Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 2018, 11, 521-536 http://www.scirp.org/journal/jsea ISSN Online: 1945-3124 ISSN Print: 1945-3116 DOI: 10.4236/jsea.2018.1111031 Nov. 26, 2018 521 Journal of Software Engineering and Applications Exploring the Characteristics of Business Process Modeling Solutions in the Saudi Market Ameenah H. Naytah 1,2 , Basem Y. Alkazemi 1 1 Department of Computer Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia 2 General Administration of Human Resources, Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia Abstract Business Process Modeling (BPM) is a mechanism that separates all business aspects from the underlying technological and implementation features of a system. The aim is to capture an organization’s processes and achieve its business objectives. Currently, there are many solutions for Business Process Modeling and Design offered by vendors. However, the selection of one solu- tion or another by customers is usually conducted in an ad-hoc manner. Given the underlying environment that a customer might have and their li- mitations, there is no standard methodology that can help in the selection of the most appropriate solution. This paper therefore highlights the key cha- racteristics of BPM solutions in the market to facilitate an understanding of the compatibility of a given solution with customer’s environments; hence, customers can then make informed decisions regarding their selections. Keywords Business Process Modeling (BPM), Business Process (PB), Supporting Tool, BPM Solutions 1. Introduction Due to the rapid growth of technology in recent days, competition in the soft- ware market has greatly intensified. Customers now expect more from software vendors, while vendors try their best to satisfy customers’ needs by introducing good products and services to protect their market share. However, in reality, many software vendors only describe their products from a business perspective to sell their solutions and hide any complexities that might be involved in integrating or customizing their solutions to fit a custom- er’s environment [1]. The only aspects that are usually presented to customers How to cite this paper: Naytah, A.H. and Alkazemi, B.Y. (2018) Exploring the Cha- racteristics of Business Process Modeling Solutions in the Saudi Market. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 11, 521-536. https://doi.org/10.4236/jsea.2018.1111031 Received: October 8, 2018 Accepted: November 19, 2018 Published: November 26, 2018 Copyright © 2018 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access