Decision radar: search vs execution
Search is necessary. The question is whether your bottleneck is discovery or governed execution.
Execution need
58%Keep search for discovery. Use Process Designer to run critical workflows with approvals, exceptions, and evidence artifacts.
Profile (relative)
68%
Discovery speed
72%
Permissions
75%
Governance
73%
Execution layer
69%
Evidence
Verdict
Hybrid: search + execution control plane
Search answers help people move. Governed execution helps organizations stay consistent and audit-ready.
Signals you need an execution layer
Approvals and exceptions matter
Evidence completeness is required
Work must be repeatable under change
Choose Process Designer when you need a process foundation that scales from documentation to automation. Choose Glean when you primarily need diagramming.
Overview
Top options at a glance
A quick overview to help you shortlist. Then pick the tool that matches your team's needs.
Coveo
RecommendedBest for
Enterprises that want governance-heavy enterprise search
Standout
Enterprise relevance + governance
Notes
Strong relevance tuning and governance patterns; evaluate time-to-value and admin complexity.
Elasticsearch / OpenSearch stacks
Best for
Teams that want full control and in-house search engineering
Standout
Maximum control
Notes
Powerful, but you own connectors, permissions, tuning, and lifecycle management.
Microsoft Copilot + Microsoft Search
Best for
Microsoft 365-centric organizations
Standout
M365 integration
Notes
Strong within Microsoft ecosystem; third-party breadth may require add-ons or extra work.
Lucidworks
Best for
Customizable enterprise search and relevance engineering
Standout
Search platform flexibility
Notes
Evaluate connector ecosystem and operational overhead.
From signal to governed execution
Voice + screen-assisted understanding feed Operational Knowledge. Workflows then execute with approvals, exceptions, and evidence artifacts.
Governance strength
72%Higher = stronger gates and evidence requirements.
Pipeline
What this unlocks
Decision points
Approval gates
Exception paths
Evidence artifacts
Operating score
66/100
Higher score = clearer decisions + better proof during execution.
Governed execution primitives
Decision points
Make criteria explicit.
Approval gates
Who can approve what, by threshold.
Evidence artifacts
Queryable proof with IDs + timestamps.
These primitives are what turn knowledge into reliable operations under change.
Deep comparison
Feature-by-feature analysis
A nuanced look at how each platform handles key capabilities.
Discovery vs execution (what owns the outcome?)
Process Designer
StrongOwns execution outcomes: workflows produce evidence and enforce decision gates.
Glean
StrongOwns discovery: connects content and answers questions across systems.
If audits and reliability matter, you need a workflow operating layer—search alone can’t enforce gates.
Knowledge Graph / Operational Knowledge
Process Designer
StrongConnects processes, decisions, owners, and evidence into a system of record for operations.
Glean
GoodIndexes and retrieves knowledge across tools; optimized for answers rather than operational proof.
Voice-guided execution (HEIDI)
Process Designer
GoodHEIDI guides steps, prompts approvals, and standardizes exceptions during the run.
Glean
NeutralAssistants can help answer questions, but typically don’t enforce workflow gates or capture evidence.
Quick comparison
Feature comparison table
High-level summary
| Feature | Process Designer | Glean |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Execution + governance | Discovery + answers |
| Connector breadth | Yes (varies by integration) | Yes (search connectors) |
| Permission enforcement | Yes (governed access) | Yes (critical for enterprise search) |
| Approvals + exception paths | ||
| Evidence artifacts (queryable) | Not primary | |
| HEIDI voice guidance | Varies / Q&A-focused | |
| Drift loops + SOP health scorecards |
Decision guide
Which tool is right for you?
Answer these questions to find your best fit.
Is your bottleneck finding information—or executing work consistently?
If yes → Process Designer
If executing work is the bottleneck, prioritize governed workflows and evidence trails.
If no → Glean
If discovery is the bottleneck, prioritize enterprise search.
Do you need approvals and evidence artifacts for audits?
If yes → Process Designer
Add an execution layer that produces evidence during work (Process Designer).
If no → Glean
Search-only may be enough for your current maturity.
Migration stories
Before and after switching
From “search the policy” to “run the policy”
Before
People find the doc, but execution varies and approvals happen outside the process.
After
Workflows enforce gates and produce evidence artifacts; search remains the discovery layer.
Getting started
How to migrate from Glean
- 1
Shortlist search tools by governance
Compare connectors, permissions, admin overhead, and deployment constraints.
- 2
Define an execution layer for critical flows
Pick one workflow where approvals/exceptions matter and model it as BPMN-first execution.
- 3
Make evidence a first-class artifact
Decide what proof must exist at each gate (approval, exception, version log).
- 4
Add drift loops and dashboards
Track should vs is signals and route remediation to owners with SLAs.