Appian's CEO Matthew Calkins on "facilitating" work and the mobile future

Why BPM Software should no longer be just about automating work

BPM Software has sometimes been criticized for forcing people to work in a way that is inflexible and "one size fits all". While automating processes should increase efficiency and cycle times, it may also make it more difficult to change processes as requirements change and force people to find workarounds to their existing systems.

It’s time for the industry to think less about being a "work automation platform" and more about being a "work facilitation platform," says Matthew Calkins, Chairman and CEO of Appian in this special edition of Process Perspectives - part of PEX Network’s Boardroom Perspectives interview series. Calkins argues for a future where BPM Software helps to automate not just highly structured processes but also facilitates collaboration and support for the ad hoc processes that make up the majority of work in modern enterprises.

Calkins, who founded Appian 1999, also discusses why BPM Software needs to conform to how people actually work and how the convergence of mobile and desktop computing will be one of the key trends driving the industry forward in the years ahead.

Join Appian and their client Bank of Tennessee for their presentation Customer Engagement from the Inside Out – Using Social and Mobile BPM to Drive Growth on October 10 during PEX Network's inaugural BPM Open House. This free, online presentation series is designed to showcase insightful presentations into what BPM Software can do for you and give you a chance for you to hear what results companies Bank of Tennessee and many others have achieved through BPM. Get your questions answered and hear from leading BPM Software providers.

Questions discussed in this podcast:

• You set Appian up in a friend's basement with $5000 in savings. Was there ever a point in those early days that you wondered 'what am I doing'?
• What was the thinking behind your company's name?
• Where do you look for inspiration on what's coming next in the BPM industry?
• And what do you think will be the major enterprise trends driving the industry in the next decade?
• How will BPM software providers need to respond?
• What do you think sets Appian apart from other BPM Vendors in the market?