News
IBM Bob – Beyond Code!
The discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in software development is often centered on automation: generating code faster, reducing manual work and making development cycles more efficient. But if you look at how experienced developers are actually using AI today, something more fundamental is happening.
AI is not only changing how software is written, but above all changes how technical knowledge is built, applied and accelerated. And that may have the greatest impact on the software development process.
For years, software development has been strongly organised around specialisations: frontend, backend or infrastructure. Those boundaries are rapidly fading. Modern systems consist of complex technology stacks that no single developer can fully oversee anymore. The role is therefore shifting from “knowing everything” to “being able to navigate complexity and plan your development steps carefully”. AI assistants are playing an increasingly important role in this. Not as a replacement for developers, but as an accelerator of insight, context, planning and decision-making in complex systems. This development is not only visible globally, but also highly relevant for organisations in the Benelux.
Within IBM, we see how companies are embracing this shift. They combine deep technical expertise with new AI tools to tackle complex IT challenges. A concrete example of such an advanced AI assistant is IBM Bob.
100,000+ Users Within IBM and Growing
IBM Bob marks the shift from AI-assisted coding to AI-assisted delivery. Within IBM, Bob is now used by more than 100,000 users, with measurable productivity improvements.
IBM Bob is designed as an AI-driven Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) partner that supports this broader process. It helps teams collaborate better across different systems, speeds up decision-making, and makes it easier to implement changes in a controlled way across complex IT landscapes. To put simply; IBM Bob represents a broader shift in software development, where the focus is not only on speed, but on managing complexity across the entire chain.
Working in complex development environments
In many organisations, software development has become fragmented across tools, teams and technologies. This makes it difficult to maintain overview and to consistently implement changes that affect multiple systems.
IBM Bob is designed to address this problem. It helps teams maintain context across different environments and supports structuring work across the entire development lifecycle. This creates more coherence in processes that are traditionally spread across different teams and systems. In practice, this means Bob can support a wide range of tasks within teams. From planning and accelerating execution work to providing structure and direction in more complex architectural challenges.
AI across the full software lifecycle
Instead of focusing on a single phase in the development process, IBM Bob supports the entire SDLC, from analysis and planning to development, testing and modernisation. It integrates with existing enterprise environments and tooling, ensuring that AI is not separate from development practice, but embedded in existing workflows.
Security and governance are also integrated. By including controls and policy agreements directly in the development process, reliability is not added afterwards but continuously supported during development.
Modernising legacy systems
Many organisations still work with complex legacy environments that are deeply embedded in critical business processes. Modernising these systems is often risky and time-consuming, because small changes can have large impacts.
IBM Bob helps teams first gain insight into dependencies within systems and then implement changes in a controlled way across the full stack. This shifts modernisation from a fragmented and reactive process to a more predictable and structured approach.
IBM Bob Use Cases in Benelux
In practice, IBM Bob is already being used in various environments, from consultancy projects to enterprise testing environments within international IT service providers, including across the region of Benelux.
Novadoc (Netherlands)
Novadoc, a Dutch consultancy and IBM partner, used IBM Bob to accelerate a complex IBM FileNet modernization, analyzing legacy architecture and Java code, generating documentation, and turning it into a modern configuration management application for IBM FileNet P8 in a weekend instead of weeks. “Using IBM Bob, we completed a complex FileNet modernization project in a weekend instead of weeks. What would normally take at least two weeks—even for a rough demo—was delivered in just days. The value of this acceleration goes beyond developer efficiency: being able to create a scalable, tested, and deployable Java application in such a short time fundamentally changes how a consultancy can move from a one-off project to a reusable asset,” says Hans Boef, Manager Technical Consultants and Support, Novadoc.
Tech Mahindra (Belgium)
The Belgium-based team at Tech Mahindra, a global IT services and consulting company, has been testing IBM Bob as part of a hands-on workshop at IBM Belgium. The team explored how Bob can serve as a true SDLC partner — working alongside developers to write, test, upgrade, and secure software, helping deliver productivity gains of more than 45%. "I am mightily impressed with IBM Bob‘s capabilities—it is clearly a tool IBM should be very proud of!,” says Sumant Panda, Customer Delivery Head at Tech Mahindra.
Migrato B.V. (Netherlands)
Migrato B.V. is using IBM Bob to further develop its Migrato Intelligent Content Classification Software Suite, enabling a faster time to market, with documentation integrated into their SDLC.“Staying ahead of the competition, keeping up with customer demands, and being an innovator in handling unstructured content with IBM watsonx doesn’t require a large development team; it just requires a small, dedicated team and IBM Bob. Migrato is leveraging IBM Bob across its full Migrato Software Suite to be able to deliver specific customer requests in days instead of weeks. Using IBM Bob, we can rely on the fact that the generated software is of high quality, stable and well documented - a requirement we need in handling highly business-critical and privacy-sensitive documents,” says Oscar Dubbeldam, CEO, Migrato BV.
Integration Designers (Belgium)
Integration Designers, part of the Cronos Group, is using IBM Bob to deliver integration projects. "IBM Bob has become an integral part of how we deliver integration projects. We leverage it across the full software development lifecycle and in our daily operations to accelerate delivery, improve consistency, and reduce manual effort. What gives us confidence in adopting AI at scale is Bob’s transparent and controlled approach. It keeps our experts in the loop, clearly communicates its recommendations, and ensures that critical decisions remain in human hands. This balance between innovation and governance is essential for building trust and delivering reliable outcomes for our customers," says Jef Jansen, Managing Partner at Integration Designers.
Want to know more about IBM Bob?
Register for a free trial version: https://bob.ibm.com/
For more information, contact:
The results above are based on specific customer situations and may vary by organization.