My future with Pega

In the series “The unexpected journey of a Lead System Architect”, our colleague Alona will tell you about her journey to becoming a Pega Lead System Architect. Last month, she talked about the reasons behind this decision. In this blog, she will tell you what differentiates Pega and why she chose to work at BPM Company. 

“Before you make your move, you want to step back and ask the question: ‘Did I miss something obvious?’”

– Alan Trefler

The impact of technology on our daily life

I am deeply fascinated with the impact that technology has on our daily routines. Just imagine: it’s 7 am on a Monday morning. Light is slowly seeping into your bedroom, and you hear the birds starting to sing somewhere far away. The light becomes brighter and the singing louder with every minute. Slowly, you wake up from your dreams and get out of bed. The lights automatically turn on as you walk down the stairs. The scent of freshly made coffee greets you when you enter your kitchen. There you find a hot cup of coffee already waiting for you at the coffee machine. Next, you sit down in your living room to read the news, while your fully automated kitchen prepares your breakfast. Just like that, we can experience such niceties in the early mornings, all thanks to our smart homes. Experiences like these show us the power of technology. Truly, it’s exciting how technology can improve our daily routines, and Pega is no exception.

I was still working as a Microsoft SharePoint Developer in mid-2015, when I started to feel that I could bring more value to the world. Not only that, but I wanted to bring it as quickly as our current world demands it. At the time, I had no idea how I wanted to bring this value, so I started to look around. I explored specific business verticals, project management tools, and other technologies. Then, at the end of December, a colleague of mine suggested I check out Pega. This was the turning point in my professional career. I started looking into Pega and became captivated by Pega’s numerous capabilities. Unlike other software platforms, Pega gives you the smart home experience. There were three things in particular that I was most impressed by.

Development speed

The first capability was Pega’s development speed. When I discovered Pega, I was surprised to learn that the full implementation of a simple integration or background process would take just a few hours! By providing the architectural muscle, Pega empowers IT specialists to spend only hours on specific tasks instead of days. So, after discovering Pega’s development speed, I could not ignore Pega’s potential. I was excited to start working with it, even though I knew that I still had much to learn about Pega.

Agility

The second capability I was impressed by was Pega’s agility. When I discovered Pega, I knew that the business world was agile, and it was my job as a developer to satisfy the constantly changing business needs. For example, Pega’s Case Designer changes the model process by allowing developers to drag & drop stages, processes, and shapes. Pega was designed with businesses’ need for agility in mind. I, therefore, find it the perfect developing software for creating the impact that I want to have as a developer.

Transparency

Lastly, I was impressed with Pega’s ability to help with interactions between developers and customers. Pega’s Case Designer is not just a valuable tool for Pega Architects. It also brings enormous value to businesses, as it allows customers to check up on current progress at any given moment. The Case Designer creates an effective communication environment that increases the transparency between the customer and the developer. So, I was really impressed with Pega’s capacity to provide better collaboration options and be a valuable tool for minimizing miscommunication between customers and developers.

Thus, development speed, agility, and transparency were the three capabilities I was most impressed by initially. However, I don’t expect that these will stay the only capabilities I am most impressed by, because Pega continues to evolve. I am discovering more and more possibilities of Pega now that I am working as a Pega Specialist. There is one tool in particular that I enjoy using these days: Pega Express. Pega Express enables businesses to go live with the first MLP within just 90 days. I think that in the fast-changing world, it is a great asset to go live at such short notice! Truly, Pega is the right future for me.

Finding the right Pega environment at BPM Company

As I mentioned earlier, I want to bring more value to the world and at the speed that it demands it. And what is the best place to fulfill your passion? In my opinion, at a workplace where you are surrounded by like-minded people who share your passion. People with whom you can discuss any Pega topic, and people with whom you can share all your Pega findings and insights. I started to look for such a place in The Netherlands in June 2022. Eventually, I found such an environment after going through a number of interviews and talking to representatives of different companies. At BPM Company I found a community of Pega Specialists that constantly encourages its members to learn and grow. So, since September 2022, I bring more value into the world while working as a Pega Specialist at BPM Company.

Next month, I will talk about the top three challenges you face when switching from a different software developer role to that of Pega Architect. So, stay tuned and see you next month!