Appian’s Mobile BPM capabilities were a significant driver of our record 2011 results. I’d like to talk a little about how and why organizations are using Appian Mobile BPM.

For the longest time, knowledge workers using traditional BPM software could not easily do BPM functions on their mobile devices like completing work items, accessing real-time reports, or initiating processes. Meetings, travel or just being away from the desktop computer usually resulted in bottlenecks and inefficient processes.

Frankly, for an industry dedicated to process improvement and eliminating inefficiencies the lack of Mobile BPM options was embarrassing.

In 2011, we became the first BPM vendor to release a native Mobile BPM application for the iOS, BlackBerry and Android platforms. We focused on making the experience dead simple and highly intuitive. As a result, many of our customers rapidly adopted and subsequently expanded their use of Appian Mobile BPM.  More »

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The insurance industry is at the forefront in understanding the need for process improvement. At the same time, insurance is an industry particularly hampered by aging, brittle and burdensome IT systems. Hear what Forrester Research thinks insurance companies need to know in a one-hour webinar on Thursday, February 16 at 11:00am EST. Ellen Carney, Forrester Research Senior Analyst and insurance industry expert, will be our guest for “Fueling Insurance Provider Success with BPM.” Click the link to register today.

The webinar is co-sponsored by Appian’s insurance solution partner, MajeskoMastek. MajescoMastek has teamed with Appian around a series of templates and frameworks to accelerate implementation of crucial BPM for Insurance solutions.

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Tags: , BPM for Insurance, Forrester, MajeskoMastek, process improvement for insurance

Here at Appian, we are gearing up for our biggest global user conference yet.  This is the 4th Appian World conference, and the first to feature a multiple tracks that cater to the diverse and growing audience expected to attend this April.

For Appian World 2012, we will be featuring a BPM Beginner, Appian Developer, and Business track featuring.  Each track will feature a variety of customer case studies, 3rd party analyst / BPM expert perspectives, and learning sessions to ensure success in your BPM endeavors. More »

Tags: , Appian World, Appian World 2012

I enjoyed Adam Deane’s recent post on “BPM: Priorities.” He points out how limited typical BPM systems are in dealing with the complexities of how work actually gets done based on the often chaotic nature of how business and task priorities constantly change. In my opinion, this is where Social BPM capabilities become so critical.

The problem is, most BPM software vendors (and frankly, many industry pundits) have a limited view of what Social BPM really is. They relegate it to collaborative process design – making it easier for a handful of pre-designated people to work together in developing a process diagram. This is, at best, a single. The grand-slam homerun happens when Social BPM is applied to real-time collaborations across all employees (and customers) while business processes are being executed.

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Tags: , Appian 6, BPM for Case Management, Business Process Management, Social BPM, social technology

As reported in Federal Computer Week, a January 19 report from the Defense Business Board (DBB) states that “pursuing IT efficiencies could save DoD between 25 and 50 percent on annual expenditures, while also improving mission effectiveness and achieving return on investment even ahead of schedule.”

The report outlines a four-step approach of “normalizing, standardizing and rationalizing applications; rationalizing and consolidating data centers; rationalizing data and security; and then migrating appropriate components to the cloud.” The DBB urged the department to act decisively in these areas, warning that the consequences could otherwise be disastrous.

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Tags: , BPM for Government, BPM in the Cloud, Business Process Management and Government, Cloud Computing, defense business board, Government 2.0

There’s nothing like an initial public offering (IPO) to get people to sit up and notice a company.  IPOs are only possible when companies are delivering novel solutions that offer great value and facilitate strong revenue growth.  That’s the case with Guidewire, a software company that’s built enterprise applications to support the core systems of property & casualty (P&C) insurers.

But a closer inspection of Guidewire, made possible through their IPO regulatory filings, shows their solutions are novel only in comparison to the ancient IT systems and paper-based processes used extensively by P&C insurers today.  Guidewire is a big advance over those, but only a few steps in the BPM direction.

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Tags: , Appian, BPM for Insurance, Business Process Management, Forrester

Earlier this week we announced Appian’s results for 2011. In the immortal words of Frank Sinatra, “it was a very good year.” The numbers speak for themselves: 90 new-name customers, a 219 percent jump in license orders over 2010, and nearly 40 percent of total orders coming for Appian Cloud.

The story behind the numbers is testament to how enterprise mobility, social collaboration and cloud computing are reshaping the IT landscape. Appian’s Mobile BPM, Cloud BPM and Social BPM address the broken state of enterprise software today.

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Tags: , Appian, Appian 6, Appian Cloud, BPM in the Cloud, mobile BPM, Social BPM

BPM software is key to how federal departments and agencies are going to cope with the unrelenting pressures to increase agility, transparency, accountability, cost reduction and constituent service.  If you work in the public sector and have a focus on process improvement, you can’t afford to miss Appian World 2012. The conference (April 15-17 at the Reston Hyatt outside Washington, D.C.) is free, and in addition to great content and networking, it is the only place you can hear Kenneth Percell, former CIO of the U.S. Air Force Material Command, deliver his “Confessions of a Federal CIO.”

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Tags: , Appian World 2012, BPM for Federal Acquisitions, BPM for Government, Business Process Management and Government, Kenneth Percell, Process Improvement for Government

It’s no secret that the business of insurance is getting more and more competitive.  Thanks to numerous comparison sites on the internet, it’s easier than ever to quickly find just what you need.  As consumers, we’re all benefiting from more options, easier selection, and lower prices.  But for insurance companies, all of this transparency is another matter.

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Tags: , BPM, Business Process Management, competitive advantage, Insurance, process improvement for insurance

Forrester analyst Craig Le Clair has published an excellent report called “Stuck In Cement: When Packaged Apps Create Barriers To Innovation.” In his related blog post, he frets that “concrete” is the more apt, but less poetic analogy. Based on the research findings, I suggest “Packaged Apps Are the Concrete Shoes Pulling Business Down.” That’s how dire a picture Craig paints, but he offers a ray of hope by positing that BPM Software is the answer.

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Tags: , application development, BPM software, Enterprise Resource Planning, Forrester, mobile BPM, Social BPM