It was just over three years ago when we realised that the idea of Information Flow Modelling was resonating with our consulting customers. That marked the start of LINQ’s SaaS adventure.
When I look back at the early prototypes and slide decks, I’m amazed at how well formed the idea was; but equally shocked at how naïve we were. All the books said that the journey from idea to product was a long, winding and hard. My many friends from Esri (one of the world’s leading product companies) emphasised the magnitude of the challenge ahead; they were right!
It’s been the most challenging three years of my career. So many new skills, so much new knowledge, an amazing emotional roller-coaster. It’s tough in a start-up.
Making a Difference
And now we have real, serious enterprise customers and LINQ is making a difference.
That’s a profound moment for an enterprise SaaS company. We embarked on this journey because we believed that our Information Flow Modelling idea would create real value. It’s taken blood, sweat, tears and yes, capital (a huge thank you to our investors who shared our belief) to turn idea into reality.
An Early Adopter’s Need for Information Flow Modelling
Last week, I caught up with one of our early customers. They had seen the potential over a year ago, just as the LINQ platform was launched into the wild. That early adoption of Information Flow Modelling took courage and foresight and has paid off massively for them and us.
They’re a large and complex organisation which had recognised the need to transform. As a leader in a competitive and highly regulated industry, they needed a tool to enable innovation at scale. Traditional approaches to transformation are challenging in a regulated industry. Consequently ‘regulation’ and ‘stagnation’ can become synonymous.
LINQ enabling Corporate Strategy
Not for this customer. They’re establishing a corporate LINQ committee which will oversee a LINQ-enabled agile transformation strategy.
For entrepreneurs operating in small, nimble organisations, the word ‘committee’ might seem like an anathema… surely committees are the opposite of agile. Not so fast! Agility starts with strategy, strategy is enabled by culture… and a committee is often a great way for a large and complex organisation to embark on a culture shift. One certainty: transformation doesn’t just happen by shouting ‘transform now’!
They’re applying LINQ in a way that we hadn’t anticipated. They’re using LINQ as their change system of record – and organising their user stories and sprints around LINQ’s prioritisation and sequencing. Indeed, they’re seeing LINQ as the integrator of many other enterprise systems, processes and documentation. It’s a testament to the world-class LINQ development team that the LINQ platform can deliver to this grand ambition.
Exciting Times Ahead
So, LINQ is making a real difference. That’s a wonderful affirmation of our belief, the team’s hard work and our investors’ faith. It’s also a tremendous responsibility that we take seriously. Just as well because we’ve been having sales conversations with some amazing global organisations… exciting times ahead.