Lombardi Software

Lombardi Software was an enterprise software company founded in Austin, Texas, in 1998 by Brian Cooper and Eric Hanich. The company focused exclusively on business process management (BPM), making it an early example of a specialist or “pure-play” BPM vendor rather than a broad enterprise technology supplier that treated process management as one component of a larger software stack. Its principal market was organizations seeking to model, automate, optimize, and manage operational workflows. Lombardi’s main product was Teamworks, a business process management suite designed to support the creation and execution of workflow applications. Teamworks combined process modeling with tools intended to help organizations turn diagrams into operational processes, monitor execution, and improve workflows over time. This emphasis on executable process design distinguished Lombardi from traditional process-modeling products that were primarily used for documentation or analysis. The company also developed Lombardi Blueprint, a web-based process discovery and documentation application. Blueprint used collaborative, Web 2.0-style interaction patterns, including wiki-like editing, shared visual workspaces, and chat. It was positioned as a way for business users and process specialists to discover and document how work was performed before, or alongside, formal automation. The product reflected Lombardi’s broader effort to make BPM more collaborative and accessible beyond specialist technical teams. Lombardi contributed to the development of BPM practice and standards discussions. Phil Gilbert, who served as the company’s president, chaired the Object Management Group’s BPM Steering Committee for a period. That committee was associated with process-management standards, including BPMN. Lombardi also filed patents relating to innovations developed for Teamworks, although the available reference material indicates that changes in management meant those patent efforts were not pursued to completion. IBM acquired Lombardi Software in 2010. At the time of the acquisition, Lombardi reportedly had approximately 220 employees. The transaction ended Lombardi’s existence as an independent software company and brought its BPM technology and expertise into IBM’s enterprise software portfolio. The acquisition also gave IBM a specialist BPM platform at a time when organizations were increasingly seeking software for workflow automation, process visibility, and operational improvement. After joining IBM, Phil Gilbert continued in senior product and design leadership roles and later became associated with IBM’s efforts to make design more central to product development. Lombardi is historically significant within BPM because it concentrated on the discipline from its founding, introduced collaborative web-based process discovery through Blueprint, and helped connect process modeling with executable business applications. It is no longer an independent operating brand; its principal historical importance lies in the products, methods, and personnel incorporated into IBM after the 2010 acquisition.

Lombardi Software was established in Austin, Texas, in 1998 by Brian Cooper and Eric Hanich. From the beginning, it concentrated on business process management rather than operating as a diversified enterprise software supplier. This specialization made Lombardi an early pure-play BPM company: its commercial identity was built around helping organizations understand, automate, execute, and improve business processes. The company’s principal platform was Lombardi Teamworks. Teamworks was designed to support executable workflow diagrams and business process applications, linking process modeling with the practical operation and management of workflows. This approach addressed a limitation of many conventional modeling tools, which were often used mainly to document processes without directly supporting their implementation. Lombardi’s product strategy treated process models as working assets that could be refined and used in operational software. Lombardi also pursued a more collaborative approach to process discovery. Its Lombardi Blueprint product was a web-based tool for documenting and discovering business processes. It incorporated interaction patterns associated with Web 2.0, including wiki-style collaboration, a shared whiteboard, and chat. These capabilities were intended to involve business participants in describing how work actually occurred, rather than leaving process analysis solely to technical modelers or consultants. Blueprint therefore represented an early attempt to apply collaborative web practices to business applications and process management. The company participated in the wider development of BPM methods and standards. Phil Gilbert, Lombardi’s president, served for a period as chairperson of the Object Management Group’s BPM Steering Committee, which dealt with process-management standards such as BPMN. Lombardi also filed patents connected with innovations in Teamworks. The available account states that subsequent management changes meant those patent initiatives were not followed through to completion. Lombardi’s independent history ended in 2010, when IBM acquired the company. At the time, Lombardi had about 220 employees. IBM’s purchase incorporated Lombardi’s BPM capabilities into IBM’s enterprise software business and reflected the growing importance of workflow automation, process visibility, and process improvement in large organizations. The transaction also transferred Lombardi’s specialist knowledge and product technology to a much larger enterprise technology group. After the acquisition, Phil Gilbert continued at IBM and was later identified as IBM’s general manager of design. In that role, he was associated with efforts to make design more central to IBM’s development of products based on customer needs. Lombardi therefore contributed not only BPM technology to IBM but also personnel with experience in process-centered product development and design leadership. Lombardi Software is now a defunct independent company. Its historical significance rests on its early commitment to BPM as a dedicated software category, its effort to connect process diagrams with executable workflow applications, and its use of collaborative web interfaces for process discovery. The company’s acquisition by IBM marked the transition of its independent brand and operations into IBM’s broader software portfolio.

• 2010

  Acquired by IBM

  [1]Lombardi Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  IBM acquired Lombardi Software, which had approximately 220 employees, and incorporated its BPM technology into IBM.

• 1998

  Lombardi Software founded

  [1]Lombardi Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Brian Cooper and Eric Hanich founded Lombardi Software in Austin, Texas, as a specialist business process management software company.

• Launch of Lombardi Blueprint

  [1]Lombardi Softwareen.wikipedia.org

  Lombardi developed Blueprint as a web-based process discovery and documentation tool with collaborative features such as wiki-style editing, shared whiteboards, and chat.

A specialist, pure-play business process management software vendor focused on executable workflows, process optimization, and collaborative process discovery.

• Business process management suite

  Lombardi Teamworks

  Teamworks was Lombardi’s primary business process management product. It was designed to create, optimize, and manage executable workflow diagrams and business process applications. The platform represented Lombardi’s core proposition: connecting process design and modeling with the implementation and operational management of workflows. It helped establish the company as a dedicated BPM technology vendor rather than a general enterprise software provider.

• Process discovery and documentation software

  Lombardi Blueprint

  Blueprint was a web-based application for discovering and documenting business processes. It used collaborative interaction patterns associated with Web 2.0, including wiki-like editing, a shared whiteboard, and chat. The product was intended to make process analysis more participatory by allowing business stakeholders to contribute to descriptions of how work was performed before or alongside formal workflow automation.

• 2010

  IBM acquisition of Lombardi SoftwareM&A

  Background

  Lombardi had established itself as a specialist BPM vendor with Teamworks and Blueprint. IBM acquired the company to bring its BPM software and expertise into IBM’s enterprise software portfolio.

  Action taken

  IBM purchased Lombardi Software and absorbed its technology and workforce, reported at approximately 220 employees at the time.

  Aftermath

  Lombardi ceased to operate as an independent company, while its technology and personnel became part of IBM’s BPM activities.

  Source

1. 1Lombardi Softwareen.wikipedia.org