a lower price, although when used correctly, you can have a good return on your investment.

We have used this solution for nearly 10 years.

As we are using an older version with the most updated OS, naturally some features crash on occasion. Nevertheless, the newest version seems to be stable enough for heavy use.

Related to how we use, there was no issue with scalability. Sometimes we work with huge maps and simulations, but so far, the solution has good performance in our machines (i5, 8GB). The version that we bought is single user only, but iGrafx has solutions for networks. I don’t know how those works or what kind of features are available.

I just needed technical support at the beginning, as any newbie would. On those specific times and issues, the support was satisfactory.

We didn’t use any other solution before. After we were presented with iGrafx, we immediately decided to use it. I know that other software does only part of what iGrafx does. I have never found other tool as complete as this one.

The initial setup is just install and use. It is that easy. Of course, we have found some issues, but they were simple to solve.

At that time, we bought two licenses for two computers. The price was high for the market standards, but iGrafx delivers a bunch of solutions that we have not found in other products. The version process for Six Sigma, as far as I know, is being sold as a single computer license.

We did you evaluate other options before. At a later time, when the price became an issue to renew, we looked into other options, but we couldn’t find other tool like this one.

If you need software to help you easily design processes, make simulations, build value stream mappings, which has some LEAN features, and DMAIC support, I strongly encourage you to go forward and buy iGrafx. If you have the money to do so, it is a really good investment for your company, when used correctly.

The IDEF0 add-on solution truly integrates all the process maps through intelligent arrow name management.

This is the first process mapping tool that, through its clever design and user-friendliness, allowed me to run on-line workshops, mapping directly onto the screen (using a projector to show my screen). That happened without the client becoming impatient due to a slow/incompetent “mouse driver” in front of the mapping screen.

There are some minor issues where the arrow naming does inherit the right naming when creating a break down chart.

I have used iGrafx in the various versions since 2000.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

The most recent versions, since 2011, have been very stable. Although, I am always very “trigger-happy” using CTRL+S, but this is just a precaution.

The customer service has always been top notch. If there are any issues that the local vendor could not answer, they forwarded it to the English technical department who are always very responsive.

8/10.

I was formerly in a global consulting company and they were using a tool called IDEF Designer. However, that was too expensive to deploy to 3000 process improvement consultants.

The initial setup was of course more complex that it is today. That was primarily due to the fact that iGrafx did not, at the time when I was in the global consulting company , provide an IDEF0 module. However, they proposed to develop it for us, and I was then focal in specifying the IDEF0 module functionality.

The above cooperation was through the Danish vendor. They provided a high level of expertise.

That is difficult to say as I/we have used it many times over the years within different consulting projects.

In the large consulting company we ran a tender process, including major vendors.

This is a tool that covers the low end (e.g. Visio) to high end (e.g. Aris), although it's much less user friendly. Furthermore, the tool can grow with your organisation maturity, meaning that you don’t need a big set up now where you basically can’t handle it.

It is very easy to use for describing processes and is very useful in the simulation of the process putting parameters and the metrics process.

I described our processes as is and pushed the changes with simulations.

I used the single license product. The entire suite can manage complex organizations, linking it with ERP, but it is not so easy to link it to a new ERP. You have to develop specific software to do so.

The enterprise suite works on the internet and you can manage the organization structure and all the processes related to it. I think that an iGrafx partner could be more exhaustive in the description.

I have used this solution for five years.

There were no stability issues.

I haven't tried to scale it.

Technical support is very good in the local area.

Before I described processes with static instruments such as PowerPoint.

The setup was easy after two courses of five days each.

The price is not cheap.

I evaluated other products such as the Italian software ARXivar, Bonita BPM and groupware products like Notes.

It depends on the use of it, i.e., if it is for a consultant then there are no problems. However, if it is for an organization, then it will need the commitment from the management.

My primary use case is for business processes.

Finding the right symbol and creating links, horizontal and vertical are the features I use.

In the next release, I would like to see more layers like three, four, and five. It might be possible but I haven't seen it yet. 

I don't have experience with their technical support. 

We previously used Microsoft Visio. Visio is more user-friendly. It's easier to connect symbols but that can also depend on my experience in iGrafx, which is very little. Maybe the functionality is okay but I'm not an experienced user yet. 

We have a free membership or a free version. So that's the main reason for us starting to use it, just because we started, using workflows but we are starting to use another tool for this. It was an experiment of using workflows which was successful. We're looking for a more complete tool with more layers and functionalities. 

I would rate it a six out of ten.

The most valuable features are the pre-defined templates for business process design, the data analysis, and performance enhancements.

It would be helpful to be able to do more analytics and generate reports on historical documents that have already been uploaded to the server.

I would like to see better communication between the sensor process team and the end users.

To a very good extent, I am satisfied with the stability of this solution.

This solution is very scalable. We're currently handling more than four hundred processes across the organization.

We have between twenty and thirty users.

The support for this solution used to be ok, but we have issues with renewing the support contract so we're not happy with each other at the moment. When there was a decent agreement, I think that things were fine.

I was not directly responsible for the setup, but I did not notice any difficulties.

I would recommend this solution. The top two are ARIS and iGrafx. Each of them has some advantage over the other, but in general, they're the tip top.

This product fulfills ninety percent of our needs, and we're happy as users of it.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Six Sigma version, as it has all the required embedded Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC notations.

It's easy to perform simulations of the improved process and calculate the direct impact on process efficiency.

They can reduce the cost of the product and make it easily accessible for consultants.

I've used this solution for five years.

No.

No.

7 out of 10.

ARIS and Visio, the reason to use iGrafx is that it is easy to execute process simulations.

Straightforward.

The pricing is expensive for individuals at around $2,000 per license. If the organization is purchasing then they could buy and use it.

If so, which ones? We had been using ARIS and Visio, and this was the next natural choice. We did explore cloud based offerings like Bizagi and Signavio, but due to confidentiality, we had to go for iGrafx's on-premise solution.

It's a great product, but all the functionalities need to be exploited in order to get the full value of the investment.