When DPM Forms Should Supplant BPM Forms

BPM suites provide their own interactive form design tools, which are adequate for many types of processes; however, in workflows containing sub-processes for generating complex documents, DPM forms are generally used to supplant BPM forms.

DPM for Automating Document Generation Processes
DPM (document process modeling) is the widely accepted approach to automating document generation processes, whether standalone or within the context of broader workflows. Enterprise-grade DPM systems have the necessary robust scripting languages to automate complex documents and include file and component management systems. Perhaps most importantly, they also have significantly greater forms design capability than virtually any BPM suite, a fact which grows out of the complexity of legal documents.

A knowledge worker first uses a DPM to transform a word processing file or PDF document into a template. The worker will then build business rules into the template, replacing names, dates, numbers, etc. with simple variables. The worker will, likewise, script computation variables and define conditions under which clauses or other sections of text will be included in a finished document. Having built all the requisite business logic into the document itself, the knowledge worker will then construct a custom interview (sequence of interactive, data-gathering forms) for the template, utilizing all the same components that were built into the template.

Reflexive Business Logic
Here’s the key to forms building within a document process modeling system: the business logic built into the document must be reflected in the interview. This reflexive approach eliminates the possibility that dozens—or even hundreds—of irrelevant questions might get asked unnecessarily. In other words, variables that are merged into blocks of text that won’t be included in a particular iteration of the document don’t need to be asked in the interview.

Powerful DPMs, such as the industry-leading HotDocs, will automatically create a reflexive interview for a template, a feature that not only saves significant time but ensures business logic parity between the template and the interview. HotDocs interviews allow further customization, such as question-specific help resources and answer range validation. And for BPM vendors that want HotDocs forms to take on the look and feel of the vendor’s native forms, HotDocs provides a robust API.

At the end of the day, when a business process requires that information be gathered specifically for generating a document or set of documents, it just makes sense to use DPM forms in place of BPM forms. You’ll save time and produce a much better, more efficient document workflow.