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A software developer's view on Metastorm
August 23, 2014

A software developer's view on Metastorm

Eden Mack | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

9.3.1.2

Overall Satisfaction with Metastorm

Metastorm has found wide acceptance in our organization streamlining workflows and automating tasks. We use it across many departments, and are continually designing new processes. It is uncommon for a week to go by where I am not approached by someone with an idea about how Metastorm can improve their work experience.
  • Rapid Development: Metastorm is designed to allow developers to quickly build (or change) workflows. Business Logic, rules and regulations change quickly in today's world and being agile about software changes keeps users productive and engaged.
  • Customization: While Metastorm provides many pre-built controls useful during rapid development cycles, it also provides a rich .NET framework which can be used to customize the experience. This provides a nice balance between ease of development and detailed customization.
  • Flexibility: I've evaluated many workflow solutions, and most are restrictive in form design or branching options. Metastorm closely approaches a true state machine architecture allowing for complex workflows and rich user interfaces.
  • The Metastorm process engine is based on an older version of .NET. Updating to a newer version would resolve several known issues with .NET email functionality.
  • Metastorm builds web pages at run time. While the UI presented to the end user is fine, the Document Object Model is convoluted and subject to change with new releases. Providing a more simplified DOM or at very least a custom function to replace document.getElementById() would make client-side scripting a much more powerful tool.
  • One function that I've seen Metastorm competitors do well, is email wizards. Having a WYSIWYG email editor would be really nice.
  • Metastorm has allowed us to evaluate new business much faster allowing us to move quickly when time matters.
  • We have used Metastorm to automate a number of complex and tedius tasks, freeing up our staff to do other important business.
  • Metastorm has allowed me to automate a number of administration functions, and share the software management responsibility with the users themselves.
I have evaluated [business process management] products such as Nintex, K2, and Intapp. Each of these products are excellent options, and each have strengths and weaknesses. Metastorm and K2 in my opinion offer more flexibility, but require a higher level of technical ability to implement. Nintex and Intapp are more wizard driven, allowing for a less technical user to develop a more basic workflow. I would not suggest that any of these products are appropriate for an individual with no programming experience, although the Intapp offering most closely approaches that demographic.
I am very happy with Metastorm and fully intend to use it for the next several years. The only concern for me regarding Metastorm is the indications that OpenText will discontinue the product in the future. I have not yet evaluated Cordys, and cannot comment on how it will perform as OpenText's heir apparent.
Metastorm is an Enterprise level tool. While it can perform well in both small and large projects the setup and maintenance may make the product feel unwieldy or too expensive for small companies. Also, every workflow provider in the market will tell you how their product eliminates the need for a software developer. That's simply not true. Think about your resources, and consider hiring a consultant if necessary.

Using Metastorm

1000 - Metastorm is used by many aspects of our business including legal evaluation, Information Technology, Human Resources, and Financial Services/Accounting. We are currently building workflows to help streamline research and help review