I’ve been “all in” on process since about 2003. In 2007 I co-founded BP3 as an expression of that focus on process and process technologies. Our thesis was simple:

• if you want to change your business, you need to change your processes
• if you want to change your processes, you need to build your processes in software.

We can just skip the middle and say, if you want to truly change your business, you need to build your processes in software. With this in mind, I want to talk about our process lens for seeing the world, in the context of our recent acquisition of Extra Technologies.

Extra Technologies is a leader in two markets in the UK:

• Intelligent Automation — RPA+AI. This is bread and butter for BP3 as well, and together we will build a scale business that tackles even bigger challenges for our clients. We’re really excited about the innovations in services delivery and uses of AI we are incorporating with Extra Tech.
• Workload Automation. Extra Technology is perhaps the leading expert in workflow automation. It turns out that a lot of really important processes run on mainframes. These processes absolutely have to run on time, and correctly, at scale.

At BP3, we help our clients find a faster way® to their business outcomes. But it isn’t enough to be fast. You have to have three things to get there faster: more focus, more foresight, and more follow-up. And that describes Extra Technology to a T.

Of these, perhaps the most important is focus. Because focus is what builds the expertise you need to deliver results. Focus is what gives you the experience that grants you foresight. And focus is what motivates you to follow through on every commitment.

Focus is also important because it gives you a lens through which to see the world. Our lens is process. And once we established our sweet spot around process orchestration, how we can extend our reach become more clear:

1. Upstream — what process challenges are beyond our reach upstream from our typical start points. One example of this is Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) — automating the extraction and understanding of structured and unstructured documents.
2. Downstream — what process challenges are beyond our reach downstream from our typical end points. One example of this is production operations — keeping the solutions we build up and running long after development has entered an evergreen phase.

We have been assembling the pieces of the puzzle to address complete end-to-end processes. Not just “invoice reconciliation” but “order to cash”. Not just “booking” but “managing our guest experience throughout their journey”.

But there’s another axis to think about: which is how we can go deeper — or shallower — in addressing processes. From our roots in process orchestration and automation, we extended up and down;

1. “Up” to RPA to speed up the processes you’re already running. We can make any process you have run faster, more efficiently, and more accurately.
2. “Up” to work with clients to create alignment and excitement around new solutions to old problems with our Design team.
3. “Up” — in a sense — to design and test great user experiences thanks to our rockstar Design team.
4. “Deeper” to building new process-oriented software that replaces legacy or monolithic applications with new modern software applications.
5. “Deeper” to building DevOps and infrastructure capabilities that allow us to build our your CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Development) pipeline, your cloud application infrastructure, and your run-books.
6. “Deeper” with AI to understand and solve problems that can’t be solved by traditional software development methods.
7. “Deeper” with Extra Tech and Workload Automation — delving into core business processes that live on the mainframes of the world.

With Extra Technology joining BP3, we are truly in a position to address wholistic process technology challenges up and down the stack. And in many respects it is simply a continuation of an important theme in our work. I don’t believe there is another company that has the level and depth of competency across these process technologies.

One more thing… the Austin Technology Council is hosting our annual CEO Summit on October 17th, at 1pm, at the Hilton, Austin. I’m proud to serve on the board for ATC, and even more excited about getting together in the same room with the Austin’s tech CEOs.

Behind the scenes we’ve been working on the agenda, and I think we’re going to have a great schedule of authentic conversations culminating in our keynote speaker Sarah Jones Simmer, the CEO of Found. She is a powerhouse leader and speaker. Prior to her keynote, we will have a series of panel discussions, including a tough look at Cyber resilience, and the Future of Work.

Allow me to let you in on a secret, however. The tickets are ~$250. If you are a member you can cut that in half. Become a member, and you’re already getting ~10% off depending on the size company you represent. Our members help make possible the fantastic programming and educational value that ATC provides to help our tech ecosystem in Austin grow. This organization is only what we, the technology community of Austin, make of it. Join us, and reach out to myself or Thom Singer and get the conversation started!

I recently presented on software development with a process lens — a topic near and dear to my heart as the leader of BP3 — at DeveloperWeek last week on stage and this week in a virtual session. I’m more than happy to share with anyone who asks!