Questions to ask before buying workflow software

Ask specifically: if we want to add a field, change an approval threshold, or add a step to a workflow, who does it, how long does it take, and what does it cost? The answer separates configuration from development, and it is the single best predictor of what the next three years will feel like.

Ask before you sign, not when you are unhappy. A vendor confident in their product will describe the export format, the API, and the notice period without hesitating. Anything evasive here is a forecast.

Not the documentation about the audit trail - an actual case, opened in a demo environment, showing who did what and when. Regulated operations live or die on this, and it is remarkable how often it turns out to be a log file rather than something an auditor could read.

Price the success case, not the pilot. Model the subscription plus per-transaction costs at the volume you are hoping for, and ask which parts of the current quote are fixed for how long.

• Which changes are included in the subscription and which are quoted
• How the price responds to volume, users, and new products
• What the first year costs in total, including setup
• What happens at renewal if volume has doubled