BPM Workflow Estimation

In order to estimate the development time of a workflow, we need to first try and identify the complexity of the workflow/ business process. Following are some of the points that can be used to identify the complexity of a business process:

1. Number of worksteps involved in the workflow.
2. Now if the number of steps for a specific flow is 0-10 it is Simple, 11-20 it is Medium and 21-30 it is Complex. 
3. Number of lanes and pools involved. Higher the number higher the complexity Number of Business Actors, Users and Partners participation required. Higher the number the more complex the process is. 
4. Different Skills and Competencies required. Higher and Diverse set of skills means complex process. 
5. Number of Business policies and Rules used. Higher the number more complicated the process is. 
6. Number of external influence on process design, Higher the influencing elements the more fragile/volatile the process. A fragile/volatile process demands agility so I qualify them as a characteristics of complex process. 

The above mentioned points are very generic and we may add more points if the decision is already made on a specific BPM tool to be used for development. Following points can also be considered which are tool specific and can be considered for much more accurate estimate:

1. Support for building UI
2. Support for integration with external systems
3. Support for built-in adapters
4. Support for customization

The above points are very critical from the tools perspective as the design/development time depends on the support provided by the tool.

One needs to make sure that the resource availability and the training of the resources to be included in the estimate as it is not easy to find BPM resources.