Don Schuerman, CTO of Pegasystems and former stand-up comedian, shares his unique insights into tech and humor. He discusses the recent PegaWorld Inspire '24 and dives deep into Pega's innovative AI strategy, particularly the Pega Blueprint. Don emphasizes how early experiences in comedy shaped his approach to collaboration and communication in tech. The conversation also touches on the exciting potential of low-code solutions, the tension between building versus buying applications, and the transformative power of AI in enhancing customer experiences.
Don Schuerman emphasizes the transformative potential of Pega Blueprint in optimizing workflows for enhanced customer engagement and innovation.
His diverse career path, shaped by a blend of technical skills and improv comedy, illustrates the value of adaptability and enthusiasm in professional growth.
Deep dives
Understanding Pega's Role in Decisioning and Workflow Automation
Pega operates as an AI decisioning and workflow automation platform, focusing on enhancing customer engagement for enterprise clients. The platform allows organizations to present relevant offers and conversations to customers, facilitating loyalty and personalized experiences. Pega aims to streamline various workflows essential to customer interactions, such as onboarding and exception management. By translating complex technological concepts into actionable strategies, Pega helps clients connect their ambitions back to the development of effective products.
Don Schumann's Journey to CTO
Don Schumann's career trajectory to becoming the CTO of Pega exemplifies a blend of technical and market-oriented experience, with a strong foundation in both physics and philosophy. Starting his tech journey in IT support during a tech boom, he transitioned into engineering and eventually marketing, utilizing his background in improv comedy to connect with clients. His diverse experiences led to opportunities in product strategy and, ultimately, the role of CTO, highlighting the unpredictable nature of career paths. Schumann emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm and adaptability in tackling challenges throughout his career.
Navigating Client Needs in Workflow Automation
Client interactions often reveal a demand for workflows centered around customer engagement that traverse various channels, aligning front-end services with back-office operations. Industries with stringent regulations seek Pega’s capabilities to ensure compliance and governance through business rules. For instance, workflows like loan origination in banking require extensive rule application, making Pega an effective solution. By understanding the nuances of different buying centers within clients, Pega tailors its approach to address varied needs in customer experience, automation, and compliance.
The Future of AI within Pega's Offerings
Pega aims to enhance its platform’s utility through AI by categorizing its applications into three main strategies: left-brain decision-making, AI productivity tools, and AI transformation for business innovation. Left-brain decision-making leverages statistical AI to help clients create predictive models from their data without needing extensive technical resources. AI productivity tools, while beneficial for efficiency, are viewed as common across the industry, thus not providing a competitive advantage. In contrast, AI transformation through tools like Blueprint is regarded as a means to drive innovative process redesigns, enabling organizations to focus on optimizing their workflows effectively.
In this week's Low Down on Low-Code, Dave Marcus and Rob Koplowitz are joined by Don Schuerman of Pegasystems. Don joins right on the heels of PegaWorld Inspire '24 and covers a wide range of topics from the 2024 World Champion Boston Celtics, to how his early days in stand-up comedy helped his career and then deep dives into Pega's AI strategy with particular emphasis on Pega Blueprint. At Analysis.tech, we're excited by the potential of Pega Blueprint and will be diving in deeper as we build out out AI in low-code and DPA research in the near future.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode