Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) as contained in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) for interim financial information. In the opinion of management, the interim financial information includes all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations, financial position, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows. The results of operations for the current period are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year or the results for any future periods. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related footnotes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 20, 2020. We adopted ASC 606, the new revenue recognition guidance, on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective method. Under this method of adoption, we recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying the new revenue standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit and applied the new standard only to contracts that were not completed prior January 1, 2019. Because we were an emerging growth company until December 31, 2019, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act allowed us to delay adoption of certain accounting standards such as ASC 606 and ASC 842 until such time they were made applicable to private companies. We elected to use this extended transition period, and accordingly, did not report revenues under ASC 606 or leases under ASC 842 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q during 2019. Refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 20, 2020, for a complete reconciliation of our revenues under the old and new guidance. Prior period amounts in this Form 10-Q have been recast as if we had reported under ASC 606 for the applicable periods. Use of Estimates The preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in these condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Although we believe the estimates we use are reasonable, due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making these estimates, actual results reported in future periods could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates embedded in the condensed consolidated financial statements include revenue recognition, income taxes and the related valuation allowance, the valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, leases, costs to obtain a contract with a customer, and stock-based compensation. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease ("COVID-19") has resulted in the declaration of a global pandemic and introduced a level of disruption and uncertainty into the financial markets and global economy. While we continue to monitor the developments surrounding the pandemic, as of the date of issuance of these financial statements, we are not aware of any specific events or circumstances that would require us to update our estimates, assumptions, and judgments or revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. However, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on our business is not estimable at this time and will be largely dependent upon a number of factors outside of our control including the extent and duration of the outbreak as well as any mitigating actions which may be undertaken by global governments and the general public. Principles of Consolidation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Appian and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Public Offering In June 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of 2,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock, of which 1,931,206 shares of Class A common stock were sold by us and 568,794 shares of Class A common stock were sold by existing stockholders. The underwriter purchased the shares from us and the selling stockholders at a price of $56.50 per share. Our net proceeds from the offering were $107.9 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. We did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. Revenue Recognition Refer to Note 3 for a detailed discussion on specific revenue recognition principles related to our major revenue streams. Cost of Revenue Subscriptions Cost of subscriptions revenue consists primarily of fees paid to our third-party managed hosting providers and other third-party service providers, personnel costs such as payroll and benefits for our technology operations and customer support teams, and allocated facility costs and overhead. Professional Services Cost of professional services revenue includes all direct and indirect costs to deliver our professional services and training, including employee compensation for our global professional services and training personnel, travel costs, third-party contractor costs, and allocated facility costs and overhead. Concentration of Credit and Customer Risk Our financial instruments exposed to concentration of credit and customer risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and trade accounts receivable. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. We believe the financial institutions holding our cash deposits are financially sound and, accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to these balances. With regard to our customers, credit evaluation and account monitoring procedures are used to minimize the risk of loss. We believe no additional credit risk beyond amounts provided for collection loss are inherent in accounts receivable. When accounted for under ASC 606, revenue generated from government agencies represented 19.0% and 16.8% of our revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, of which the top three federal government agencies generated 7.6% and 6.7% of our revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. Additionally, 36.8% and 35.0% of our revenue during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, was generated from foreign customers. Revenue generated from government agencies represented 16.8% and 17.3% of our revenue for three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, of which the top three federal government agencies generated 6.4% and 7.3% of our revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. Additionally, 32.9% and 32.4% of our revenue during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, was generated from foreign customers. Cash and Cash Equivalents We consider all highly liquid investments with an original or remaining maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase, as well as overnight repurchase investments, to be cash equivalents. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Accounts receivable are stated at realizable value, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on our assessment of the collectability of accounts and incorporates an estimation of expected lifetime credit losses on our receivables. We regularly review the composition of the accounts receivable aging, historical bad debts, changes in payment patterns, customer creditworthiness, and current economic trends. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in their inability to make required payments, additional provisions for doubtful accounts would be required and would increase bad debt expense. To date, our allowance and related bad debt write-offs have been nominal. There was a $0.2 million increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts from December 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Assets Recognized from the Costs to Obtain a Contract with a Customer We capitalize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer, including sales commissions paid to our direct sales force that are incremental costs to obtaining customer contracts. These costs are recorded as deferred commissions in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Costs to obtain a contract for a new customer or upsell are amortized over an estimated economic life of five years as sales commissions on initial sales are not commensurate with sales commissions on contract renewals. We determine the estimated economic life based on both qualitative and quantitative factors such as expected renewals, product life cycles, contractual terms, and customer attrition. We periodically review the carrying amount of deferred contract acquisition costs to determine whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could impact the estimated economic life. Commissions paid relating to contract renewals are deferred and amortized over the related renewal period. We also capitalize the incremental fringe benefits associated with commission expenses paid to our direct sales force. Costs to obtain a contract for professional services arrangements are expensed as incurred as the contractual period of our professional services arrangements are one year or less. Amortization associated with commission expense is recorded to sales and marketing costs in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. Commission expense was $5.8 million and $11.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. Commission expense was $3.6 million and $6.6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Significant additions or improvements extending the useful life of an asset are capitalized, while repairs and maintenance costs which do not significantly improve the related assets or extend their useful lives are charged to expense as incurred. The following table outlines useful lives of our major asset categories: Asset Category Useful Life (in years) Computer software 3 Computer hardware 3 Equipment 5 Office furniture and fixtures 10 Leasehold improvements (a) (a) - Leasehold improvements have an estimated useful life of the shorter of the useful life of the assets or the lease term. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets and certain intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable through undiscounted cash flows from the use of the assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the assets are written down to their estimated fair value. No indicators of impairment were identified for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The carrying amounts of our cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued expenses approximate fair value as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 because of the relatively short duration of these instruments. Our line of credit is recorded at carrying value, which approximates fair value. We use a three-tier fair value hierarchy to classify and disclose all assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, as well as assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis, in periods subsequent to their initial measurement. The hierarchy requires us to use observable inputs when available and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value. The three tiers are defined as follows: • Level 1. Observable inputs based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; • Level 2. Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; and • Level 3. Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data, which require us to develop our own assumptions. Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis Using Significant Unobservable Inputs There were no instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. Stock-Based Compensation We account for stock-based compensation expense related to stock-based awards based on the estimated fair value of the award on the grant date. We calculate the fair value of stock options containing only a service condition using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing market price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on the date of grant. For service-based awards, stock-based compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. For performance-based awards, stock-based compensation expense is recognized using the accelerated attribution method based on the probability of satisfying the performance condition. For awards that contain market conditions, compensation expense is measured using a Monte Carlo simulation and recognized using the accelerated attribution method over the derived service period based on the expected market performance as of the grant date. For restricted stock units, stock-based compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. We account for forfeitures as they occur rather than estimating expected forfeitures. Leases Refer to Note 4 for a detailed discussion on our policies specific to leasing arrangements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326) ("ASU 2016-13"), which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Adopting the standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement ("ASU 2018-13"), which eliminates, modifies, and adds disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Adopting the standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40), Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract , which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs in cloud computing arrangements with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Adopting the standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. |