Groan - yet another TLA

Every good analyst is entitled to coin a couple of TLAs in their career. It is a badge of honor. So, I certainly understand why my friend Phil Fersht and his team at HfS have coined a new one IAP - Integrated Automation Platforms to evolve today's RPA or Robotic Process Automation.

"RPA provides a terrific band-aid to fix current solutions; it helps to extend the life of legacy. But does not provide long-term answers." they say

I groan because I am sore from TLAs. In my new book, SAP has so many new product names and TLAs that my editors recommended a glossary at the front of the book. Imagine what my poor transcriptionist had to go through to interpret all those TLAs in 20+ accents of the interviewees in the book.

But back to IAP. I hope Phil and team consider a couple of things

a) putting systems integrators on top of their graph sends the wrong signal. We should be highlighting automation - not more expensive labor and "change management". Besides, it would be nice to see SIs showcase automation in their own operations.

b) automation is about way more than white collar processes. In my book Silicon Collar, I had case studies of BP using drones and autonomous vehicles in remote, harsh parts of the globe. UPS with telematics guiding its trucks, factories with wearables and sensors, hospitals with tow bots, wineries with automated irrigation, waste management with robotic arms on garbage trucks, CGI at digital agencies, Exari (which Coupa announced today it is acquiring) which helps mine complex contract data, and many other examples including RPA.

So, hope Phil and team plan to start covering a broader range of automation, especially in operational areas.