The Federal Government’s poor IT performance is an old story, but it got renewed attention this week because of two new documents.  The first was Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel’s release of his final “Shared First” strategy document which sets guidelines that should lead to better returns on IT investment.  The other event was a memo from Lesley Field, Acting Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy.  Ms. Field laid out steps to make it easier for vendors to provide input and education so government can make smarter technology buys.

So much positive news in the space of a week had me feeling optimistic that we are on a path to stop wasting tax payer money and bring effective IT systems to government.  But my good mood ended when an e-mail hit my inbox with fresh evidence of some of the thinking and behaviors that have caused the Federal government’s IT investments to significantly underperform.

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Tags: , Appian Cloud, BPM for Federal Acquisitions, BPM for Government, BPM in the Cloud, BPM software, Business Process Management, Business Process Management and Government, Process Improvement for Government

The famous German statesman, Otto von Bismark, is credited with saying “Politics is the art of the possible.”  So too goes technology, particularly in insurance.  Lots of things are theoretically possible to do with insurance information systems, if there are no constraints on resources.  Insurance CIOs are never in that position.  In fact, they are in the opposite corner, struggling to maintain legacy systems and still squeeze out some budget for technological innovations that will delight customers and employees.  For them, developing new innovations is “the art of the possible.”  In practice, not much can get accomplished, which is why so many insurers find themselves technologically behind.

That state of affairs is being upended as will be demonstrated at next week’s Appian World conference.

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Tags: , Appian World 2012, BPM for Insurance, BPM in the Cloud, BPM software, Business Process Management, Cloud Computing

Tammy Erickson wrote a great blog post a few weeks ago on the Harvard Business Review’s website titled, “Why We Use Social Media in Our Personal Lives — But Not for Work.”  One phrase in particular really grabbed me.  “The use of collaborative technology for work will continue to grow over the years ahead because when it’s used properly, social technology enables a very different level of performance. Your competition will shift the playing field in your industry by integrating this technology into how work gets done if you don’t. This train is leaving the station.”

I couldn’t agree more.  Tammy’s blog is one more drumbeat that insurance leaders need to heed.  Insurers must break the cycle of legacy application maintenance eating their budgets so they can invest in new technologies and get ahead of the competition.  Yes, I know.  That last statement is a platitude.  Before you click your mouse to move on because you think this blog post will add nothing new, consider what’s not a platitude.  The smartest insurance companies are already investing in capabilities to rapidly create their own custom tailored applications with social media and mobile capabilities already fully integrated.  Not only is the train leaving the station, it’s a bullet train.

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Tags: , Appian, Process Management, Social, Social BPM

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

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

I recently gave my “Business Process Management 101” talk at a meeting of the National Credit Business Exchange.  The audience was eager to learn about a new approach to software and peppered me with questions, showing their excitement and enthusiasm.  But I noticed the enthusiasm waning in my discussions with the group after my talk as reality quickly set in.  The reason for the decline is exemplified in the comment I got from one attendee.

The words this person used were powerful and telling.  But I got more from their body language which showed the excitement I had generated ended up bringing back painful memories.  I knew right then and there that they wouldn’t even bring this to their IT department leader and a chance for their company to gain a competitive advantage was lost.

I wonder what this person’s CEO would have thought if they had been a fly on the wall for this conversation.  How did we get here?

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Tags: , Appian, BPM, BPM software, Business Process Management

I recently went through the process of getting a new individual life insurance policy, something that’s done thousands of times a day across the country.  My experience is a cautionary tale for leaders of insurance companies everywhere.  When the process was finally complete, and I signed the last policy document, I wrote beneath my signature, “P.S.  I hate you!”

If you like consumer frustration stories, read on and you’ll be entertained.  If you are in the insurance business, you definitely want to read my tale of woe as I also lay out how to easily delight customers and earn superior profits.

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Tags: , Appian, Appian Cloud, BPM, Business Process Management, mobile BPM

Software applications have become the central nervous system of large companies.  Everything those companies do to deliver their goods or services is governed by or assisted through software.  A company’s success in the marketplace is therefore a function of how refined and capable their software is, and how quickly they can adapt it to changing needs in the market.  Companies that “play to win” have found ways to make their software a key asset.  Companies that don’t are merely “playing not to lose.”

Which type are you?  Read on to find out.

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Tags: , Appian Cloud, BPM, BPM in the Cloud, BPM software, Business Process Management, mobile BPM, Social, Social BPM, software-as-a-service

Jim Collin’s classic book “Good to Great” is a study of eleven Fortune 500 companies that vastly outperformed their peers over an extended period of time.  This seminal work distills the handful of factors that account for these companies outstanding success.  I re-read the book on vacation and it gave me the idea to analyze the success of Appian’s shared services clients to understand what differentiated the “great” implementations from the merely “good” ones.

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Tags: , business process outsourcing, Financial Operations, shared services

There’s been a lot of discussion on the LinkedIn groups for Shared Services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies of late on the topic of “what’s the next big thing?”  People believe the low-hanging fruit is gone.  Customers still expect improvements in service and cost reductions, but how?  I’ll make my case for the answer in a minute, but first some background.

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Tags: , BPM software, Business Process Management, Deductions Management, Financial Operations, shared services